Paying a TOG- help please :)

P.s sorry if this has been covered before, I did use the search function but it doesn't seem to work very well on my ipad- comes with old entries and irrelevant stuff, not sure why!

Hi, i picked up a few cards of local TOGs near me and liked one. We went for an 'interview' to get more information etc. and he told us how much he charged and said he'd include an engagement shoot for free. To secure the date we had to pay a deposit of £150 and we also signed a contract with him which was also like a reciept. We'll then have to pay the rest 3 weeks before the big day!
Hope this helps x

Hi lovely

You usually have to pay a small deposit to secure the date and then the remainder a few weeks before. You should also have a contract and receipt of payment.

HTH x

this is exactly what we did...although it wasn't a small deposit, we didn't mind as it'll be less to pay near the time

Small deposit relative to the booking, no greater than 25% then full and final settlement before at a pre arranged time.

Make sure you have a contract, really important thing this.

When a couple takes me on I'm £200 down to secure the date with the final payment two months in advance....because people almost always forget to pay on time and it allows me time to ask them for it as there's nothing worse than asking the groom for payment on the wedding day.

Also make sure you fill in the contract and return it with the payment, this year in particular contracts have taken months to arrive. For me, a booking isn't a booking until the contract and payment are both received.

We paid a £250 deposit and returned a signed contract to them. They wouldn't accept cash, had to be a cheque.

Hope that helps!

I had a similar situation with a new TOG that a friend recommended.

I dont remember paying a desposit, nor signing a contract! Sounds odd in hindsight, but it was my 1st (& hopefully only) wedding, & she knew good friends of mine, so maybe thats why. She had only done a few weddings & ours was the 1st she was being paid to do it.

The pics at her house & in the display books she showed were great, so we booked her.

Def have some sort of contract & also an idea of when the pics will be returned. Make sure you have a written list of all the pics you want taken, esp if its a new TOG. Might seem pedantic, but there are SO many pics we didnt end up having.

There are no pics with the train of my dress out, no family pics, none with my mother/nan/brother that arent when I just grabbed 1 of them for a pic on the dance floor & many other 'classic' pics that you'd expect to be taken.

I had also stipulated that I needed the disc back within 1mth, as we were flying back to London. This caused issues as she claimed I'd never said that, despite this being in all the emails we had initially sent.

Just make sure everything is in writing!

Our TOG came to about £990 (including album and frame) for the day and we paid a £100 deposit, signed a contract and got a receipt. So that was about 10%. The remainding we're to pay a month before hand. We paid by cheque, but I wouldnt consider just handing that amount of cash over.

I work slightly differently to many. After the initial deposit, the remainder is due a month before if the couple are having a disk only coverage. If an album is opted for, then I break up the costs to deposit+second fee + final fee after the wedding when the couple order the album. The first two parts add up to the disk cost IYSWIM.

Contracts are important. Get down exactly what you will get. Ensure that high res is exactly that and unwatermarked. Do also check insurance cover and what happens should the tog become unavailable on the day due to sickness, broken arm etc......Does the tog know the registrars....a registrar that has a relationship with the tog often allows a bit more latitude.If flash isn't allowed, does the tog have the right type of lens to handle low light available shots.....

Lots of questions, although its important to get them sorted.....

hth

Peter

Thanks everyone, really helped!!xx

Did anyone mention insurance yet? Public liability is a must, professional indemnity ... Well, I wouldn't book anyone who didn't have both!

Just a few extra pointers, if she's a newby photographer.. Has she got spare equipment, just in case and does she have a back up plan, if she's ill and unable to make it?

Just a couple of potential pitfalls, but hopefully not a problem

Pete

I've paid mine £100 now and the remaining £700 doesnt need paying until we view the photos after the Honeymoon - this now seems like a unique case after reading all the above...

x

Yep, that's not unheard of but not really the norm x

As Chris says, these days, that is quite a rare business approach. That's not a criticism, just pointing out that it is not usual.

Peter