Guides
Wedding planner cancellation clause sample with a tiered refund schedule
A client cancellation clause sample with a dated refund schedule, plus who decides disputes, what you may retain, records to keep and what chargebacks cost.
What to take away
- A cancellation policy holds up only when it matches state contract law and card network chargeback rules.
- Nonrefundable deposits are enforceable if they reflect work performed or a provable lost booking, not as a penalty.
- A written notice method and a dated refund schedule give you the best chargeback defense.
- Keep dated records of client notice, vendor commitments, and work completed before cancellation.
- The sample clause below is a starting point, not a substitute for state-specific legal review.
State attorneys general and card networks, not your contract form, decide whether a cancellation policy holds up.
Who has jurisdiction over cancellation disputes
A wedding planner cancellation policy sample that holds up must account for three layers of authority. State attorneys general enforce consumer protection laws against unfair or deceptive cancellation terms. The Federal Trade Commission can act when a clause misstates a client's refund rights.
Who Decides Cancellation Disputes
State AG
- Focus
- Consumer protection
- Action
- Unfair terms
- Enforces
- State law
FTC
- Focus
- Refund rights
- Action
- Misstated rights
- Enforces
- Federal rules
Card Networks
- Focus
- Chargeback codes
- Action
- Bank disputes
- Enforces
- Network rules
Small Claims Court
- Focus
- State contract law
- Action
- Liquidated damages
- Enforces
- Contract clause
Card networks like Visa and Mastercard set chargeback reason codes banks apply when clients dispute a charge.
Small claims courts apply state contract law to decide if a cancellation clause is a reasonable liquidated damages provision. A cancellation clause is a liquidated damages provision under contract law.
Courts will not enforce a penalty dressed as a refund rule.
What a wedding planning business may and may not do
May retain an initial planning fee if the contract ties it to specific work done before cancellation. May keep a percentage of the total fee if cancellation leaves a date unfilled and you prove lost bookings.
May vs May Not Retain
May Retain
- Initial fee
- If tied to work
- Percentage
- If date unfilled
- Full price
- Never automatic
- Refunds
- Partial if no commitments
May Not Retain
- Initial fee
- Automatic forfeiture
- Percentage
- Without loss proof
- Full price
- Entire contract price
- Refunds
- Refuse all after 90 days
May not keep entire contract price as automatic forfeiture without showing a reasonable relationship to actual loss. May not refuse all refunds after a client cancels with 90 days' notice if no vendor commitments were made.
Before you enforce a cancellation policy, venues often ask for a certificate of insurance to confirm you are a legitimate vendor. Force majeure language does not automatically excuse the client's duty to pay for work already done. Under force majeure doctrine, a pandemic or venue closure suspends future duties but does not erase earned fees.
What a compliant cancellation clause carries
A compliant cancellation policy label carries three items courts and card networks look for. First, an effective date so the client knows which version applies; second, the governing state law so a dispute goes to a predictable forum.
Refund Schedule by Notice Timing
- 90+ days before event100% refund
- 30-89 days before event50% refund
- Fewer than 30 daysNo refund
Third, a written notice method, usually email to a stated address, so you can prove when cancellation happened. The clause below includes those three items and a refund schedule tied to notice timing.
Cancellation by client. Client may cancel this agreement by written notice to [your email]. The nonrefundable initial planning fee of [percentage or flat amount] is earned when paid. Additional payments follow this refund schedule. 100% refund if written notice is 90 days or more before the event. 50% refund if written notice is 30 to 89 days before the event. No refund if written notice is fewer than 30 days before the event.
A wedding planning quote template should separate refundable deposits from earned fees so the cancellation clause has something to point to.
Records to keep
Keep these records for at least one year after the event date. Chargebacks can be filed up to 120 days after the transaction, but a state investigation can start later. If a client disputes a charge, the card network will ask for the signed policy and the notice trail.
- Signed agreement showing the effective date and cancellation clause
- Written cancellation notice from the client with date and method
- Dated vendor commitment records and nonrefundable deposits paid
- Time log or work product completed before cancellation
- Chargeback response packet with the policy and notice records
Nonrefundable deposits paid to vendors are the strongest evidence of a lost booking. Save the vendor contract page that shows the deposit was nonrefundable and the date it was paid. A time log alone is weak because it does not prove the client's cancellation caused a loss.
If your business is an LLC, LLC vs Sole Proprietorship changes who is personally liable when a cancellation dispute goes to court.
What happens if you skip it
If you skip the written notice requirement or the dated refund schedule, the concrete consequence is a chargeback reversal plus a processing fee. A cancellation without proper notice can be treated as a breach of contract under state law.
- The client disputes the charge as "services not received" or "canceled services."
- The card network asks the bank for your signed policy and your records.
- Without a dated refund schedule, the bank has no basis to decide whether a partial refund was due.
- The bank resolves the dispute in the client's favor.
- You lose the disputed amount and pay a chargeback fee set by your processor.
Common questions
Does a force majeure clause cancel the client's payment obligation?
No. A force majeure clause suspends future performance but does not automatically refund fees already earned for completed work. The contract should say this directly.
Can a client dispute a charge months after the cancellation?
Yes. Card networks allow chargebacks within set time windows, often 120 days from the transaction or the expected service date. Keep records beyond that period.
Does worker classification affect a cancellation dispute?
If you paid assistants before cancellation, 1099 vs W-2 classification changes which losses you can document and who bears liability.
