Sending an invoice for a large party or buyout

Private events are different from public bookings. The guest contacts you about a date, you agree on terms, you send an invoice. ArtistryHost has a workflow built specifically for this.

When to use invoices vs the booking flow

Use the booking flow when the guest is buying a published experience at a published price. They click "book," they pay, they're confirmed.

Use an invoice when the price is custom. A corporate buyout, a bachelorette with add-ons, a private class with a specific menu. The guest can't self-serve through the standard flow because the price isn't on the website.

Creating the invoice

Invoices are created from a booking, not from scratch. The Invoices page in the sidebar is a read-only list of your outstanding invoices (money still owed) — there's no "new invoice" form and no manual customer entry there.

To create one:

1. Open the booking on the run sheet.
2. Open its "Invoice (deposit / balance)" panel. The guest's name and email come straight from the booking — you don't retype them.
3. Set the terms:
   • Line item. A single quantity-priced line (e.g., "Custom Candle Pour, Private Event" at a per-head price × 12 guests). Add tax and a service charge if they apply.
   • Deposit. The amount due now. Enter 0 for a single full-balance invoice.
   • Deposit due date and balance due date.
   • A personalized note, if you'd like one on the invoice.
4. Preview before send. This matters. ArtistryHost first builds a draft and shows you exactly what the guest will see. Read it. Catch the typo. Then publish to send.

Splitting into a deposit and a balance

Split invoicing is live: you can collect a deposit now and the balance before the event. Set a deposit amount and two due dates, and Square builds a two-part invoice — a deposit request due first, then the balance request on its own due date. Enter a deposit of 0 and the guest receives a single full-balance invoice instead.

What the guest receives

When you publish, Square emails the guest the invoice — it's sent by Square, not from your venue's own email address. The email includes:

• A summary of the booking
• The amount due and the due date (deposit first, then balance, if you split it)
• A link to a secure, Square-hosted payment page

The guest opens the link, lands on the Square-hosted payment page, pays, and gets a confirmation receipt.

How paid status updates

When the guest pays:

1. Square sends a webhook to ArtistryHost.
2. The invoice marks Paid.
3. You get an email notification.
4. The event is now confirmed on your calendar.

The Invoices list keeps every outstanding invoice in one place, soonest-due first, with overdue ones flagged. There's no in-app resend: each row links View in Square ↗, and you resend or nudge the guest from the Square Dashboard.

Day-of add-ons

Anything added at the event itself — extra pours, take-home accessories, a longer bar package — rings through your Square POS at the venue like any other in-person sale. Total revenue, tax, and tip lines all roll up in your Square reports.

Editing or canceling an invoice

• Before payment: edit freely from the invoice detail page.
• After payment: edits to the price, date, or guest count require a confirmation step. We show the impact on Square (refund + recharge if needed) before applying.
• Canceling: if the guest cancels before the due date, just void the invoice. If after payment, your cancellation policy determines what's refundable.