Has this happened to you? As a wedding planner, you have an AMAZING consultation with a couple; they say they are going to hire you! Yay!

The bride is going to mail the contract and payment right away, double YAY! You are so excited that you start working on their wedding immediately. You send vendor recommendations, review their planning so far, and begin to pull inspiration images for the décor. A week goes by and you realize you have not heard from the couple and there is no payment or wedding planning contract in your mailbox. You reach out and receive no response – essentially you have been ghosted.

Unfortunately, this happens a lot. Couples may be really excited when they speak with you and they are planning to hire you, but when they get home they change their mind. They may be second-guessing their wedding needs, maybe the parents are not on board, or maybe they just got ahead of themselves. Whatever the reason, until you have a signed contract and deposit in hand,  you do not have a client.

Here are 3 ways to get potential wedding clients to make a decision AND get the contract and deposit done:

• When you send out your contract, put an expiration date on it. My contracts expire 72 hours after they go out. Not only does it put a little urgency in the decision-making process, but it also gives you a solid time frame in which to follow-up.

• If potential clients begin requesting things from you before you have received their contract, respond with a firm “I would be happy to take care of that as soon as I receive your contract and deposit.”

• If a week passes, I like to get in touch and just ask if they would like to move forward or if I can release the date to another couple.

Often you will need to take control of the situation and get a definitive answer one way or another, so do not feel bad if you need to flat out ask. I used to feel pushy, but I realized that I only have so much of my time to sell clients, so I need to move on if someone is not going to work with me.

Are you looking for a legal contract to use in your wedding planning business? We have two recommended resources where you can purchase wedding planner contract templates.

Today’s post is a guest post from Amber Peterson. Amber is the owner of Cheers Wedding & Event Planning in western Washington. She has a Masters Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and previously worked as a marketing consultant for wedding industry professionals. Amber is also the co-founder of the Skagit Wedding Society.