How to transfer a wedding photographer, DJ, florist or caterer contract
Vendor contracts are often easier to pass on than venue dates. What to check, what to ask, and how to hand over a booking safely.
Updated 2026-10-18. General information. Not legal advice.
Vendors are usually more flexible than venues
Photographers, DJs, florists and planners book a person and a date, not a building. Many will happily serve a different couple on the same date, sometimes for a small fee, because it saves them from re-selling the date themselves.
What to check in the contract
The retainer or deposit terms (non-refundable is common), any assignment clause, the service date and location, and anything that's specific to you (a package built around your venue, a menu, a guest count). A new couple at a different venue may change travel or staffing costs.
What to ask the vendor
Would you serve a new couple on this date under my contract or a new one? Would my retainer be credited to them? Is there a transfer fee? Please confirm in writing.
Who pays whom
The simplest, safest version: the new couple signs with the vendor and pays the vendor directly. If the vendor credits your retainer to the new couple, you agree with them separately on reimbursement, after the vendor confirms. Unrefundable never holds the money.