Hi there, friend.
I’m sure we have all seen this madness happening around us. We have been watching all the updates, just like you have, wondering what in the world this means for the near and distant future. Although there is much we do not know at this time, the one thing we do know is we need to stick together until this storm passes. Each one of you mean so much to us so I thought I would post an update, informing you all of how we will be handling this situation at present.
Cancelations & Postponements | Weddings
We have a very full calendar for the 2020 year in regards to wedding dates but if you are facing the decision to reschedule we ask that you PLEASE reach out to us as soon as possible so we can find a date that works for you and works for us. I cannot stress to our brides and grooms enough how heartbroken we are over the fact that conversation even needs to happen. We are waiving postponing/rescheduling fees for our couples affected by the virus. If you are needing to reschedule your wedding, the final payment due date will remain the same but please let us know if you are facing financial difficulties due to this virus so we can work out a plan for you. We want to make the transition to a new date as seamless as possible so we’ve put together some ideas for you moving forward:
Consider eloping or shrinking your invite list! If you want to stick with your wedding date but your venue cannot accommodate the size of wedding you were planning to host anymore, get away from people and enjoy saying “I do” in nature! If your venue can still host an event with a small number of people, consider shrinking that guest list so you can still enjoy the rest of what you had planned for your big day!
Consider pushing your date to a Friday or Sunday in 2020 if your venue and other vendors can’t accommodate a Saturday date. If no date lines up for the remainder of the year, the other option would be to push your wedding to 2021 and seeing if your vendors have an open date that matches up then.
Toss around the idea of creating a private Facebook group where you can share your ceremony with them through a live stream! If you can’t have more than X amount of people at your event, this is a great option that your previously invited guests will appreciate as well. Heck, we are even happy to help you with the live stream if you decide to elope with just the two of us in nature!
If you are considering canceling your wedding altogether rather than postponing, we will be sticking to our contract in regards to deposits and final invoices where the payments that have been made are non-refundable. Our wedding pricing did change at the start of the year so, to be fair across the board, any re-bookings would adhere to those new rates. Again, we want nothing more than to help you through this difficult circumstance so we are planning to be as flexible as possible in regards to rescheduling. If you can, PLEASE get in touch with us first so we can send some of our openings your way if you have a different month/season in mind!
COMMUNICATION IS KEY!
Don’t miss this!
Our friend Lauren over at Every Last Detail put together some email templates for any couples needing to change their plans and inform their guests. You can view all of them by clicking here.
Cancelations & Postponements | Sessions
As of now, I am still keeping my scheduled sessions on my calendar. If you have a session scheduled for the month of March and are tossing around the idea of pushing it back, please reach out to me as soon as possible. I do not mind AT ALL moving your session to another date if you feel it would be best. I completely respect your decision!
As always, I am being very germ-cautious so I am still showering prior to every studio session and wiping everything down to the best of my ability. I do have a medical mask I can wear during any of my sessions so please do not hesitate to request that prior to your arrival. If you have a session scheduled for a baby milestone, I am happy to push that out to a different milestone mark if you feel it would be in your best interest to postpone. For instance, if you have a 6 month session scheduled, I am happy to push that to 9 months instead. Hopefully we will be ahead of this by then!
For my standard portrait sessions, such as engagements and headshots, that are being held at a park outdoors, I will be practicing that 5 foot rule as best I can! I know we have had some couples have to push out to March due to poor weather conditions so I completely understand how urgent your engagements are. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will not be under house quarantine but if we are, we can find an immediate date following our release. I am currently thinking happy thoughts so we can continue as planned!
Just as with our wedding policy, our session cancelation policy remains the same as what is stated in our contract. Again, I am going to be as flexible as possible with any postponements. If you have questions or concerns about your session, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Honesty is the Best Policy
As always, I will be up front about my own health. I always have my client’s best interest and health in mind, especially those little ones. My policy is that if I at all feel under the weather, I will reach out to reschedule standard sessions. I will bring a mask with me to any upcoming weddings. Due to the amount of restrictions being enforced and everyone’s personal preferences, there is a limited number of photographer back ups available at the moment but I have already been posting possible dates just in case and gathering a list of backups that are all great lead photographers. If one or both of us (knock on wood) come down with this virus and are not able to photograph your day, we will reach out to a vetted associate shooter to capture the day in our place, just as is our policy all the time. I will continue to be the point of contact for the wedding day and will be the one editing. We are being extra diligent in our precautions and limiting our time outside our home as best as possible to avoid this scenario. Also, we currently are not traveling and have not traveled recently to help ensure our health for your wedding or session. I cannot even begin to describe how dry my hands are from the amount of hand sanitizer and washing they have been through!
Just as we are being honest with you about how you are feeling, I beg that you be honest with us as well. If a client arrives for a studio session and is showing signs of symptoms or looking ill in any way, they will be asked to leave immediately and to reschedule at a later date once they are feeling better. If you know you do not feel well/normal or have been traveling recently, PLEASE reach out to let me know PRIOR to the session. This goes for outdoor sessions as well!
Meetings
We are currently only scheduling phone meetings. If you are interested in chatting about your wedding day or are looking to piece together your wedding day timeline, we can do all of this over the phone!
As you all know, I am an open book, so please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions! I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for supporting this little business of ours that is our personal dream come true. Small business ownership is a roller coaster but we are not ready to get off this ride so we are going to be doing everything in our power to remain open. From our family to yours, please stay safe out there.
