Coordinator question-help!

Molly15098

So, I found and met with a wedding coordinator who seems fantastic.  She sent me the contract today, and it states that I would need to pay her the full amount with the contract of $500 (keep in mind this is a day of coordinator).  My fiance doesn't like that she requires all of the money now for an event that is 9 months away.  What is normal for this sort of thing?  What do you guys think?

DG1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_wedding-woes_coordinator-question-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:47Discussion:5a7b792a-9ea0-4781-8274-7b0d65b9b835Post:3a173685-0808-4f93-875c-9fd8d8690f35">Coordinator question-help!</a>:
[QUOTE]So, I found and met with a wedding coordinator who seems fantastic.  She sent me the contract today, and it states that I would need to pay her the full amount with the contract of $500 (keep in mind this is a day of coordinator).  My fiance doesn't like that she requires all of the money now for an event that is 9 months away.  What is normal for this sort of thing?  What do you guys think?
Posted by Molly15098[/QUOTE]

IDK what's standard for DOCs. For bigger expenses, like a venue, florist, photog, etc.,  I think it's more standard to pay a deposit (typically nonrefundable, though sometimes refundable with early enough cancellation) to secure the date. Then if you cancel, you're just out the deposit.

But for $500, it might not be worth splitting it up.  I'd check carefully for the cancellation clauses, though it might still be quite a challenge to get your money back once you've paid it.

In short, I'd be more concerned with what the rest of the contract says and just how important that $500 is to you. I mean, it's not throwaway money, but if you're OK with being out the $500 if anything happens, then just give it to her.