Clodou

Who it's for / Event planners

Invoices for event planners, from the booking deposit to the final balance

Wedding, party and corporate event planners bill in more than one way: a flat package for full planning, a fixed fee for day-of coordination, an hourly rate for consulting, or a share of the event budget. Payments usually follow the calendar, with a deposit to book the date and the rest due before the event, and some vendor costs end up on your own card. Tell Clodou what you agreed: it writes the quote, keeps every payment on one invoice and holds the deadlines of the run-up as tasks.

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Sound familiar?

  • A deposit and three more payments tracked in a spreadsheet until the week of the event
  • Rentals and decor paid on your own card and billed back late, or never
  • A fee set as a share of the budget, and a budget that moved after the quote
  • Deadlines for the final headcount, the seating chart and the last payment spread across notes and texts

How Clodou helps

Quotes with the payment schedule written in

"Quote day-of coordination at $2,200, with a $700 deposit to book and the $1,500 balance due two weeks before" adds the client if needed and writes the quote with the schedule in its note. The note carries over when the quote becomes the invoice, so the dates the client agreed are on both PDFs.

Vendor costs billed back at your price

Log rentals, decor or signage you paid for as expenses, or snap the receipt and confirm the amounts Clodou reads. Ask for them on an invoice at the price you give, each on its own line, so the client sees what was your fee and what was a cost.

Tasks for the run-up to the event

Add each deadline as a task with a due date, linked to the client: the final headcount, the seating chart, the last payment. Tasks due today show in your morning plan. Clodou does not manage vendors, guests, floor plans or bookings.

How event planners bill, and how Clodou handles it

Packages, day-of coordination, hours or a share of the budget

Full and partial planning are often sold as a flat package, and day-of coordination as a fixed fee. Some planners charge an hourly rate for consulting, others a percentage of the event budget. A package or a fee is one line, such as full wedding planning, $7,200. For a percentage, work the fee out and give Clodou the amount: event planning, 10% of a $48,000 budget, $4,800. For hourly consulting, log your time on the client's project with your hourly rate, and Clodou turns the unbilled hours into one draft invoice.

A deposit to book, then payments set by the event date

Planners often take a deposit to hold the date, then one or more payments in the months before the event, with the final balance due a set time before the day. Write the schedule in the quote's note so the client sees each date and amount, and turn the quote into one invoice when they book. Record each payment against that invoice as it arrives; Clodou keeps the balance, and the final payment marks it paid. Clodou lists the invoice as overdue once its due date passes with money still owed, not each date in the note, so add a task for each payment date.

Vendor costs you pay and bill back

Many clients pay their vendors directly, so only your fee goes on your invoice. When you pay for something yourself, such as rentals, signage or welcome bags, log it as an expense and bill it back on its own line at the price you give: at cost, or with a handling fee you state as a separate line. If sales tax could apply to items you bill back, Clodou applies the rate you set on that line; check the rules with your accountant. Clodou does not book, contact or pay vendors.

A wedding, from the full-planning quote to the final balance

  1. Step 1

    Quote Priya Raman and Sam Ortiz for their wedding on June 12, 2027: full planning at $7,200 and coordination of the welcome dinner on June 11 at $800. Note: $2,400 deposit to book the date, balance of $5,600 due May 13, 2027.

    Adds Priya Raman and Sam Ortiz as a client and creates quote DEV-0021 with two lines: full wedding planning, $7,200; welcome dinner coordination, June 11, $800. No tax is set on this workspace, so the total is $8,000. The payment schedule prints in the note.

  2. Step 2

    They booked. Turn DEV-0021 into an invoice due May 13, 2027. I sent it and they paid the $2,400 deposit.

    Creates invoice INV-0062 for $8,000 with the same lines and note, a reference to DEV-0021 and a due date of May 13, 2027. It marks INV-0062 as sent and shows an approval card to record $2,400 received. Once you approve it, $5,600 is still owed.

  3. Step 3

    I paid Larkspur Rentals $640 for the ceremony arch and aisle runner. Log it as an expense and invoice Priya and Sam for it at cost, on its own invoice.

    Records a $640 expense from Larkspur Rentals and creates draft invoice INV-0063 with one line: ceremony arch and aisle runner, Larkspur Rentals, at cost, $640. No tax is set, so the total is $640.

  4. Step 4

    I sent INV-0063. Priya and Sam paid the $5,600 balance on INV-0062 and the $640 on INV-0063.

    Marks INV-0063 as sent and shows two approval cards: $5,600 on INV-0062 and $640 on INV-0063. Once you approve them, both invoices are marked paid and nothing is owed on the wedding.

Just ask

Quote Brightwater Labs for their June 4 product launch: event planning, 10% of a $48,000 budget, $4,800

Bill Ana Delgado $380 at cost for the balloon garland I paid for her party, and log it as an expense

Add tasks for Priya and Sam's wedding: final headcount due May 21, seating chart due May 28

Questions

Can I charge a percentage of the event budget?
Yes. Work the fee out and give Clodou the result, for example: planning fee, 12% of a $65,000 budget, $7,800. The line shows how you got there, and Clodou uses the amount you state. If the budget changes after booking, ask for a new quote, or a separate invoice for the difference, with the new figures.
How do I set up a payment schedule before the event?
Write the dates and amounts in the quote's note, such as $2,400 to book and $5,600 due May 13. Turn the accepted quote into one invoice, due on the date of the last payment, and record each payment against it as it arrives; recording a payment waits for an owner or admin to approve it. Clodou keeps the balance but does not follow each date in the note, so add a task for each payment date.
How do I bill a vendor cost I paid for the client?
Record what you paid as an expense, or snap the receipt and confirm the amounts Clodou reads, then ask for an invoice line at the price you give: at cost, or with a handling fee you name as its own line. If sales tax could apply, Clodou applies the rate you set on that line; check the rules with your accountant. If the client pays the vendor directly, the cost does not go on your invoice at all.
Does Clodou manage vendors, guest lists or floor plans?
No. Clodou has no vendor management, guest lists, RSVPs, seating charts, floor plans, online booking, contracts or e-signature. It handles the business side: clients, quotes, invoices, payments, expenses and tasks. Add each deadline before the event as a task with a due date, linked to the client, and it shows in your morning plan on the day.
Can I invoice a company for a corporate event?
Yes. Add the company as the client, with several contacts if you deal with more than one person, such as the one who booked and their accounts team. Put a purchase order number or an event reference in the note if they ask for one. Consulting hours can be logged on a project with your hourly rate and turned into one draft invoice for the unbilled time.
What does it cost?
Free covers up to 5 clients and 20 AI actions a month, with no separate cap on quotes and invoices (making them in the chat uses AI actions). Solo, with your payment link on invoices, is $29 a month per workspace. Team, with 5 seats and automatic reminders, is $79 a month. Prices are in USD, and the first 14 days are a free Team trial.

Guides

Your whole back office, in one chat

Every new workspace starts with a 14-day trial of Team, no card required. Then stay on Free: up to 5 clients and 20 AI actions a month; quotes and invoices have no separate cap, and making them in the chat uses AI actions.

Free: $0. Solo: $29 a month. Team: $79 a month with 5 seats. Prices per workspace, in USD.

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