Deposit Deposit Here

Needing to reserve a wedding service by putting down a deposit isn't always a reason to believe you're getting a quality service. It also doesn't mean that you're putting a guarantee upon the success of that service either.

What a deposit does do, is support a contract or agreement, and give either party more in the way of legal grounds, to stand on, should the other party back out of the event or activity.

Story: The only part of "The Plaid Wedding" that we didn't pre-pay or give a deposit toward was our Disc Jockey. I had a friend in the business, a competitor, but still a friend offer to provide his services as a wedding gift, and therefore at no charge. The down side is that there were no expectations for quality of service or results. Basically, I knew what we were getting based on seeing him work before, and working with him in the past. And I was ok with that. But, there was also no contract. Not knowing, or remembering what date we told him our reception was, he not only booked himself on another event, but he double booked! He thought I could take the other job. Not being able to work, he hired the other good wedding DJ that we both knew. This was announced to us about a week and a half before our event.

Lessons learned: Don't hire friends on a handshake. Give them something, and it'll obligate them. Also, be clear on your expectations. By paying them, they know you're serious about what you want out of your event or what you want them to do. It's great to have someone save you money, on purpose, by not having a "pro" do the job, but remember that you get what you pay for, and you don't get what you don't pay for.

The final lesson learned, is that if My friend ever backs out of something that my wife is expecting....he may still be MY friend, but she'll always have "that thing" in the back of her mind. Screwing up your "once in a lifetime" event like a wedding reception isn't something that she'll just get over.

Be Strong, and Pay it Forward.
Mr. Plaid