# Adding a booking yourself

> Add a photography booking by hand in CoreHue for work agreed by phone, DM or in person, with a title, description, schedule and optional invoice.

Source: https://help.corehue.co/docs/managing-bookings/creating-a-booking/

Not every job comes through your booking page. When you've agreed a session by phone, over Instagram DMs or at a wedding fair, add the booking yourself so it sits on your calendar with everything else, and send the invoice from the same form if you want to.

## Starting a new booking

You can start a booking from several places, and each one fills in what it already knows:

- **Bookings → All bookings → New booking**
- **New booking** under Quick actions on your Home screen
- **Create booking** in the three-dot **More actions** menu on a contact's page
- **Create booking** on an inquiry
- **Add booking** on a day in the calendar, which fills in the date

## Filling in the form

1. Under **Related to**, choose **Contact** or **Inquiry**, then pick the person or inquiry. Need a new contact? Choose **Add Contact** at the bottom of the list and they're selected as soon as you save them.
2. Pick a **Service** if this work matches one of yours, or leave it empty for one-off work. The list also has **Add service** if you want to make one on the spot. Choosing an inquiry sets the service for you.
3. Check the **Title**. It fills in with the service name, and you can change it to something more specific, like "Ade & Kemi engagement shoot".
4. Add a **Description**: coverage, deliverables and anything you agreed with your client. Your client sees the title and description on their booking page.
5. Set the **Schedule**. What you see depends on the service (more below).
6. Choose the **Format**. **In person** asks for a **Location**. **Online** offers a **Meeting link** of **Google Meet**, **Zoom** or **Custom link**.
7. Click **Create Booking**, check the summary, and click **Create booking** to confirm.

Google Meet and Zoom stay greyed out until you connect them under **Bookings → Settings → Integrations**. See [Connecting Google Calendar](/docs/online-booking/google-calendar) and [Adding Zoom meetings to bookings](/docs/online-booking/zoom).

### How the schedule adapts

| Service type | What you pick |
| --- | --- |
| Direct booking | An open time from that service's real availability, or a custom time |
| Mini session | One of the slots you've set up for that service |
| Inquiry service, or no service | A date, an optional **End date** for multi-day work, and start and end times (or **All day**) |

## Collecting payment

Turn on **Collect payment** if you want to bill for this booking now. With it off, no invoice is created, and you can add one from the booking later. If you pick a service that collects payment, **Collect payment** and **Require payment to confirm booking** switch on by themselves and a deadline is suggested, so check them before you save.

With it on:

1. Add your **Invoice items**. Pick a saved item or type a name, then set the quantity, price and tax. You can add discounts too. The **Invoice total** updates as you go.
2. Choose a **Payment plan**: full payment, or a payment schedule for a deposit and installments.
3. Pick the **Payment methods** your client can use.
4. Decide whether to **Require payment to confirm booking**. With a schedule, only the first payment is required.
5. If you require payment, you can set **Expire unpaid booking on**. The dates stay reserved through the end of that day, then the booking expires.

These items become the booking's invoice, and you can edit that invoice afterwards like any other. Charges always live on invoices, never on the booking itself. See [Booking details: title, description and amount](/docs/managing-bookings/booking-details).

> **Save your usual prices**
If you charge the same packages again and again, save them under **Templates → Items** and pick them here instead of retyping. See [Saving reusable items](/docs/payments/saved-items).

## When the time clashes

If the date or time overlaps another booking, CoreHue asks **Create this Booking anyway?** and lists the conflicts. To go ahead, write a short **Reason for override** and click **Create Booking**. It's there so a double booking is always on purpose.

## Recording past work

A booking dated entirely in the past, with no service or an inquiry service, is saved as a historical record. Payment collection is switched off and no client emails or reminders go out. It's handy for logging jobs you shot before you moved to CoreHue. See [Bringing past clients and galleries over](/docs/switching/bringing-past-work-over).

## What happens next

If you required payment, the booking stays **Pending** until your client pays, then confirms itself. Otherwise it's confirmed straight away and lands on your calendar.

To send your client their booking page, open the booking and use **Share booking**. From there you can copy the link or choose **Share via email**.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I have to pick a service?

No. **Service** is optional. Leave it empty for one-off work and set the date, time and title yourself.

### Can I add a booking without charging anything?

Yes. Leave **Collect payment** off. The booking's amount shows **Not set** until you create an invoice for it.

### What if my contact has no email address?

You can still create the booking, but you'll see a reminder to add an email so you can send it later. Add one from their contact page when you have it.

### Can I change the invoice items after creating the booking?

Yes. Open the booking, find the invoice under **Documents**, and edit it. Changes to the invoice update the booking's amount.