Dear Jasmine,
I'm just starting out in wedding photography and the info on your blog and YouTube have been invaluable. I also ordered your email templates and second shooter guide, but I've run into a snag. How do I send an email to a bride who has not left a retainer and has now passed the final payment deadline without payment?
This is my first wedding, and while I really want to shoot it to get my portfolio started, I won't shoot it without payment. How do I ‘nicely' email her to let her know I won't be there without getting payment up front?
Help,
Payment Before the Portfolio

Dear Payment Before Portfolio,
Finding the right words to say is always hard. There've been times when I've sat in front of my computer trying to draft the appropriate thing to send for what feels like fooorrrrrevvver. Instead of suggesting things to write, I've taken the liberty to draft an email for you to send to your client should you wish. I hope this works for you:

    Hello ______
As you can imagine, I'm extremely excited to document your wedding…I have no doubt it'll be nothing short of amazing!
I just wanted to send a gentle reminder that in order to procure my wedding photographer services, payment is due before the wedding day. My agreement states that in order for me to show up, a retainer must be paid, but seeing how your wedding is just a few weeks away, I'd need the entire payment to ensure my services and presence.
If you have any questions, I'm just a phone call/email away. I'm here to make it as easy as possible for you and I genuinely hope our paths cross soon.
Sincerely,
XX

I'm more than happy to help, but I also want to caution you against this in the future. I send my clients reminders at various points of our relationship to ensure I'm not left without payment before the wedding. I have a *new* set of workflow email templates, a compilation of eleven emails to ensure client communication is streamlined. You can find the email templates here on the JasmineStarStore.com.