Unprecedented times
This what I hear everyday when it comes to the current pandemic we’re in. It’s true the situation we are in is not normal. Nobody knew a few months ago that the country would be in lockdown and weddings would not be happening for the foreseeable future. All the excitement and planning put on hold and not knowing if your wedding is going ahead thus causing so much anxiety. As a couple where do you start when it comes to re-arranging your wedding date? There is no definitive answer. What everybody (couples and wedding vendors) wants to hear from the government is, from a specific date or month, weddings will now be allowed to take place.
So many other things to take into consideration:
- How many guests will we be allowed at our wedding? Will there be restrictions on numbers?
- Social Distancing – Will we have to social distance? A wedding is a social occasion where people hug and chat. It’s not going to be great if everybody has to stay 2 metres apart from everyone.
- Are all the wedding vendors who were originally booked for the wedding date available for the new date?
- Will guests who will travelling from overseas or from different destinations be able to make the new wedding date?
- Will couples have to pay more if their date is moved or will they loose any money if their date is moved?
- Do couples make the decision to postpone their wedding or wait for the venue, registrar, church etc to make that decision for them?
There are so many factors to take into consideration that it’s a minefield of decisions to make. But I want to help all couples who have booked with myself or other photographers or vendors. I will explain as a business and photographer how I go about helping all my couples who have had to or want to postpone their wedding to a new date. Also I have been able to get help and advise from a few wedding vendors on how they are handling the situation as a business and what advice they are giving their couples.
How to go about postponing your wedding date
Now there is no right or wrong way to do this. This could be down to a personal decision or because of government guidelines. The first piece of advise would be not to cancel your wedding unless you have advised by your venue, church etc. If you as a couple decide to cancel your wedding then you could loose a lot of money in terms of fees that are outlined in the cancellation terms of a the business contract you would have signed with the vendor. If the vendor cancels or advises postponement then check with all other vendors that you have booked with that they are also available for the new date, before changing date. The last thing you want to happen is you change the date and a lot of your preferred suppliers are not available. If you do decide yourselves to postpone your wedding because of personal reasons then please also check with everyone that they are available and I am sure all vendors can help you where they can.
Help and Advise from wedding vendors when it comes to postponing your wedding
Wedding Photography - Art by Design Photography
So you have booked the photographer but have had to postpone your wedding. What happens next?
In this situation the most important thing I can offer my couples is empathy. It is a very stressful time for us all, as a business it effects us financially and mentally. As a couple it effects them emotionally and financially. They have invested so much of their time into planning the perfect day. First of all, all I want to do is help and advise them that whatever happens I am here for them as a friend and as a business to make sure that their day goes ahead as planned.
What happens if we have to postpone our wedding?
If you have to postpone your wedding to a new date then firstly check that your photographer is available. In this situation couples worry if they have to pay more money to moving the date. From my business point of view there no extra charge for moving your wedding to a new date. When booking a wedding with myself every couple pays a non refundable booking fee to secure my services for their wedding day. Their balance is then due 6 weeks before their wedding date. So in the situation of a postponement the following happens when changing date:
- Your collection price does not change unless you choose a different coverage option (less or more coverage)
- Your booking fee gets moved to the new date
- A new contract is completed with details for the new date, just in case their maybe a venue change etc
- There is no extra charge or increase in collection prices for moving dates.
What happens if the photographer is not available for the new date?
If for any reason the couple end up settling on a date that everyone can do but I can’t because I am already booked, then I provide an option where would be I send another professional photographer whom I trust and are a similar style to me, to photograph their wedding, but I edit all the images in my style and deliver everything in your collection as agreed. That way the booking stays with myself and whatever happens they will have a professional photographer cover their day (This is the same policy for when, as your photographer, I was not able to cover your wedding because of sickness)
All part of the service
As part of my service I help all my couples find the perfect wedding vendors for them. I am part of a large network of wedding vendors whom I work with, so in the situation where the couple have had to move dates, I can recommend available vendors from Make up artists, hairdressers, videographers etc. This ensures their day still goes ahead and they have booked all the vendors they need to make their day perfect.
Wedding Venues
Bryngarw House – https://www.bryngarwhouse.com/en/wedding/
Covid-19 has definitely thrown us all into the unknown. Unprecedented times such as these require flexibility, understanding and compassion, and this is the approach we at Bryngarw House have chosen to take. After all, people are our passion, and we need to be there for each other more than ever before.
Having to contact our Brides and Grooms to tell them we need to postpone their wedding date, is probably one of the most heart-breaking things we have had to do in this industry. Months of planning and excitement ended by a single phone call or email. What we want our couples to remember however, is ‘postponed’ does not mean ‘cancelled’, and your special day will come.
We are continuing to monitor government guidelines closely in order to help us make appropriate, well-informed decisions. Our couples are at the very heart of all decisions we make, and our guest’s safety, along with our staff, is paramount. We are aiming to provide a minimum of two months’ notice if we feel that your wedding will not be able to take place due to Covid-19. We are also offering all our couples whose wedding is due to take place this year, provisional ‘back up dates’ in order to help put minds at ease should the worst case scenario happen.
That way, you do not need to worry that a future preferred date won’t be available, or that you have ‘last choice’ of our remaining availability. If your wedding becomes directly impacted by Covid-19 and cannot go ahead based on government guidelines, then your dedicated wedding team contact you immediately and work with you to find an alternative date. Your booking will be transferred, along with any deposits and bedroom reservations already paid.
If you need help moving your suppliers and rearranging your ceremony to your new wedding date, then we are on hand to help. We understand how much work you have put into organising your special day, and if the thought of doing this all over again is overwhelming, then please pass it onto us. We are lucky enough to have close relationships with some amazing wedding suppliers who we can liase with directly on your behalf, and we can help as best we can if your original suppliers are unavailable on your new date.
To help provide you with clarity, we have a postponement policy to ensure you feel you have options. If you have any concerns about your date, your personal circumstances have changed, or you have decided you would prefer to move your wedding date to another year, then we have a clear plan in place. We will work closely with you in a compassionate, flexible manner to find the best way to move forward. And remember, postponed doesn’t mean cancelled. Your special day will come, and we can’t wait to be a part of your celebrations; we will all need it more than ever.
Hair & Make Up
Janet White – Ashby & Co – www.janetwhiteashby.co.uk
Sending all our couples love and support at this difficult time.
There is much uncertainty in whether their weddings are able to go ahead at this time, many are postponing to later in the year or next year 2021. Janet White-Ashby & Co., being a large team, have so far been able to accommodate all new dates and still have some availability for new couples and their weddings. We are here to answer your questions and any concerns to help you through any changes or postponements, so please do not hesitate to make contact.
Postponing your wedding
* New date will be adjusted and agreed, same terms and conditions.
* Services and deposit will be transferred over to the new date.
* No extra Charges will incur unless adding additional services to the day.
* Balance due the week of the wedding.
If our large team cannot cover your new date, we can recommend a suitable stylist/makeup artist, and your deposit and services will be transferred over.
If you have to cancel your wedding, not through the fault of the Covid-19 virus, your deposit will be held.
Our team have been updating their health and safety requirements, with a Barbicide – Covid-19 certificate, which indicates that we are knowledgeable in the restrictions, and sanitation, that will be put in place, once we are allowed to work, hopefully in the very near future.
We are keen to get back to creating your wedding day hair & makeup for your special day. Love always prevails and you will have your wedding and celebrate with your loved ones, albeit at a later date for some.
Kirsty Rowlands Make-up – https://kirstyrowlands.co.uk
This has been the first year in 12 years that I haven’t worked wedding season and I’m truly missing being wrapped up in my usual fun and busy schedule! However, while dealing with the craziness of this pandemic, although we are naturally business minded, I think it’s important to remain compassionate. This is all beyond our control and we can’t change that! It’s such a difficult time for everyone in some way, and having to postpone your wedding is no doubt very stressful and upsetting.
I recently set up a contingency for local hair and make up artists so that we could swap and cover work in the event a supplier wasn’t available for a couples new rescheduled date. It’s meant that I can advise clients that there are a number of professionals available to them so that the stress of having to re-organise suppliers is hopefully that little bit easier. Coupled with that, I’ve spent the last few years building up a relationships with lots local suppliers from within the wedding industry, so have been able to offer my clients support, advice and recommendations based on my experience of working with them.
For me personally I’ve worked with my couples to make myself as available as I can for their new date, so that they can simply transfer their booking fee across and be safe in the knowledge they won’t have to re pay any booking fees or incur an admin cost.
I welcome all couples even those outside of my own bookings to drop me a message if they need any advice or recommendations, during their wedding planning and hope that in doing so, it makes their lives a little easier and they can look forward to their new big day, after all love DOES wait!
