We booked our caterer!!! But, they don't have a contract...?

That's to scary for me. Catering was the biggest chunk of the expense. I couldn't imagine not having the details in writing.

Yikes...I would be EXTREMELY nervous about that one, especially sense it was all verbal, and not even on an email..Can you come up with a contract of your own that covers everything you and the caterer agreed to and ask them to sign it for your own peace of mind?

Something is up with this one. I would send them an email outlining the expectations/their promises and get them to respond. I'd even say, "Since you don't do written contracts, I just want to make sure I have all of this correctly…" that way you can avoid any other issues.

@Maltese, I thought about that too-- I don't see why they would be opposed to putting something in writing unless they really were a shady company. I really don't think that they are, so I might ask them to do something similar (or send them an e-mail-- that would be an easy, non-chalant way to have a written agreement; thanks @EricaTx).

I should add that our venue also offers catering, so if something falls through with the caterer that we booked, we always have our venue to fall back on. We didn't book them because they don't offer china service, but I would be willing to downgrade to paper plates if I absolutely had to.

The caterer we are using does not offer a contract either. I was shocked! It's my favorite local restaurant and I know all the managers, but I will still probably make one of my own and just have them sign it.

That makes me feel a little better @alyshadanielle! I had no idea whether or not this was a common thing.

No. NO NO NO NO NO. It is NOT a common thing; it's an unprofessional thing. You need to have, IN WRITING, what they are going to provide and what it's going to cost, the terms of payment, and all the details of the day (arrival time, etc).

I would never enter a relationship with a vendor, even a friend or a free one, without a contract. Even if you wanted to get your deposit back now, you have nothing to back you up.

I"m not trying to scare you, but this leaves the door open for all kinds of mishaps and you don't want your wedding to be one of them.

I agree Celia--I don't want to show up to my wedding reception and find out there's no food there. I'm going to talk to them. I can't imagine they wouldn't be willing to sign something. I'm from a small town, and I feel like they probably just have that "small-town" mindset that their word is as good as gold; no contract necessary. It will ease my mind just to have something in writing.

Do you an email contact for the person you spoke/booked with?? If so I would send them an email asking them to confirm that that they have you down on the books, and type out the deposit paid and pricing and what not. That way it is in writing, even if not a formal contract. I did that with a few of my vendors that have small businesses and do not provide contracts.

Why wouldn't a professional offer a contract? I just sent a contract to a potential bride and she was offended?! WHAT? I was suppose to travel 4 hours out of my area, provide 4 hours of quality DJ service and just hope they pay me?! It works both way!

If you are set on using them, you may want to write an email or letter outlying what you have verbally agreed to and asking them to sign it. Would hate for their to be any surprises down the road.

Seems a little sketchy to me. I would be a nervous wreck the day of my wedding wondering if they were going to show up.

Our caterer didn't have a contract "per se", but they did send us an invoice with everything included on it (what food and how much it would cost based on our expected numbers, which was changed when we gave final numbers), and we signed it and gave them a deposit. That worked out fine for us, but I wouldn't do it if they refused to do anything in writing- you need something. Otherwise, if they don't show up, what do you do?

For legal purposes, demand one. Even if you have to write it up and make them sign it....don't do anything without paper JUST IN CASE!

Our caterer doesn't have a contract either. If you send a deposit he'll send you an receipt showing it's paid. He's well known around here though, 90% of the weddings we've been in/attended have used them. He doesn't require a deposit until 1 month before the event and paid in full the week of along with final head count/final menu. It's scary but my MOH saw him the other day and mentioned he was catering her friend's wedding, he asked which one, she gave him names and he said yep, I'm doing that one.. Think positive

Thanks so much for the advice everyone! =)

I think it's good to cover your butts if you send out an e-mail confirming everything you have spoken about in detail and have them reply with a confirmation. That way even though there is no "contract" it is still in writing on e-mail stating every detail with them saying that it is confirmed.

That's so strange there is not contract for a big thing like that. I can understand for the "littler" things (I don't have a contract with my DJ but he's a friend even though I should but I have e-mails at least) but for catering? That's one of the biggest things of your wedding! I hope everything goes smoothly though. Just make sure you have as much of a paper trail as you can.

DO. NOT. PROCEED. WITHOUT. A. CONTRACT. WITH. EVERYONE.

Friend or not. What if that friend doesn't show up? What if 40 people get food poisoning?

What if your photos are horrible? It doesn't matter how much or little you're paying, you still need to have, IN WRITING, an agreement of what they will provide and what you'll pay.