BETH’S TIP

Whatever pricing model you use, there's simply no way to know from one phone call or consultation how a wedding is going to evolve. Sure you can make your best guess, but when it comes to protecting yourself and ensuring your properly compensated, your best guess truly isn't good enough. You may be right, but you also may be way wrong. If you choose to offer a flat or hybrid fee, I highly recommend including and enforcing a clause in your contract that I call the "Budgeting and Increase in Scope" clause. With this inclusion, you will predetermine what you anticipate the client's budget and scope to be during the sales process. This may take more time than you're used to investing as you need to ask more questions upfront to ensure you know your client's vision, but trust me, it's worth it. Once you determine what you feel is an appropriate budget range based on the client's vision as you understand it, you will include a clause like the following in your contract:

"Based on my experience and understanding of your vision and scope, I anticipate your wedding to be in the $100,000 to $150,000 range. Should your budget exceed $150,000, it is understood that my responsibility and workload also increases. At that point, my fee will increase by 10% (choose the percentage that is right for you) for all expenditures over $150,000 less our fees and expenses. For example, if your final budget is $175,000, we would be paid 10% on the $25,000 overage, or $2,500."

This safety net is a game changer, and I recommend implementing it immediately.