Event Planning and Coordination Agreement
Event planners, wedding coordinators, and producers
Parties, event, and service level
This Event Planning and Coordination Agreement is effective [DATE] between [CLIENT LEGAL NAME] (“Client”) and [PLANNER LEGAL NAME] (“Planner”) for [EVENT NAME AND TYPE], currently scheduled for [DATE AND TIMES] at [VENUE / LOCATION] with an estimated [GUEST COUNT] guests.
Planner will provide [FULL-SERVICE PLANNING / PARTIAL PLANNING / MONTH-OF COORDINATION / DAY-OF COORDINATION] as detailed in Exhibit A. The event date is reserved only after signature and receipt of the initial payment.
Included services and exclusions
Exhibit A must list meetings, concept development, venue and vendor sourcing, budget tracking, timeline creation, RSVP or guest support, floor plans, rehearsal, setup supervision, day-of coordination, teardown supervision, and post-event work that are included.
Unless expressly included, Planner is not the caterer, designer, florist, rental company, security provider, transportation provider, venue manager, attorney, accountant, insurer, or employer of vendors. Physical setup, cleanup, heavy lifting, cash handling, alcohol service, permit applications, and guest supervision are excluded unless specifically assigned and priced.
Planning calendar and Client decisions
Planner will maintain a planning calendar with decision and payment deadlines. Client will designate one decision-maker, provide a realistic budget and guest count, attend scheduled meetings, review proposals, make timely selections, and supply accurate event and participant information.
Planner may rely on instructions from the designated decision-maker. Conflicting instructions, missed meetings, late approvals, or delayed vendor payments may reduce available options, increase cost, or require timeline changes. Planner is not responsible for consequences of Client delay or for decisions made against Planner’s written recommendation.
Fees, payment schedule, and expenses
Client will pay a planning fee of [AMOUNT / PERCENTAGE / HOURLY RATE] under Exhibit B. An initial payment of [AMOUNT OR PERCENTAGE] is due at signing. Remaining installments are due on [DATES / MILESTONES], with the final balance due no later than [NUMBER] days before the event.
Approved travel, parking, shipping, printing, assistants, meals during extended event coverage, rentals, and purchases are reimbursable. Planner will not advance significant vendor funds unless Exhibit B authorizes it. Past-due amounts may result in suspension of planning or day-of services after written notice.
Vendors and third-party contracts
Unless Exhibit A states otherwise, vendors contract directly with Client and are independent third parties. Planner may research, recommend, communicate with, and coordinate vendors but does not guarantee their availability, licensing, solvency, performance, food safety, insurance, conduct, or contractual compliance.
Client will review and sign each vendor contract and pay each vendor on time. Planner is not liable for a vendor breach, cancellation, delay, substitution, insolvency, or misconduct, but will use reasonable efforts to help Client identify practical alternatives. Planner may decline to coordinate a vendor presenting a documented safety, insurance, or professionalism concern.
Venue, permits, insurance, and event compliance
Client is responsible for the venue contract, occupancy and noise rules, permits, licenses, alcohol requirements, music or media licensing, accessibility, security, emergency planning, and event or liquor liability insurance unless Exhibit A expressly assigns a task to Planner.
Client will provide Planner all venue and vendor rules. Planner may stop or modify an activity that reasonably appears unsafe, unlawful, or inconsistent with binding venue restrictions. Client will not require Planner to conceal information from a venue, authority, or insurer.
Changes to scope, date, venue, or guest count
A change to date, venue, location count, guest count, service level, design complexity, timeline, vendor roster, or event duration may affect fees, staffing, and availability. Planner will document material changes in a written change order before performing added work.
Additional meetings, sourcing rounds, site visits, redesign, guest communications, rehearsal time, event hours, or post-event services are billed at [RATE] unless a change order states a fixed fee.
Guest, alcohol, and personal-property risk
Client is responsible for guest conduct, minors, alcohol consumption, gifts, cards, cash, valuables, and personal property. Planner does not provide security, medical care, transportation supervision, or alcohol monitoring unless expressly included through qualified personnel.
Planner is not a bailee and will not take custody of cash, jewelry, gifts, or irreplaceable items. Client will designate responsible persons for those items and for transporting décor, leftover food, personal property, and gifts after the event.
Cancellation and termination
Client may cancel by written notice. Client will pay fees earned for planning performed, approved expenses, non-cancellable commitments, and the cancellation amount in Exhibit B, which should reasonably reflect reserved capacity and work completed. The parties acknowledge that late cancellation loss may be difficult to calculate, subject to applicable law.
Planner may terminate for nonpayment, unsafe or unlawful instructions, harassment, material misrepresentation, or uncured material breach. Planner will provide notice and a reasonable cure period when practical. Upon termination, Planner will transfer paid, transferable planning records in their then-current form.
Postponement and material date change
A postponement is not a cancellation only if the parties sign a rescheduling addendum and the new date occurs within [NUMBER] months. Planner availability is not guaranteed. Amounts already paid will be applied as described in Exhibit B after deducting completed work and non-recoverable costs.
If Planner is unavailable for the new date, the parties will follow the cancellation schedule or agree on limited transition services. A second postponement or venue move beyond [DISTANCE] may be treated as cancellation and rebooking.
Force majeure
Neither party will be liable for delay or failure caused by an event beyond that party’s reasonable control, including severe weather, natural disaster, epidemic, war, civil disorder, labor disruption, utility or internet outage, government action, transportation interruption, or supplier failure not caused by that party. The affected party will promptly notify the other, use commercially reasonable efforts to reduce the impact, and resume performance when reasonably possible.
If the event continues for more than [NUMBER] consecutive days and materially defeats the purpose of the engagement, either party may terminate the affected services by written notice. Client remains responsible for work completed and non-cancellable commitments made before termination.
Confidentiality
“Confidential Information” means non-public business, financial, technical, personal, or creative information disclosed in connection with this agreement and identified as confidential or reasonably understood to be confidential. It does not include information that the receiving party can document was already lawfully known, becomes public without breach, is received lawfully from a third party, or is independently developed without use of the other party’s information.
The receiving party will use Confidential Information only to perform or receive the services, protect it with at least reasonable care, and disclose it only to personnel and professional advisers who need it and are bound by confidentiality duties. A legally required disclosure is permitted after prompt notice where lawful. These duties continue for [NUMBER] years after termination; trade-secret obligations continue while the information remains a trade secret.
Compliance and professional standards
Each party will comply with laws and regulations applicable to its performance. Service Provider will perform the services professionally and in accordance with generally accepted standards for the applicable industry. Client is responsible for obtaining its own legal, tax, accounting, regulatory, accessibility, and compliance advice unless those services are expressly included in the scope.
Neither party will request or knowingly use unlawful, infringing, deceptive, discriminatory, or unsafe materials or instructions. A party may suspend affected work while a good-faith compliance or safety concern is resolved.
Third-party claims and indemnification
Each party (“Indemnifying Party”) will defend, indemnify, and hold the other party and its officers, directors, and personnel harmless from a third-party claim, damage, judgment, or reasonable external legal cost to the extent caused by the Indemnifying Party’s gross negligence, willful misconduct, material breach of confidentiality, or infringement arising from materials it supplied.
The protected party must promptly notify the Indemnifying Party, provide reasonable cooperation at the Indemnifying Party’s expense, and allow control of the defense and settlement. No settlement may admit fault by or impose a non-monetary obligation on the protected party without its written consent.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither party will be liable for indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, punitive, or consequential damages, or for lost profits, revenue, goodwill, opportunity, or data, even if advised of the possibility.
Except for payment obligations, fraud, willful misconduct, breach of confidentiality, infringement or misappropriation of the other party’s rights, or liabilities that cannot lawfully be limited, each party’s aggregate liability arising from this agreement will not exceed the fees paid or payable under the affected statement of work during the [SIX / TWELVE]-month period preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
Governing law and disputes
This agreement is governed by the laws of [STATE / PROVINCE / COUNTRY], without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Before filing a claim, an authorized representative of each party will meet in good faith within [NUMBER] days after written notice of the dispute.
If unresolved, the parties will proceed through [COURTS LOCATED IN COUNTY AND STATE / CONFIDENTIAL MEDIATION FOLLOWED BY BINDING ARBITRATION] as permitted by applicable law. Either party may seek temporary injunctive relief to protect confidential information or intellectual property. [INSERT ANY REQUIRED CONSUMER, SMALL-CLAIMS, OR ATTORNEYS’ FEES LANGUAGE AFTER LOCAL LEGAL REVIEW.]
Notices and general terms
Formal notices must be in writing and delivered by personal delivery, nationally recognized courier, or email with confirmation to the addresses listed below, and are effective on confirmed receipt. Routine project communication and approvals may occur through the parties’ designated email addresses or project portal.
This agreement, its exhibits, and signed change orders are the entire agreement and replace prior discussions about the same subject. An amendment or waiver must be in a writing signed by authorized representatives. If a provision is unenforceable, it will be modified only as needed and the remainder will continue. Neither party may assign this agreement without consent, except with substantially all of its business or assets, provided the assignee assumes the obligations. Headings are for convenience. Provisions that by their nature should survive will survive termination.
Electronic signatures and counterparts
The parties intend electronic signatures, typed signatures applied through an agreed electronic-signature service, and signatures in separate counterparts to be binding to the fullest extent permitted by law. A complete electronic copy is treated as an original.
Each signer represents that the signer has authority to bind the named party and has had the opportunity to seek independent legal advice before signing.
Recommended exhibits
Exhibit A — Service Scope and Planning Calendar: included and excluded tasks, meeting limits, deliverables, rehearsal, event hours, staffing, setup, teardown, and deadlines.
Exhibit B — Fees, Expenses, Cancellation, and Postponement: installments, hourly add-ons, travel, emergency authority, cancellation schedule, and date-transfer rules.
Exhibit C — Event and Vendor Schedule: venue, guest estimate, vendor contacts, insurance requirements, decision-maker, emergency contacts, and day-of authority.
Signatures
CLIENT
Legal name: [CLIENT LEGAL NAME]
Authorized signer and title: [NAME / TITLE]
Signature: [SIGNATURE]
Date: [DATE]
Notice email and address: [EMAIL / ADDRESS]
PLANNER
Legal name: [SERVICE PROVIDER LEGAL NAME]
Authorized signer and title: [NAME / TITLE]
Signature: [SIGNATURE]
Date: [DATE]
Notice email and address: [EMAIL / ADDRESS]