Free template inside
An event planning contract is the written agreement between a planner and a client that defines the scope of work, when payment is due, what each side owes on cancellation, and how responsibilities are shared. The seven sections below explain the main topics to discuss and document before work begins.
Read a plain-language explanation of each section, then download the free Word template to adapt for your services.
The template
An editable template with all seven sections and notes to help you review them. Enter your email to receive the file.
A template is a starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer in your jurisdiction read it before your first client signs it.
A written agreement helps you and the client understand the work, fees, and responsibilities from the start. It is useful for small events and work with friends or family as well as larger commercial projects.
Discuss how changes to the guest count, date, or scope will affect the budget and schedule. Recording those decisions gives both parties a reference as planning progresses.
Sets out the services and deliverables included in your fee, along with the process for agreeing on additional work.
What to specify: List the deliverables and specify that additional work is quoted and agreed in writing before it begins.
Defines the deposit, installment dates, final balance, and what happens if a payment is late.
What to specify: State when the deposit and balance are due, when work begins, and how late payments affect the schedule and fees.
Explains what happens if the client or planner cancels, including notice, payment for completed work, committed vendor costs, and any refunds or handover arrangements.
What to specify: The deposit is non-refundable on client cancellation, and the client remains responsible for costs already committed to vendors on their behalf.
Addresses circumstances outside either party’s control, such as severe weather, disasters, or public-health orders that prevent the event from proceeding.
What to specify: Specify how rescheduling or cancellation is handled, including payments already made and costs that cannot be recovered.
Sets out the responsibilities of the planner and client for claims, injuries, or property damage. These terms should be reviewed alongside your insurance coverage.
What to specify: Ask your lawyer to review the allocation of responsibility and any indemnity provisions for your services and the event.
Records permission to photograph the event and use images in your portfolio or marketing, taking the client’s privacy preferences into account.
What to specify: Document the agreed image permissions and provide a clear way for the client to opt out.
Clarifies that caterers, florists, bands and venues contract with the client, not with you, even when you found them, negotiated them and manage them on the day.
What to specify: Clarify your coordination role and identify who is responsible for vendor agreements, insurance, performance, and payment.
Use the template to organize your scope, fees, and responsibilities. A lawyer in your jurisdiction can review the agreement, including cancellation and liability terms, for your services and insurance coverage.
For each event, update the client details, deliverables, dates, and payment schedule. Review the completed agreement with your client so you both understand the terms.
A template provides a starting point for an agreement. Whether the final contract is enforceable depends on its terms and the law that applies. Have a lawyer in your jurisdiction review it, and adapt the event details and scope for each client.
A local attorney can review your contract template and advise on terms for your services, location, and insurance. Arrange that review before using the agreement with your first client.
Set out the deposit, payment dates, and cancellation terms in the agreement. This template uses a deposit due on signing, with work beginning after payment clears and the balance due before the event. Have a local lawyer review the deposit and cancellation provisions for your circumstances.
In the United States, yes: the federal ESIGN Act and the UETA give electronic signatures the same standing as ink for agreements like these. Most working planners send contracts through an e-signature service and keep the signed PDF with the client file.
Ask which terms they are concerned about and discuss any changes. Agree on the scope, payment schedule, and cancellation terms in writing before work begins.
No. The venue contract binds your client to the venue; this contract binds your client to you. You will often manage both, and your own contract should say plainly that vendor and venue agreements are between the client and those providers, with you coordinating rather than guaranteeing them.
Professional development
Contracts, pricing, vendor management and the running of the event itself are taught in full in our certification programs: self-paced, fully online, from an institute that has certified planners in 70 countries since 2011.
