Photographer contracts, deposits and payments???

That seems just a tad early but not unreasonable. I've never heard of a photographer where the final payment is due after the wedding.

Mine required half up front, and the other half 2 weeks before the wedding.

I don't think it's unreasonable...

I've already paid off our photographer. She was really surprised I wanted to pay so early! lol

We just asked if it would be possible to do the deposit, half of the remaining balance 2 weeks before the wedding (her normal pay date), and the remainder when we receive the photos. She was fine with that, but we actually ended up paying her in full 2 weeks before. We had the full balance and figured it was one less thing to worry about.

Most require full payment before you get your photos. My final payment was due 2 weeks before the wedding. They should be putting a lot of work into editing those photos, so they will want that money up front. I think a month may be a little unusual, but not the fact that it's paid in advance. I can imagine they don't want to run the risk of not getting paid if you don't like the photos at the end of all that work ,or run out of funds after the wedding/honeymoon!

If you pay ahead, double check what the contract says about refunds. God forbid something happens and the wedding is cancelled but you paid a month in advance. Know what the cancellation clause is. I would assume deposit is non-refundable, but check on the remaining balance stuff.

Our final payment is due the month before.

Hi Ashley. Every business contract is different and for different reasons. While I understand your POV, perhaps this particular photographer got burned and won't let that ever happen again. Be respectfully honest with your POV and see what she has to say.

Best wishes.

Our final payment was due at our final meeting, which was around a month out. Really not that unusual.

MOST of my vendors needed payment a month before. Only one vendor needed final payment closer than a month to the wedding. I've never heard of paying anyone after the wedding!

Our photographer needs full payment 2 weeks before but my videographer does 3 payments...a deposit, right before the wedding and then when the video is finished. So maybe some photogs do that too

There is no hard and fast rule. While visiting vendors some ranged from: "pay me after the final bill", "pay me 5 days in advance" , "pay me 1 month in advance" to "pay me 3 months prior"

The last one was a little WTF but it was real!

Oh and all of these had a deposit and potentially a second deposit before the balance.

Thanks ladies!

For my FH and I a month in advance seemed early...partially because we're both self employed (he does video production and the occasional wedding video) and never ask to be paid in full until we deliver the final product...industry standards for video work is usually a deposit to hold the day and then 1/2 the remainder before or at the event and the other 1/2 with delivery of the video...since photography is a pretty similar industry to videography we thought that there might be a similar standard.

And I totally understand the fear of not being paid by a vendor, but the bride and groom have no guarantee that a vendor will follow through once paid...yes there is a contract, but if someone doesn't show day of or their is a huge mishap, then what?

My photographer has a good policy. We pay a deposit. Then pay half which is actually less bc of the deposit 2 weeks before and the other half when we get the pictures after the wedding.

Our final payment is due a month before. I didn't see anything wrong with it.

I just paid the final payment for my photographer, 1 month before the wedding. It was to a wedding photography company though, not directly to the photographer who we'll be using. Maybe freelance vendors are different.

Mine requires 50% with signing and the rest 2 weeks before, but she requires an additional 14 days if you write a check, so that would be one month.

We had to pay a $500 deposit and need to have 75% paid off by the wedding. The last 25% is due when we get the photos

My photographer required 30% of the total amount due when booking, the remaining balance is due day of the wedding.

I don't use the word "deposit" because that means you'd get it back. I call it a retainer. I require 50% to secure the date and make a contract. In certain cases, I will divide it into thirds if it helps the client and the wedding is a ways out. The remaining balance is due 14 days prior. So, yes, that's normal. The day of the wedding is for just that, not doing business. A professional photographer wedding photographer is very unlikely to collect the day of or after delivering the photos.

That's actually completely within reason. To me the strange part is that every other vendor does not require payment at least a week before the date. What if you don't like the photos and decide not to pay? What if you "don't have the money" when the photos are delivered? Payment before protects the vendor from getting screwed out of money. So i'm willing to bet that no, it is not a typo. Also I cant speak for your photographer obviously, but my contract says that if you cancel a month before you forfeit everything you paid