Free template · no email required
Private event proposal template
A proposal has one job: let the host say yes without a follow-up call. This one fits on a page, shows how the price is built, and ends with a single next step. Copy it into a document or email, replace the brackets, and send it.
The template
PRIVATE EVENT PROPOSAL Prepared for: [Host name] · [Phone] · [Email] Prepared by: [Venue name] · [Your name] · [Date sent] THE EVENT Event: [Occasion, e.g. "Rivera 40th birthday"] Date: [Day, date] Time: [Arrival time] to [End time] Space: [Room or area] · [Private room / full buyout] Guests: [Expected count] · Final count due [date] PRICING Room fee: $[amount] Food & beverage minimum: $[amount] (before tax and service charge) Service charge / gratuity: [__]% Sales tax: [__]% Estimated total: $[amount] (estimate - final bill depends on what is ordered) TO RESERVE THE DATE Deposit due at signing: $[amount] (applied to your final bill) Balance due: [At the end of the event / __ days before] KEY TERMS Cancellation: [One sentence, e.g. "Deposit refundable until 30 days before the event."] Rescheduling: [One sentence, e.g. "One date change within 6 months, subject to availability."] Full terms are in the event contract. This proposal is valid until [date]. The date is not held until the deposit is paid. Next step: reply to accept, sign the contract, and pay the deposit.
Filled-in example
A fictional venue and host. The estimated total is the room fee plus the minimum, with service charge and tax on the minimum: $200 + $1,750 + $350 + $140 = $2,440.
PRIVATE EVENT PROPOSAL Prepared for: Sam Rivera · (555) 010-4477 · sam.rivera@example.com Prepared by: The Juniper Room · Alex, events · March 3 THE EVENT Event: Rivera 40th birthday Date: Saturday, April 18 Time: 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM Space: Back dining room · Private room Guests: 35 expected · Final count due April 11 PRICING Room fee: $200 Food & beverage minimum: $1,750 (before tax and service charge) Service charge / gratuity: 20% Sales tax: 8% Estimated total: $2,440 (estimate - final bill depends on what is ordered) TO RESERVE THE DATE Deposit due at signing: $500 (applied to your final bill) Balance due: At the end of the event KEY TERMS Cancellation: Deposit refundable until 30 days before the event. Rescheduling: One date change within 6 months, subject to availability. Full terms are in the event contract. This proposal is valid until March 10. The date is not held until the deposit is paid. Next step: reply to accept, sign the contract, and pay the deposit.
How to fill it in
- Restate the event first. If the room, date, or end time differs from what the host asked for, say so at the top - not in the fine print.
- Say whether the minimum is before tax and service charge. It's the most common source of a surprised host at the end of the night. The F&B minimum calculator shows the full bill for a given headcount.
- Label the total as an estimate. The final bill depends on what the group orders.
- Put the key terms on the proposal. One sentence each on cancellation and rescheduling, so the host doesn't meet them for the first time in the contract. See cancellation policy examples.
- Give it an expiry date. It tells the host the date isn't held indefinitely, and gives you a clean reason to follow up.
Proposal checklist
Run through this before you send.
Event basics
- Host name, phone, and email
- Event type and occasion
- Date, arrival time, and end time (and setup/teardown windows if they matter)
- Room or area being booked, and whether it's a full buyout
- Expected guest count - and the date by which the final count is due
Pricing
- Room fee or buyout fee, if you charge one
- Food and beverage minimum, and whether it's before or after tax and service charge
- What counts toward the minimum (food and drink only? cake or corkage fees?)
- Service charge or auto-gratuity percentage
- Sales tax treatment
- Estimated total, labeled as an estimate
Commitment
- Deposit amount and when it's due
- When the remaining balance is due and how it's paid
- How long the proposal is valid before the date is released
- A clear next step: accept, then sign the contract, then pay the deposit
In VenueSprocket, a proposal carries the room fee, food and beverage minimum, and deposit, and the host accepts it from a link on their phone - more on structuring a proposal that gets signed.