Book & Bill

Why this matters

The deposit is the payment that actually holds the date, and it used to wait on you remembering to build an invoice after a signature you might not have noticed. Now the ask goes out with the good news, in one message rather than two — a bill arriving separately, seconds after “you’re booked”, reads as a catch.

Do this

1. Put a deposit on the contract
   This is the only part you do. No deposit means no invoice — that is deliberate, not a fault.
2. They sign
   See Sign & Booked.
3. The deposit invoice is raised automatically
   Numbered in your own sequence and referenced to the contract.
4. They get one email
   “That’s official — you’re booked”, with a Pay your retainer button and their signed agreement linked inside.
5. You get a receipt when they pay
   And they do too, immediately, which is what stops the “did that go through?” email.

You’ll know it worked when

An invoice for the deposit amount appears against the event, marked sent, and your client has a button to pay it.

If it doesn’t go to plan

Connect Stripe first. Without it the invoice is still raised and still emailed, and your client reaches a dead end trying to pay it — see Set up payments. The balance is separate and stays yours to send when your terms say so.

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