what percent of the package should the retainer be?

<p>Hey guys, i would like to know what do some of you take in as a retainer in terms of percentage to the packages the clients buy.</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>1/3 at booking<br>

1/3 30 days prior to wedding<br>

1/3 upon delivery of photos</p>

<p>Thats how I roll at least</p>

<p>I think you'll find a lot of people do 1/3 at booking, and then either have 2 more payments, or one more payment. I've been doing 1/3 and then balance due 30 days prior to event, but I'm going to change that to 90 days before event. Also, other photographers I know like have 3 payments to spread out the income as it comes in to steady out the cash flow through the year. Either way, I would want all money prior to shooting an event...</p>

<p>I do 50%. It works. :)</p>

<p>GBP250 booking fee, the balance (less the booking fee) is due 1 calendar month in advance of the wedding date.</p>

<p>20% at booking and the remaining balance on or before the wedding day.</p>

<p>It depends on your business model, your package prices and your expenses.</p>

<p>Here is a little question: What part, if any, is non-refundable?<br>

I am re-vamping my business/pricing structure to, effective Jan. 1st, so this is all interesting to me to see how others do the business side of things. Up until now, I have required a $300 non-refundable retainer(applies to balance) at the time of booking and the remaining balance no less than 7 days prior to the event. The balance, minus the retainer and any expenses incurred(i.e., rentals, travel, etc.), is subject to refund in the case of the event being canceled.</p>

<p>I do 50% at the booking. This reserves the date and makes the contract mutually binding. I have written contracts and received partial payments (could not pay 50%) but I warn them that the date is still open until that 50% point is reached. In my contract this is called the retainer and is non-refundable since I have taken that date off of my schedule.<br>

The rest is due before the wedding.</p>

<p>None of it is refundable. This retainer is to hold that date, and to turn away any other people who ask for that same date. It is in good faith for BOTH sides: I promise I will not book someone else even if they offer to pay me ten times more. And in return, the bride promises that they will have this wedding and pay you. If they cancel, you don't refund the retainer because you've already rendered services for it-- you've held their date. </p>

<p>When book my own job:</p>

<ul>

<li>25% at contract signing,</li>

<li>25% day of the event,</li>

<li>50% at proof return/delivery.</li>

</ul>

<p>It works for me.<br>

Adam</p>

<p><em>None of it is refundable... ...If they cancel, you don't refund the retainer because you've already rendered services for it-- you've held their date. </em><br>

<em></em></p>

<p>Hopefully you don't mean the entire fee is a non-refundable as opposed to a portion of it being a non-refundable retainer. The way you phrased the response seems to be the former but it is worded ambiguously. If you kept an entire wedding shoot fee as a non-refundable retainer then you may find yourself in court one day listening to a judge tell you that such non-refundable payments are only enforcable to the extent that it is a reasonable prediction of your actual losses at the time of contracting (and in some states the time of cancellation is also considered) and that you will have to refund part of your fee nevertheless. Keeping the full payment automatically excludes foreseeable business expenses associated with the shoot, the potential for early cancellations which allow you to find alternative work, the fact that you might actually find alternative work all of which can result in making more money than you possibly could have made (a windfall)without cancellation. That generally won't fly. </p>

<p>Consult with a local attorney to arrive at an enforcable retainer fee in your jurisdiction.</p>

<p>I do 500. at the time of booking and balance is due two weeks out. 500 is non refundable.</p>

<p><strong><em>"what do some of you take in as a retainer in terms of percentage"</em></strong><br>

between 30% and 50%<br>

<strong><em>"What part, if any, is non-refundable?"</em></strong><br>

Zero, of that initial 30% to 50% payment is refundable. It is clearly stated the first amount paid is a "Non-Refundable Fee" (legal terminology varies from precinct to precinct)<br>

I have refunded it all, on some occasions.<br>

There are many the threads on this question, also, a search will keep you reading all weekend.<br>

WW</p>

<p > </p>

 

<p>I ask for 25% deposit along with signing of the contract. The remaining balance can be made in payments or however the B&G choose, as long as its all paid 2 weeks before the wedding date. I don't offer refunds under any circumstances, of the deposit and payments made, and thats because i reserved an entire day and do turn away other business.</p>

<p><strong ><em >"I don't offer refunds under any circumstances, of the deposit and payments made, and thats because i reserved an entire day and do turn away other business."</em></strong><br>

Hi JA,<br>

I am particularly interested in this point, as this question has come up before . . .<br>

Do you reserve the entire day if a Client books, (for example) Package 1 or Package 2 for a morning Wedding?</p>

<p >Obviously one would up-sell and perhaps very few Clients actually book those packages because the marketing pitch seems quite keen IMO (a compliment) . . . but humour me please and answer the hypothetical question I pose . . . </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Also, just for interest’s sake . . . I <em>think</em> it is a fact where you work that: “All deposits/payments are non-refundable.” is actually incorrect, but JH knows more about that, (for your area), than I.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >WW </p>

 

<p>Hi William W,<br />I do have several clients who choose my packages 1 and 2 (which are only a couple of hours) and I do reserve the whole day (i personaly dont like to double-book and i just wont do it), but I have never had a morning wedding. Here in my city, hardly anyone does that, the norm is having a wedding between 1-3 p.m. So if i book a wedding with package 1, and another clients asks for the same date with a smaller or bigger package, it will most likely be at the same time. It always happens like that for me. I'm from El Paso, which is mostly a latin/hispanic community and a lot of the weddings here are about the huge reception/dance. So thats my reason for not offering refunds. I know it sounds bad to not offer a refund, but then I'd lose money and business in my case.</p>

<p>Thanks for responding.<br>

When we started our first W&P business I sometimes (not often) had 4 Weddings on a Weekend (1Friday, 2 Saturday and 1 Sunday). That changed over time, to: last year (2008 -2009) me doing only about 18 or so Weddings in that whole year – just one or two a month.</p>

<p>But where I work (Australia) it was not uncommon to have a morning Wedding (1100 Service), that would finish at 1600, and thus allow enough time to be at the Bride’s house for Family Photos before another Wedding Service at 1800.</p>

<p>If I had that time over again I think I would not do that, but rather structure the business differently.</p>

<p>There is another thread (which I couldn’t find), where this matter was discussed . . .</p>

<p>From your Bio Photo, it is obvious that you are a lot younger than I – and therefore must have been in business for fewer years than I: and what particularly interested me, was the exact reasons for reserving the whole day even though you charge by time and have Packages which compass only a few hours.</p>

<p>I think that even though you don’t have a clientele who are likely to make bookings one in the morning and one later in the day – your etiquette to only book one Wedding per day is very sound and can be used as a selling and marketing tool.</p>

<p>I was not commenting on the right or wrong of not offering refunds or if it sounded bad or not. I do not think it “sounds bad” – it is just a clear business statement.</p>

<p>The only point I was making was, that the wording (I think) does not accurately reflect what the law actually is in your Country / State – but that (IMO) is really not a point of argument, I was mentioning it “by the way”.</p>

<p>I would rather have it clear to all clients that “we don’t give refunds” as an all encompassing statement - I do that too.</p>

<p>WW</p>