COVID-19 WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY UPDATE
I don’t have all the answers, but I have been party to a lot of discussion with fellow wedding suppliers and I want to reassure you that I will be doing whatever possible to work with you; which includes getting on board with whatever changes need to be made to your plans.
Here are the strategies I am currently aware of people taking, in order to deal with the ever-evolving situation that we all find ourselves in. I thought it might prove helpful to share them with you.
Strategy 1.
Take all sensible precautions, and continue as planned
You have booked me to photograph your wedding, and I will come to do so as planned. A lot of my weddings are relatively small in the grand scheme of public gatherings. I don’t tend to get right up in your face anyway, so a social distancing isn’t going to impact my work. I will take all the precautions,
Seating could be spaced apart. Ceremonies could be held outdoor. Venues and suppliers will be striving to make as many sensible and practical accommodations as possible.
What if I have symptoms? I have a lot of friends in this industry, and if I was to be displaying symptoms, I would implement my normal illness-strategy. That is; call upon one of my mutually supportive community of other great wedding photographers to photograph your day in my place. I would edit those shots myself, so that you are still getting my duty of care, my cull, and my signature style.
Strategy 2. Scale back, stay on track
An alternative is to go ahead, but with a scaled-back guestlist.
There are several ways this can be approached:
Some guests, particularly among higher-risk groups, may already be privately wary of attending, and may just be relieved to have contact from you saying that you understand if anyone does not feel like coming in person. No one uninvited, no feelings hurt, and a reduction in party size achieved through merely lifting any notion of perceived obligation.
Letting people know that you plan to make the original date more intimate in light of the situation, and holding a second celebration with all and sundry at a later date. People will understand. There are often natural delineations such as ‘immediate family, partners & children’ which remove any grey areas in terms of hurt feelings.
This new arrangement could be followed by a celebration with the whole guestlist at a later date.
Strategy 3. Elope now, party later
Couples tell me time and again they would love to elope, but for…x y z.
I want you to know if you decide to take this opportunity to elope, I am 100% on board. I literally love an elopement. If you need me to, I will witness your marriage certificate, literally overflowing with pride.
One way this option could pan out is to go ahead with the legal aspect of the ceremony, have the most intensely personal day in which you do whatever the two of you alone want, and postpone the big party until a later date.
Strategy 4. Postponement
If you decide to reschedule, I do not want you to worry about the ramifications of that from my point of view. I am here to make that as seamless as possible. There is no charge, and provided I am free on the new date, we just move the the existing booking to the new date; no issue whatsoever.
If necessary I can email across a link to my availability page so you can factor my available dates into your rearrangement plans.
You can contact me on 0781 4673984
