Hiring suppliers: the supplier brief, quotes and the contract questions
A short supplier brief sent to two or three suppliers, quotes put side by side with their service charges, tax and deposits, and the final-count, cancellation and weather questions answered in writing before anything is signed.
- Start here: the essentials
- What a small event hires
- The supplier brief
- Checking a supplier
- Comparing quotes like for like
- The contract questions
- Certificates of insurance
- Rentals and tents
- Three caterers' terms and two checklists side by side
- See it: the Ortiz caterer and tent
- Practice: brief, quotes and answers
- Your event
- Check your work
- Knowledge check and scenario
Start here Essentials
For a first pass, this chapter asks you to decide what you will hire, if anything, and to get each hire's price and three answers in writing. For a dinner at home, a written "none needed" finishes it.
- List what you will hire, if anything. Write "none needed" if the answer is nothing (what a small event hires).
- Send each supplier the same short brief. Copy the date, times, place and guest count from your event brief, then add the job (the supplier brief).
- Put the quotes on one table. Include the service charge, tax and fees, and the deposit, not just the price (comparing quotes).
- Ask the final-count, cancellation and weather questions. Keep the answers in writing, in an email or the contract (the contract questions).
Minimum time: a few minutes for "none needed"; about an hour to brief and compare three suppliers, plus their time to reply. Done when: each hired supplier has a written quote and answers to the final-count, cancellation and weather questions, or the suppliers sheet says "none needed".
What a small event hires Understand
A supplier is any business you pay to provide something for the event: food, a place, equipment or a service. Event planners also say vendor. For a gathering of six to 150 people, the usual ones are:
- Food: a caterer, a restaurant's catering menu, a food truck, a bakery for a cake.
- A place: a hall, a restaurant's private room, a park shelter (Venue and layout has the venue checklist).
- Rentals: tables, chairs, linens, plates, a tent.
- People: a DJ or musician, a photographer, a bartender, a cleaner.
Hiring is a choice, not a step every event takes. A dinner for six hires nothing. A backyard party might hire one caterer and one tent. Buying a cake or a tray from a shop is a purchase, not a hire: there is no brief and no contract, though you still ask the shop what you need to know, such as whether a dessert was made near tree nuts.
The line that matters is service. Carnegie Mellon's contracts office says a contract is not needed when a vendor only drops food off, and is needed once the vendor sets up, serves or breaks down, or does anything outside its ordinary business (CMU's Catering and Dining Information). That is one university's procurement rule, but the reason carries over: once a supplier's people are at your event for hours, there is more to agree on (when they arrive, what they do, what happens if the day changes). Convention A drop-off order still deserves a written confirmation with the count, the time and the price.
Write the list on the suppliers sheet, one row per service. If the list is empty, write "none needed" and the date.
The supplier brief
A supplier brief is a short written description of the event and of the one job you want a supplier to quote on. It copies the facts from The event brief and adds what this supplier needs. Writing it once and sending the same text to every supplier you ask is what makes their quotes comparable. Convention
| Part of the supplier brief | Where it comes from | Why the supplier needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Date, start and end times | The event brief | Whether they are free; staff hours |
| Place and the kind of place | The event brief | Travel, setup, whether they can work there |
| Guests, and how many are children | The event brief; your planning number once you have it | Quantities and price |
| Access for the supplier: the gate or door, steps, distance from parking, a loading spot | Your walk of the place (Venue and layout) | Carrying equipment in; a truck's access |
| Power and water | Your walk of the place | Warmers, coffee urns, sound, washing up |
| Dietary needs | The guest list (Guests and invitations) | The menu and the price |
| What we need, and quantities | You, for this supplier | The job |
| Arrive by, ready by, leave by | Your run sheet, or a draft of it | Staff hours and overtime |
| Budget range | The budget's line for this service (The budget) | What to offer you |
| Decide by | Your planning schedule | When they hear back |
| Our contact | The person named in the brief | One person to answer questions |
The times and the access are the parts most often left out. Dropping food at 3:00 pm and serving from 3:00 to 5:00 are different jobs; a food truck needs somewhere to park, and a tent crew needs to know about a slope or a patio. Carnegie Mellon's contracts office lists what a catering request should state, from the date and guarantees to linens, staffing, special needs and the due dates for the final count; the full list is under Go deeper.
Give the budget range if you have one; a supplier can then say what fits it, or that nothing does.
The supplier brief sheet fills the event basics from your brief and setup; you add the job, quantities, times, range and decision date. Send it by email, so the brief and the replies sit in one thread you can find later.
Checking a supplier
Ask two or three suppliers for each job. The Better Business Bureau's advice for hiring a DJ is to interview and get pricing from at least three, and to ask for references (the BBB's tip on hiring a DJ). Convention Two is enough to see whether a price is out of line; three gives a middle. For a small job with one obvious supplier, one quote and the checks below may be all the event needs.
The checks, from the BBB and one university's caterer checklist:
- References and reviews. For a venue, the BBB says to get at least three references, search the name with "reviews" and "complaints", and tour it in person (the BBB's tip on finding an event venue). The University of Utah's purchasing checklist says to check a caterer's references (the University of Utah's caterer checklist).
- A real business. Utah's checklist also asks for a valid business license in the county and current food handler permits from the local health department for the people preparing and serving food. Those are its local rules; ask what your county requires. Ask the authority
- Warning signs. The BBB describes fake rental "vendors" who take a deposit to hold a date and then disappear; one reported loss was over $16,000. Its warning signs are a business that exists only on social media, refuses to talk by phone or in person, or asks to be paid by a payment app or wire transfer (the BBB's scam alert on party rentals).
- A contract to sign. The BBB advises against booking a venue that offers no contract to sign, and its rental-scam alert says to keep a copy signed and dated by both sides.
References, reviews and a license check lower the chance of a bad supplier; they do not prevent one. The way you pay is the other protection: a credit card deposit gives you dispute rights that a payment app, a debit card or cash may not (The budget has the rules).
Comparing quotes like for like
A quote is a supplier's written price for the job in your brief. Two quotes are like for like when they cover the same job: the same guests, hours, food, staff and extras. They rarely arrive that way. One includes staff and one does not; one adds a service charge; one quotes a flat price for up to 50 guests. The quotes table lays them out in the same columns so the differences show.
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| What is included | Food, staff and their hours, setup and cleanup, plates, linens, delivery, rentals |
| Price | The base price, per guest or flat |
| Service charge | Any required charge, whatever it is called |
| Tax and fees | Sales tax, delivery, rush or late fees, as the quote lists them |
| Total | Everything you would pay |
| Deposit | How much, when, and whether it comes back |
| Cancellation terms | The charges by date |
| Final count due | The date and time |
| Insurance certificate | Whether they will send one |
Service charges are part of the price
A service charge is an amount the supplier requires you to pay on top of the price. A gratuity line on a catering quote is usually the same thing under another name. A tip is different: you decide whether to give it, how much, and often to whom. The IRS draws the line by who decides. Its fact sheet says that "amounts an employer requires a customer to pay are service charges", even if either side calls them a tip or gratuity, and names a banquet event fee and a large party's automatic gratuity as examples (IRS fact sheet FS-2017-08). Its 2012 ruling gives the example of an 18 percent charge added for parties of six or more: not a tip (IRS Revenue Ruling 2012-18).
Two consequences for comparing quotes. First, put every required charge in the service charge column and in the total, so an 18 percent charge on one quote and a 20 percent "gratuity" on another both show. Second, the fact sheet adds that some employers keep part of the service charge, so it may not reach the people who serve you. Ask each supplier what its charge pays for, and decide any tip separately. Ask the authority
Minimums, rush fees and staff hours
Published caterers' terms show other lines that change a total. Vanderbilt's caterer sets a food and beverage minimum of $1,000 on weekends, so a small Saturday order is billed at $1,000 (Vanderbilt Catering's policies). It and Carnegie Mellon's add a 15 percent fee for an order placed within 72 hours, and Carnegie Mellon's bills staff in four-hour blocks (CMU Dining's catering policies). Product-specific These are one caterer's terms each, not typical prices.
The arithmetic
Turn each quote into a total and a per-guest figure. For a quote of $16 a guest for 45 guests, with an 18 percent service charge on the food, a $50 delivery fee and 8 percent sales tax on food and delivery (all invented for the example):
- Food: 45 × $16 = $720.
- Service charge: 18 percent of $720 = $129.60.
- Tax: 8 percent of ($720 + $50) = $61.60.
- Total: $720 + $129.60 + $50 + $61.60 = $961.20, or $21.36 a guest.
The headline was $16 a guest; the cost is about a third more. That gap is why the total, not the price, goes into The budget's quote column. Whether tax applies to a service charge or a delivery fee depends on where you are; use the figures the quote shows and ask if a line is missing.
Then read across the "what is included" column. The cheapest total may leave you serving the food, keeping it hot and clearing it, which is work someone at the party has to do (Feeding a crowd covers the choice). A quote that includes two servers for three hours is a different job from a drop-off, and the table should say so.
The contract questions
The contract questions are what you ask before you sign, so that the terms you would only discover on a bad day are known in advance. They come from two universities' procurement checklists and three caterers' published terms, and they apply in some form to most hires. The contract questions checklist has a column for each answer and the date you got it.
| Ask | Why it matters | What three caterers' terms show |
|---|---|---|
| When is the final count due, and what happens if we give none? | It sets your reply-by date. Without a count, you may be billed on an old number. | 48 hours before; 3 pm on the Tuesday of the week before; two weeks before. At two of the three, the last estimate becomes the guarantee if none is given. |
| Do you bill on the guarantee or on attendance? | Decides what a wrong count costs. | One bills whichever is greater; one bills the guarantee plus extra guests served; one does not let the count go down after the guarantee. |
| What are the cancellation charges, by date? | What you lose if the event moves or stops. | Three different schedules, from 50 percent inside five days to 75 percent from two weeks out (Go deeper). |
| What happens in bad weather? | Weather is the most likely reason an outdoor event changes. | Vanderbilt's: "Inclement weather is not a valid cause for cancellation of an event under contract." |
| When do you arrive, set up, and leave? | The place has to be open and ready, and someone has to be there. | Building access 2 hours before and 1 hour after (Vanderbilt); up to 2 hours before setup and 2 after, with setup usually 30 minutes before the event (Carnegie Mellon). |
| What does overtime cost? | Parties run late. | Staff billed in four-hour blocks (Carnegie Mellon). Ask the hourly rate past the booked time. |
| What does the service charge pay for? | Whether any reaches the staff, and whether a tip is expected. | IRS: a required charge is a service charge, and some employers keep part of it. |
| Will you send a certificate of insurance, naming the venue if it asks? | Many venues require one. | Carnegie Mellon's contracts office lists what the certificate should show (below). |
| Is the deposit refundable, and until when? | A deposit is often the first thing lost. | Vanderbilt's: 25 percent of the contract becomes the deposit. |
The first three (final count, cancellation, weather) are the essentials in Start here, because they decide what you pay when the day does not go to plan. Product-specific Every answer in the table is one caterer's term; your supplier's contract replaces all of them.
Get the answers in writing
An answer on the phone is a memory. Ask for the answers by email or in the contract, and file them with the quote. The BBB's rental-scam alert says the contract should show the delivery date and time, the final cost and the payment details, with no unexpected fees, and its DJ advice adds the payment schedule, every service included and the refund policy. Carnegie Mellon's contracts office adds the vendor's exact legal name, so you know whom you are paying.
Who signs matters for a group. A person who signs for a club or committee that is not a legal entity may be personally responsible for the contract; The event brief covers who signs and what to ask first.
Paying
The BBB advises paying deposits by credit card, because charges are easier to dispute later. Federal law treats a service not delivered as agreed as a billing error, and the card issuer has to receive your written notice within 60 days after it sent the statement with the charge (15 U.S.C. § 1666; the CFPB's page on disputing a charge). The budget has the full steps and records each deposit and its due date.
These are the questions to ask, drawn from institutions' checklists and three caterers' terms; they are not legal review. Cancellation, weather and final-count terms differ by supplier, and the examples show the range, not a standard. For a contract with real money at stake, or a term you do not understand, an attorney can review it before you sign.
Certificates of insurance
A certificate of insurance is a document, signed by an insurance agent or company, that summarizes the insurance a supplier carries. Lehigh University's risk office says it shows the agent or broker, the named insured (the business the policy covers), the insurer, the types and amounts of coverage, and the dates the policy is in effect, and that you should ask for one when an outside party provides goods or services or works on the property (Lehigh's page on certificates of insurance).
Carnegie Mellon's contracts office lists what a caterer's certificate should show: general liability coverage; liquor liability if alcohol is served; workers' compensation where it applies; and the client named as an additional insured, a person or organization added to the supplier's policy for this job. A venue may ask to be named as an additional insured on its suppliers' certificates; ask the venue what it requires and pass that to each supplier. Ask the authority
Check the dates cover your event day and the setup and teardown, and that the named insured matches the business on the contract.
A certificate shows that a policy existed when it was issued and what kinds of cover it lists. It does not show whether a particular accident would be covered, and it does not change the policy. Whether you need an event policy of your own, or whether your homeowner's or renter's policy covers a party, is a question for your insurer (Permits and insurance).
Rentals and tents
A rental order has its own questions, because the equipment arrives before the event and leaves after it.
- Delivery and pickup windows. The day and the time range, and whether someone must be there to sign.
- Who sets up and takes down. Chairs left stacked are your work; a tent is usually the rental crew's.
- Returns and where it goes. Whether plates go back rinsed, what damage costs, and the route from the truck.
A tent
A tent adds three questions. The first is the wind rating, the wind speed at which the maker says the tent is to be cleared or taken down. The National Weather Service's Event Ready guide asks every outdoor event, "What is the wind threshold of your tents?" (NWS Event Ready guide). Local rules also set limits, and they differ: Grand Rapids says tents are evacuated when the average wind exceeds 30 mph (Grand Rapids' tent requirements); Sedona's fire district says tents and canopies come down above 15 mph (Sedona Fire District's tent and canopy sheet, from 2016). The lower of the maker's rating and your local rule is the one to plan on. Product-specific
The second is the permit. Two fire departments that apply the International Fire Code require a permit for a tent over 400 square feet, and for a tent open on all sides over 700 square feet, with conditions (Clark County Fire Department's tent guideline; Thornton Fire Department's tent checklist). Whether your tent needs one is your fire department's answer, and Permits and insurance has the rest. Ask the rental company whether it gets the permit or you do.
The third is the flame-resistance certificate, the maker's document showing the fabric meets a fire standard. Both fire departments ask for it with a permit, so ask the rental company to send it with the order.
A tent keeps off sun and rain. It is not shelter in lightning: the National Weather Service lists tents with open-sided picnic shelters as places that are not safe (NWS lightning safety outdoors). Where people go instead is in The contingency plan.
Performers and a DJ
The BBB's DJ advice adds one question that applies to any performer: confirm with the venue what the performer brings and what the venue provides, such as power, a table and a sound limit. Amplified sound can need a permit of its own (Permits and insurance).
Three caterers' terms and two checklists side by side Go deeper
Three caterers' published terms
All three are university caterers that publish their terms. Each is one caterer's policy as read on 2026-10-27; ask any caterer for its own terms in writing.
| Term | Carnegie Mellon Dining (2026) | Vanderbilt Catering | University of Puget Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordering ahead | 72 hours, or a 15 percent rush fee | A 15 percent late fee within 72 hours | 30 days recommended |
| Final count due | 48 hours before | 3 pm on the Tuesday of the week before | Two weeks before, with the final menu |
| If no count is given | Not in the terms we read | The last estimate becomes the guarantee | The original estimate is used |
| Billing | The guarantee or attendance, whichever is greater | The count cannot go down after the guarantee | The guarantee, plus extra guests served |
| Deposit | Not in the terms we read | 25 percent of the contract | Not in the terms we read |
| Cancellation | In writing at least 5 days ahead; otherwise 50 percent; within 24 hours, 100 percent plus rentals | 75 percent from two weeks out; 100 percent under 48 hours | For campus events: free at 14 days or more; costs incurred under 14 days; the guarantee under 72 hours |
| Access | Up to 2 hours before setup and 2 after; setup usually 30 minutes before | 2 hours before and 1 hour after | Not in the terms we read |
| Minimums and staff | Staff billed in four-hour blocks: server $175, bartender $275 | $400 food and beverage minimum on weekdays, $1,000 on weekends | Not in the terms we read |
| Weather | Not in the terms we read | Not a valid cause for cancellation | Not in the terms we read |
Two patterns hold across all three. The final count is a floor: none of them bills less than the guarantee. And the cancellation charge rises as the date gets closer, on a different schedule at each. A supplier's own terms are the only ones that apply to you.
Carnegie Mellon's contracts office list
The fullest public list of what a catering contract or request should state, grouped as the office groups it:
- Event details: date, times, attendees, guarantees, menu, costs per person or flat, gratuity, location, the food and beverage minimum, and the due dates for the final count and menu.
- Service details: delivery and pickup times, setup and breakdown, linens, glassware, utensils, dishware, staffing, audio-visual needs, flowers, decor, and special needs such as vegetarian, allergies and kosher.
- Business details: the vendor's exact legal name, the cancellation policy, tax, service charges, deposits and the certificate of insurance.
The University of Utah's checks before hiring
A valid business license in the county or local jurisdiction; current food handler permits from the local health department for the people preparing and serving food; the caterer's references; and a record of the event's date, purpose and number of attendees. The permit rule is Salt Lake County's; your county's health department says what it requires.
Insurance terms, as one state program defines them
Washington State's risk office, writing for its own agencies, defines the terms a venue's contract may use (Washington DES's special event liability FAQ). Special event liability insurance is general liability cover for an event, such as a slip and fall or accidental damage to the venue, and it can add the venue as an additional insured. A hold harmless clause is a contract term in which one or both sides agree not to hold the other responsible for a loss, damage or liability. Host liquor liability covers alcohol-related accidents when the host is not selling drinks; selling by the drink needs separate liquor liability. The program's standard limits are $1 million per occurrence and $2 million in aggregate, and cover runs from 24 hours before to 24 hours after the event. Those are one state's terms for its agencies, not a recommendation for a private party.
See it: the Ortiz caterer and tent See it
Elena Ortiz is planning her mother Carmen's 70th birthday with her two brothers, in her brother Luis's backyard (about 50 by 70 feet, with a patio and a garage) on a Saturday in June, 2:00 to 6:00 pm. The plan has a taco caterer serving from 3:00 pm and a rented 20-by-30-foot tent. There are 45 guests, eight of them children. The budget is $3,000, split three ways. The caterers, prices and terms below are invented for the example and are not a guide to what anything costs.
The supplier brief. Elena copies the event brief and adds the job: "Taco meal for about 45 (about 8 children), with a vegetarian filling, served from 3:00 pm for about two hours, with plates, cutlery and napkins. Backyard of a private house; caterer's access through the side gate to the lawn; the tent will be up. Arrive by 2:00, ready by 3:00, gone by 6:00. Food budget $1,200 to $1,500. We decide by the Friday after next. Contact: Elena, by phone or email." She sends it to three caterers.
Assumed (Elena's): the food line of $1,200 to $1,500, from the family's budget sheet; the gate is wide enough for a cart (Luis measures it). Not settled by the brief: whether the garage outlets are free for the caterer's equipment, which she asks each caterer about.
| Fictional quote | Taco bar, staffed | Food truck | Drop-off trays |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is included | Food; two servers 2:00 to 6:00 who set up, serve and clear; plates and cutlery | Two hours of service from the truck window, parked on the street; disposable plates | Food in trays, two warming stands with fuel; no staff |
| Price | 37 adults × $26 + 8 children × $13 = $1,066 | $1,450 flat, up to 50 guests | 45 × $19 = $855, plus $35 for the stands |
| Service charge | 18 percent of food: $191.88 | 20 percent "gratuity", required: $290.00 | None |
| Tax and fees | $50 delivery; 8 percent tax on food and delivery: $89.28 | 8 percent tax on $1,450: $116.00 | $40 delivery; 8 percent tax on $930: $74.40 |
| Total (per guest) | $1,397.16 ($31.05) | $1,856.00 ($41.24) | $1,004.40 ($22.32) |
| Deposit | 25 percent by card at signing | $300, not refundable | None; paid on delivery |
| Final count due | Noon on the Thursday before | None; flat price to 50 | 48 hours before |
Reading the table. The trays are cheapest, but the family would serve, keep the food hot and clear it at the time limit, two hours or one hour above 90°F (Feeding a crowd), and the stands' fuel is a flame under the tent. The truck's required "gratuity" is a service charge by the IRS's definition, and puts the truck over the range. Under these assumptions the family chooses the staffed taco bar.
The contract questions. Elena asks them by email and the caterer answers in writing (fictional answers): the final count is due by noon on the Thursday before, and if none is given, the 45 on the quote stands; the bill is the larger of the final count and the plates served; the deposit comes back in full up to 30 days before, is kept from 30 days to 8 days, and inside 7 days the charge is 50 percent of the total, rising to 100 percent inside 72 hours; weather does not cancel the order, and the servers work under the family's tent; overtime after 6:00 pm is $40 per server per hour; the 18 percent service charge pays the two servers' wages for the event and is not a tip, so a tip is the family's choice; the caterer will send a certificate of insurance showing general liability.
The tent. The rental company (fictional) delivers and sets up on Friday afternoon and takes the tent down on Sunday; the crew decides the anchoring after seeing the lawn. Elena asks for the wind rating and the flame-resistance certificate. The company sends the certificate; the wind rating is still to come.
Open: whether a 600-square-foot tent needs a permit where Luis lives, which may turn on whether it has sidewalls (the fire department's answer, Permits and insurance); the tent's wind rating and the local limit, the lower of which goes into the weather plan (the rental company and the fire department; The contingency plan); whether Luis's homeowner's insurer wants to be named on the caterer's certificate (his insurer); and what the family does if thunder is heard at 3:30 pm, which is not the caterer's to decide (The contingency plan).
Marcus Bell (fictional) is cooking dinner for five guests at home. His suppliers sheet reads "none needed", with the date. The dessert comes from a bakery, which is a purchase, not a hire. One of his guests avoids tree nuts and anything labelled "may contain" them, so the one supplier question he asks is the bakery's: is the dessert made with or near tree nuts? The answer goes into his menu notes (A dinner party).
Practice: brief, quotes and answers Practice
Minimum: for each service you will hire, one supplier brief sent to two or three suppliers, their quotes on one table with totals, and the final-count, cancellation and weather answers in writing; or "none needed" on the suppliers sheet. Time: about 20 minutes to write a brief; 30 minutes to fill the quotes table once replies arrive; 15 minutes per supplier for the contract questions; allow a week for replies. Materials: your event brief, the budget sheet, the suppliers sheets, email, and a calculator.
- List the services. One row per service on the quotes table, or "none needed".
- Write the supplier brief. Copy the event basics, then add the job, quantities, the three times, the budget range and the decision date.
- Find two or three suppliers and check them. References or reviews, a real business address and phone, and a contract to sign.
- Send the same brief to each. Ask for a written quote with every charge listed, and the final-count date and cancellation terms.
- Fill the quotes table. Work out each total and per-guest figure. Read across "what is included" before you look at totals.
- Ask the contract questions of the one you prefer, by email, and copy the answers into the checklist with the date. Put the total, deposit and due dates into the budget.
Ask all nine questions, and check the certificate. Work through the full contract questions checklist with each supplier you hire. When the certificate of insurance arrives, check the named insured against the contract, the dates against the event day, and whether the venue asked to be an additional insured. For a tent, write the lower of the wind rating and the local limit into the contingency plan.
Your event Your event
Check your work Check your work
Criteria
- Does the suppliers sheet list every service you are paying for, or say "none needed"?
- Did every supplier for the same job get the same brief, with times, access and power?
- Does each quote on the table have a total that includes the service charge, tax and fees?
- Can you say, for each quote, what is included and what someone at the party would have to do instead?
- Do you have the final-count date, the cancellation charges by date and the weather answer in writing for each hire?
- Do you know what the service charge pays for, and is any tip a separate decision?
- Are the deposits and their due dates in the budget, and paid by a method you can dispute?
Worked example
Elena's sheet has two hires. The three caterers got the same brief; each quote has a full total and a per-guest figure, and the "what is included" row shows the work the trays would leave to the family. The chosen caterer's final-count, cancellation and weather answers are in a filed email, the service charge is explained, and the deposit is on a card and in the budget. The caterer passes. The tent does not yet: the wind rating has not arrived, and the permit question is with the fire department.
Common mistakes
- Comparing headline prices. $16 a guest became $21.36 with the service charge, delivery and tax.
- Sending each supplier a different description. The quotes then answer different questions.
- Treating a "gratuity" line as optional. If it is required, it is part of the price.
- Leaving out the times. A drop-off and a staffed service are different jobs.
- Getting answers by phone only. Ask for them by email or in the contract.
- Paying a deposit by payment app or wire to a supplier you found only on social media. These are the BBB's warning signs.
- Assuming a tent is rain and storm shelter. It is not shelter in lightning.
What is still unresolved
Whether a tent, open flames or amplified sound need a permit is settled by the fire department or city (Permits and insurance). Whether your own insurance covers the event is your insurer's answer. The final count itself comes from Guests and invitations. When suppliers arrive and who meets them goes on The run sheet, and what you do if a supplier does not come is in The contingency plan. Whether a contract's terms are fair or enforceable is a question for an attorney.