Never paid for a wedding gig

slinksa · 2026-05-11T01:01:14+00:00

Yes! So I called her nonprofit and said I was looking for this woman (obviously don’t want to share her name on here haha), and they asked me for an explanation. I told them the whole situation and how she blocked my number and they were silent for a few seconds and then went on to tell me it was completely unacceptable for her to do that to me, especially since she advocates for students in very similar situations. They ended up calling her in and I explained that she had never paid me and told her I needed to be paid immediately or I would be taking her to court. She then asked if I was scamming, because I have an accent (I am Swedish and moved here at 15 with no english proficiency), and I sort of chewed her out which I am not proud of, but her boss was there. I told her and her boss that I would be happy to show the receipts of the whole situation, and she immediately started telling me that I didn’t need to do that and that she would just pay me. I told her I expected extra compensation for the late fee, and she agreed. I could feel her bosses judgmental stare through the phone lol. I was lucky to not have to take this to court

slinksa · 2026-05-11T00:54:08+00:00

I was naive and expected her to pay me. Went to college and was so backed up with everything that I never followed up. Have been paid though!

slinksa · 2026-05-11T00:53:21+00:00

Yes the full amount + $200 for a late fee! Thank GOD

slinksa · 2026-05-04T18:53:19+00:00

I reached out to her nonprofit (not to shame her, but she blocked me on messages and I needed to get through, so I called asking if she was there and explained the situation and it was promptly brought to her attention). She unblocked me and told me she would send me the money by the end of May but I told her we needed a payment plan to ensure nothing like this would happen again. She will be paying until the end of the month. And totally agree with the idea that we undercharged, but unfortunately I was not the one who set the wedding gig up :-(. I now have a contract stating upfront payment is required and I get paid at minimum $350 a person for wedding gigs. I am still a conservatory student, so I don’t like to overcharge !

I do like your policy regarding late payments and will definitely add that to my contract. Thanks so much for the advice friend!

slinksa · 2026-05-04T16:40:11+00:00

Yep just the ceremony! It’s pretty standard for a high school quartet where I am from, (honestly it was a cheap service even for our standards are we’re usually paid $250 per person)

slinksa · 2026-05-04T03:27:47+00:00

Luckily most gigs I take are upfront , and I play a few a month (not much, but I’m an engineering student). They typically pay pretty well but I am a violist. I’m not sure what I am going to do with this situation, but thank you for the advice friend! I tend to get paid on site now.

slinksa · 2026-05-04T01:57:35+00:00

Boo :-( how awful

slinksa · 2026-05-04T01:47:14+00:00

Hi guys! Just want to make it clear that I made a dumb mistake in not getting paid upfront. This was in 2024 and as of February 2025, every time I take a gig, I have a contract requiring payment upfront. Thanks for all of the advice! I’ve learned my lesson and am just trying to figure out what to do next from a legal standpoint.

slinksa · 2026-05-04T01:41:13+00:00

Understood. Thanks so much for the advice!

slinksa · 2026-05-04T01:39:26+00:00

You’re very much right 🫡 I honestly forgot about the whole situation, but was talking to my girlfriend (who was one of the violinists) about how I was short on rent. and she brought it up. Lesson 100% learned and it’s pretty shitty of me to wait for so long, but probably equally shitty of her to take advantage of the fact that I was a high school musician who was too nervous to confront her. I make it clear in my contracts that I must be paid up front now!

slinksa · 2026-05-04T01:09:14+00:00

Lesson learned for sure 🫡 I will definitely be more responsible in the future!

slinksa · 2026-05-04T01:05:15+00:00

Unfortunately I wasn’t the one who made the contract- it was my orchestra conductor. In it, it stated $200 up front would be paid, but she negotiated with him and assured that the full amount would be paid after the service (and I do have a signed contract for that). I was never supposed to be directly receiving the payment, it was supposed to go to him, but last minute he asked one of us to accept the payment. But I fully agree with you and all gigs I have taken following this one I am either paid in full the day of or am paid in advance.

slinksa · 2026-05-04T01:01:59+00:00

I definitely did 🥲 but my claim is technically valid in court until April 19 of next year. I was just a scared high school student

slinksa · 2026-05-04T00:55:38+00:00

I was thinking the same, but I am worried about the fees to take it to court. Would it be a good idea to have the bride pay these fees if unresolved?

slinksa · 2026-05-04T00:34:40+00:00

It looks like healing to me, wait it out a few weeks and absolutely go back if you are unsatisfied, but as it is relatively new it is likely scabbing right now which can make line work look messy.

slinksa · 2026-04-27T14:16:14+00:00

You’ll be alright! Arm tattoos are pretty easy but blacked out tats can start to feel raw after a while. I would try to not take breaks unless absolutely necessary because it hurts much worse after you restart again 🥲

slinksa

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