Bridal Hair and Makeup Contract Template (Australia)

Updated on 22 August 2026

Bridal beauty is the hardest kind of consumer services contract to run: a date that cannot move, a party whose size keeps changing, a venue the stylist has never seen, a schedule set by a photographer, and a client who will never book again. Almost every dispute comes from four places — how many people were included, what time the team was meant to start and finish, what happens when the wedding moves or is cancelled, and whether the stylist can post the photos.

Two Australian points change how this contract has to be written. Since 9 November 2023 it has been prohibited to propose, use or rely on an unfair term in a standard form consumer or small-business contract, and the penalties are severe — for a company, the greater of three times the benefit obtained or 30% of adjusted turnover for the breach period. A pre-printed bridal contract sent to every client is a standard form contract. And the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law apply to the service itself and cannot be contracted out of, so the liability clause has to be written around them rather than over them.

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Bridal Hair and Makeup Contract

This agreement is made on between (ABN ) (the “Stylist”), represented by , and (the “Client”) for bridal beauty services on .

1. Event Details

Wedding date:
Ceremony time:
Getting-ready address:
Client contact:
Stylist contact:

2. Services Booked

Services:
For the bride:
Bridal party:: people
Others booked:: people
Time allowed per person:: minutes

The booking covers the people listed above. The Stylist's qualifications and insurance are: . The Stylist will provide the services with due care and skill using products suitable for professional use.

3. Schedule

The Stylist will arrive at and everyone booked will be ready by . The Client will ensure each person is available at their allotted time with clean dry hair and a clean bare face unless agreed otherwise.

If people are not available at their allotted times, the Stylist will complete as much of the booking as the remaining time allows and the full price remains payable. Time beyond the booked window, where the Stylist can stay, is charged at per additional thirty minutes. Anyone added on the day is charged at and can only be accommodated if time and products allow.

OptionalTrial session includedBook a trial before the wedding date.

4. Trial Session

A trial is booked for at a fee of . The look agreed at the trial is the look booked for the wedding day and will be recorded in notes and photographs kept by the Stylist. A materially different look requested on the day will be attempted only if time allows.

5. Price and Payment

Total price:
Retainer payable now:
Balance due by:
GST:

The retainer secures the date and is applied against the total price. It represents compensation for holding the date and declining other bookings for it. The balance is due by the date above.

OptionalOn-location service and travel feeServices at the venue rather than in the salon.

6. Travel and Venue

Services are provided at the getting-ready address. Travel is charged as follows: Travel fee: . The Client will ensure access at the arrival time, a bench-height working surface, a chair, adequate lighting and access to a power point, and will meet any venue access, parking or supplier requirements.

OptionalEarly-start supplementCharge extra for call times before a stated hour.

7. Health, Allergies and Products

The Client has disclosed the following allergies, sensitivities, skin or scalp conditions, recent treatments and other relevant matters, for themselves and, so far as they are aware, for the people booked:

Allergy alert or patch test: . Where a test is called for by the product instructions it should be carried out far enough in advance to reveal a delayed reaction. The Client will tell the Stylist immediately of any change before the wedding date. The Stylist may decline or modify any service it considers unsafe for a particular person, including where a recommended test was not carried out. Nothing in this agreement is medical advice.

8. Cancellation by the Client

If the Client cancels, the following charges apply as a proportion of the total price: more than 90 days before the date, %; between 30 and 90 days, %; between 14 and 30 days, %; within 14 days, %. The retainer counts towards the charge.

These figures are the parties' genuine estimate of what the Stylist loses by holding the date and being unable to refill it at short notice. The Stylist will make reasonable efforts to refill the date and will reduce the charge by the value of any booking obtained for it, so the Client is not charged for a loss the Stylist did not suffer.

9. Postponement

A postponement is not a cancellation. The retainer transfers once to a new date within months of the original date if the Stylist is available, with the price adjusted only for a change in the services booked. If the Stylist is not available for the new date, the cancellation charges apply by reference to the original date.

10. If the Stylist Cannot Attend

OptionalSubstitute stylist clauseAllow an equally qualified stylist if the named one cannot attend.

If the named stylist cannot attend because of illness, accident, transport failure or another cause outside their control, the Stylist may send an equally qualified professional at no extra cost and will tell the Client as soon as possible.

If no substitute can be provided, the Stylist will refund everything paid for the services that cannot be provided, including the retainer.

OptionalPhotography permissionOnly turn this on if the client has agreed. The service is available either way.

The Stylist will not photograph or publish images of the Client or the wedding party for marketing purposes.

11. Responsibility

The Stylist is responsible for providing the services with due care and skill, for using products suitable for professional use, and for loss caused by its own negligence.
The Client is responsible for the accuracy of the health and allergy disclosures, for the readiness of the people booked, and for the suitability and safety of the venue.
The Client is responsible for loss or damage to the Stylist's kit, products or equipment caused by the Client or the wedding party.
Neither party is responsible for a failure caused by something genuinely outside its control.
Nothing in this agreement excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee or other right or remedy that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law.

12. General

This agreement is the whole agreement about this booking, may only be changed in writing, and is governed by the law of . If any term is found to be unfair or unenforceable, the rest continues to apply.

The Client

Date signed:

For the Stylist

Date signed:

Unfair contract terms are now a penalty risk, not just unenforceable

Before November 2023 an unfair term in a standard form contract was void. Now proposing, using or relying on one is itself prohibited and attracts civil penalties, and the regime covers small-business contracts as well as consumer contracts. The ACCC has publicly identified excessive cancellation and minimum-fee terms, one-sided liability limitations and broad indemnities as typical examples.

That is exactly the shape of the clause this template replaces: a flat non-refundable deposit, a full-price charge for a late cancellation, and an indemnity asking the client to hold the business harmless for the business's own injuries. This version uses cancellation bands that rise as the date approaches, records an express duty to try to refill the date and reduce the charge, and replaces the reversed indemnity with a balanced allocation of responsibility.

Consumer guarantees sit above the contract

Services supplied to a consumer come with guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law — that they will be provided with due care and skill, be fit for any purpose made known, and be supplied within a reasonable time. Those guarantees cannot be excluded, restricted or modified, and a term that tries to do so is itself a problem.

So this template says what the business is responsible for rather than trying to disclaim everything, and includes an express statement that nothing in the agreement excludes or modifies any right or remedy that cannot be excluded. It also avoids the classic drafting error of promising a specific artistic result: the guarantee is due care and skill, and the trial session is what manages expectations about the look.

Patch tests and the absence of national licensing

There is no single national licence for hairdressing or makeup artistry in Australia; qualifications and, for some beauty procedures, state or territory public-health rules about skin penetration are what apply. So the assurance a client wants comes from the contract: qualifications, insurance, and what the stylist will and will not do.

Allergy testing practice comes from product labelling and manufacturer instructions rather than a statutory duty on the stylist — oxidative colour and lash adhesives are the usual candidates, and a delayed reaction is why the test needs to be well in advance. This template takes a written allergy and conditions disclosure, records whether a test was offered, taken or declined, and confirms the stylist may decline or modify a service that would be unsafe.

Photographs: opt-in, and a copyright twist

The photography clause here is optional and off by default, and the document says the client can decline it and receive exactly the same service. When it is on, the client picks the scope, can require that no name or venue is tagged, and can withdraw permission for future use.

There is an Australian wrinkle worth knowing. Under the Copyright Act 1968 the person who commissions a photograph taken for a private or domestic purpose — and the Act expressly includes a wedding party — generally owns the copyright, not the photographer. So a stylist wanting to repost the professional wedding photos may need permission from the couple, not just the photographer. This template deals with images the stylist takes itself and flags the separate permission needed for anyone else's photographs.

Clause-by-clause guide

Parties, event and venue: Client, business, wedding date, getting-ready address and the ceremony time the schedule is built around.
Services and headcount: Hair, makeup or both, with the number of people in each category — the figure most disputes turn on.
Schedule and time allowed: Arrival, ready-by, minutes per person and the rate for time beyond the booked window.
Trial session: Optional. When it happens, what it costs and how the agreed look is recorded.
Price, retainer and balance: Total price, the retainer that holds the date, the balance due date and GST treatment.
Travel and early start: Optional. Kilometre or flat fee, parking, and a supplement for early call times.
Venue requirements: Access time, working surface, seating, lighting and power.
Allergies and patch test: Client disclosure, the test position, and the right to decline an unsafe service.
Cancellation bands: A sliding scale with an express duty to try to refill the date and reduce the charge.
Postponement: Transfers the retainer once to a new date within a stated window if the business is available.
Substitution: Allows an equally qualified stylist if the named one cannot attend.
Photography permission: Optional, off by default, scope-limited and withdrawable, with a note on third-party photographs.
Responsibility and consumer guarantees: A balanced split that does not attempt to exclude non-excludable rights.

Australian compliance checklist

Do not include unfair terms in a standard form contract
Since 9 November 2023 proposing, using or relying on an unfair term in a standard form consumer or small-business contract is prohibited and attracts civil penalties. Excessive cancellation charges, one-sided indemnities and broad liability limitations are typical examples.
ACCC — unfair contract terms
Write around the consumer guarantees, not over them
Services come with guarantees including due care and skill and fitness for a disclosed purpose, and those cannot be excluded, restricted or modified. State what the business is responsible for and confirm non-excludable rights are unaffected.
ACCC — consumer guarantees
Make cancellation charges reflect real loss
A charge that ignores how far out the cancellation is, and whether the date can be refilled, is the kind of term the regime targets. Bands plus an express duty to mitigate are both fairer and safer.
Check state and territory rules for beauty services
There is no single national licence for hairdressing or makeup, but some beauty procedures are covered by state or territory public-health requirements. Confirm the position where you operate before advertising a service.
Follow product warnings on allergy testing
Allergy alert testing for oxidative colour and adhesives comes from product labelling, manufacturer instructions and professional practice rather than a general statutory duty on the stylist. Record what was offered and what the client decided.
Confirm insurance covers mobile and venue work
Public liability and treatment-risk cover often distinguish salon premises from third-party venues, and many venues require evidence before allowing a supplier on site.
Check who owns the wedding photographs
Copyright in a photograph commissioned for a private or domestic purpose — which the Act includes a wedding party within — generally belongs to the person who commissioned it. Get permission from the right party before reposting professional images.
Copyright Act 1968, s.35

How to complete this contract

Set the event details and scope. Add the wedding date, getting-ready address and ceremony time, then the services and headcount in each category.
Build the schedule. Enter arrival time, ready-by time, minutes per person and the overrun and extra-person rates.
Price it. Add the total, retainer, balance due date and GST treatment, and turn on travel or early-start fees if they apply.
Handle safety and photos. Complete the allergy disclosure and patch-test position, and only turn the photography clause on if the client has agreed.
Set fair cancellation bands. Enter the percentage for each window before the date, and the postponement window.
Sign and give the client a copy. Download the DOCX or print to PDF, sign, and give the client a copy with their retainer receipt.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still take a non-refundable deposit?

You can take a retainer that is not refunded if the client cancels, described as compensation for holding a date you turned other work away for. What is now risky is a flat non-refundable sum that ignores how far out the cancellation is and whether you can refill the date — since November 2023, using or relying on an unfair term in a standard form contract is prohibited and carries penalties, not just unenforceability. Bands plus a duty to mitigate are the safer structure.

Does my client contract count as a standard form contract?

If you send the same pre-printed terms to every client with little or no negotiation, very likely yes — and the regime covers small-business contracts too, not just consumers. That is why this template avoids one-sided indemnities, blanket liability exclusions and cancellation terms that keep the whole price regardless of circumstances.

Can I limit my liability?

Not in a way that cuts across the consumer guarantees, which cannot be excluded, restricted or modified. This template states what the business is responsible for — due care and skill, suitable professional products, its own negligence — and expressly confirms that nothing in the agreement affects rights that cannot be excluded. Trying to disclaim everything is both ineffective and now a penalty risk.

Do I have to do a patch test?

There is no general statutory duty on a stylist, but oxidative colour and lash adhesives carry allergy warnings and manufacturer instructions calling for an allergy alert test well in advance, because a reaction can be delayed. Insurers often require it. This contract records the client's disclosure, whether a test was offered and taken, and your right to decline an unsafe service.

Do I need a licence to work as a bridal stylist?

There is no single national licence for hairdressing or makeup artistry, though some beauty procedures fall under state or territory public-health rules. That makes what you state in the contract more important: your qualifications, your insurance and the scope of what you will do are what a client and a venue can actually check.

Can I repost the photographer's wedding photos?

Not without permission from whoever owns the copyright — and in Australia that may be the couple rather than the photographer. Copyright in a photograph commissioned for a private or domestic purpose, which includes a wedding party, generally belongs to the person who commissioned it. This template covers images you take yourself and flags that third-party photographs need their own permission.

What if I am ill on the wedding day?

Use the substitution clause: it lets you send an equally qualified stylist at no extra cost, which is what a client actually needs on the morning. Keep a refund route for the case where no substitute can be found, and state it plainly so the worst case is known in advance.

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Disclaimer

This template and guide are general information about Australian consumer-services practice, not legal, insurance or medical advice, and nobody has reviewed your business. Nothing here replaces manufacturer instructions, your insurer's conditions or your own judgement about whether a service is safe for a client.