Is having a contract for a wedding a must?

If yes, whats the best way of getting a contract made? How much does it cost approximately?

Is hiring a lawyer and paying large $$ the best option or is there a website anyone can recommend which has standardised contracts for wedding photographers?


Basically so far I've done small $$ work.. mostly in the range of $400-600. This includes couple engagement shoots, 21st/18th birthdays, Portrait shoots etc.

Some of my work is here: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/89592232@N08/pa​ge2/

However, Ive been contracted to do a full wedding for one of my friends and i'm charging them average amount of money (not that much.. but its the highest I've charged so far for any gig I've done). Just wondering if I should get a contract signed? But i'm also not sure if making a contract is worth it.. because i'm not charging them some crazy amount of money like $3-5K..

I wouldn't do a wedding without one! It's amazing how quickly friends become enemies if things don't go quite as planned or expected. If you don't have big $$ to pay out for one drawn up specific to you and your business then you only option is to search the net. Just make sure it covers "everything" from your time to image ownership.

Contract, contract, contract repeat ad infinitum. Needs no more explanation. Close thread!

TeeJay wrote in post #15323799
I wouldn't do a wedding without one! It's amazing how quickly friends become enemies if things don't go quite as planned or expected. If you don't have big $$ to pay out for one drawn up specific to you and your business then you only option is to search the net. Just make sure it covers "everything" from your time to image ownership.

Absolutely, 100% couldn't agree more. If you have an iPhone/ iPad, there's a great app called Photographers Contract Maker. It has pre-designed templates, which you can personalise if required. When I moved to my insurance company they normally insist that you use their contracts, so I emailed a copy of mine for their underwriters to check and they said it's even more water-tight than the one they use.
Weddings, portrait shoots, in fact any job where I'm shooting for someone (including shoots where no money changes hands) I always get a contract signed, and as many on here will tell you - there have been SEVERAL times when I was glad I did

No contract, no wedding.

Yes, a contract is a MUST HAVE. No contract, no wedding. Without a contract you are opening yourself up to all kinds of headaches. Even people with a contract have been met with grief and this is while you want a contract for it spells out all the conditions.

A different perspective. A contract is not a must, you are free to shoot any wedding you like without one. However, you are assuming all the risk if there are disputes and have nothing to fall back on when disputes arise. If the bride or bride's mom's expectations change you are left to deal with the changing conditions. When you modify the price based on additional work, you are left to argue why things changed and have become more expensive.

A contract is a must..you probably won't find anyone here that will say you don't absolutely have to have one. One good way to draw one up yourself is to either look for one on the web, or find friends who have gotten married that have used photographers and have them send you their contracts. You probably wouldnt want to just copy them word for word but I took 5 or so contracts that I had seen and wrote my own using all of the pertinant info from each of them.

Why do we make photographs? One of the reasons is that it helps is recall pleasurable events. Can you remember, in great detail, what you clothes looked like on your first day in kindergarten? I can't, but my DSLR sure can.

The same applies to putting things down on paper, as in contracts. We don't remember conversations we had hears ago, or even weeks/days ago, very accurately. Putting them down on paper takes the variable of human memory out of the equation. So once you come to an agreement, it's permanent and you can reference it whenever you want.

There's also the legal aspect of the contract, and for that I would recommend a professional. Just as I would recommend a professional photographer to a friend that is getting married.

tnis0612 wrote in post #15324573
A contract is a must..you probably won't find anyone here that will say you don't absolutely have to have one..

Clearly you did not read the post directly above yours. I sincerely believe that a contract is not a must. You can shoot without one and nothing is going to stop you. However shooting professionally without one is not smart. There is a huge difference between a must and being smart. For instance, to shoot a wedding a camera is a must, a lens is a must, a memory card is a must. A contract is not a must.

Some links for you:

http://www.slrlounge.c​om/photography-contract-template
http://www.keyimagery.​com …ography-contract-template
http://www.tofurious.c​om …graphy-contract-template/
http://freelance-photography.knoji.com …ing-photography-contract/
http://www.wedpix.com …-a-good-wedding-contract/
http://www.kern-photo.com …ing-photography-contract/

Believe it or not I actually did read it, I must have just forgotten it by the time I wrote mine I think I interpreted your post as.."well..it's not a must..however..it's a must..duh..use a contract"

gjl711 wrote in post #15324647
Clearly you did not read the post directly above yours. I sincerely believe that a contract is not a must. You can shoot without one and nothing is going to stop you. However shooting professionally without one is not smart. There is a huge difference between a must and being smart. For instance, to shoot a wedding a camera is a must, a lens is a must, a memory card is a must. A contract is not a must.

tnis0612 wrote in post #15324746
Believe it or not I actually did read it, I must have just forgotten it by the time I wrote mine I think I interpreted your post as.."well..it's not a must..however..it's a must..duh..use a contract"

Your interpretation is pretty close. I would say it's more like "well..it's not a must..however..it's really a bad idea to work without one, so..duh..use a contract". I have no idea why anyone in business would ever do a job so involved and complex as a wedding shoot without clearly stating what is being done and what is being delivered.

So, if your a risk taker and like aggravation and drama, shoot without a contract. If you prefer a less drama filled day and a clear set of deliverables, agree on a contract first.

Only a fool would photograph a wedding w/o a contract.

Let's flip the question. What is the advantage to NOT using a contract ? Hm. Maybe you save some time in the short term. Maybe you ease the stress on your brain (having to think about contracts 'n' such) in the short term. In the short term indeed.