I use contracts for all private parties which includes guest behavior and damage clauses. The deposit I require is 50% of total amount which is nonrefundable if customer cancels. It is refundable for circumstances that are out of our control, ie. acts of God, or if I have an emergency where I cancel, which has never happened. The total amount is for the contracted time, and anything over that is charged at 1/2 hour increments which is also stated on the contract. I normally charge $75.00/ hr. on most local parties and $100 - $125/ hr. for holiday and parties where travel is involved.
