questions & answers
because i know you have lots of them
is there a way to avoid a rescheduling fee for 2021??
Yes! You can move your wedding to my off-season during the months of January - April and then again throughout the months of November and December. You can pick any day of the week, including weekends! Or, you can select a weekday or a Sunday during the peak season (May - October).
but why do we have to pay a rescheduling fee for a
peak Saturday next year?
The Adirondack wedding season is super short. I only get 25 weekends to make enough money to sustain my family and my business throughout the remainder of the year. That's the same as your boss telling you that in 2021, you're only working six months and then you must take the next six off, without pay. Let's say that 15 of my 2020 couples want to reschedule their weddings to weekend 2021 dates, that leaves me with 10 weekends to earn enough income to last the remaining 42 weeks of the year.
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My business, like many small businesses (especially in the wedding industry), would not survive that. Like, I might as well declare bankruptcy now and close my doors if that's what 2021 will look like for me. This is not an exaggeration. I am not over-embellishing this. It is the reality of how businesses in the wedding industry earn income and survive.
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It's why I'm imploring my couples to meet me halfway in considering one of the 315 other days in the year to get married at no additional cost to them.
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If you feel as though the only day available for you to get married is on a peak Saturday in 2021, I am requiring the remainder of your balance plus 50% of it's 2021 package price to be paid in order to secure your new date. I realize this appears unfair on your end but please consider the two paragraphs above in addition to the fact that this means I am taking a 50% loss of profit on your new date.
what if you're not available on the same date the rest of our vendors are?
Unfortunately, if you rebook to a date I am not available, that is considered a cancellation and you would lose the retainer you paid upon booking me.
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Since all of us wedding vendors are in the same boat, you have a better chance of securing the entire crew again by selecting a weekday wedding or a weekend in the off-season. We all know 2021's wedding season is going to be unlike any other so why not hold a Wednesday wedding? Chances are, you'll be able to use all your original vendors AND not have to pay any additional rescheduling fees. Win-win!
can you hire an associate to shoot our wedding so we don't
lose you entirely?
I wish I could say yes as I know a lot of my colleagues are offering this but due to the scarcity of good, trusted photographers in upstate New York, I can't be certain any associate WILL be available next year! I only work with other professional wedding photographers who are also dealing with their own rescheduling of clients. I cannot in good conscience book an associate package with you and then have to tell you next year I was unable to find someone to shoot your wedding.
our wedding is not until late summer/fall.
Should we reschedule now?
Unless your wedding is being directly impacted by a state's mandated Force Majeure or whose date is not within a four to eight week window of when the Force Majeure is expected to lift, I'd strongly encourage you to hold off on rescheduling. Right now wedding vendors and venues are focusing mainly on the couples whose weddings are literally illegal to hold at the moment.
what if our wedding doesn't fall within the state's force majeure or the 4-8 week window but we still want to reschedule just to be safe?
If you'd prefer to be safe than sorry and just want the weight of the unknown lifted from your shoulders, we can totally move forward with rescheduling. Please note though that the third COVID-19 rescheduling policy listed above would not apply to your case and you must refer back to your contract's cancellation and rescheduling clauses.
we're looking at several new dates amongst our team of vendors. can you hold those for us until we make a decision?
For couples who are already booked with me and whose weddings are being impacted by this pandemic, I am offering them the opportunity to "stronghold" 2 dates in which I am available. Meaning, I will hold 2 dates without a new retainer until you have had a chance to discuss with your entire vendor team what date works best.
In the instance I receive an inquiry for one of the dates I am holding for you, you have rights of first refusal. Once that inquiry comes in, your stronghold on that particular date will be in effect for 24 hours. If, after 24 hours of receiving the new inquiry, you have not officially rebooked your new date (by signing a new contract and paying the retainer), the date goes to the inquiring couple.
Please only stronghold a date once you feel confident it's one your entire vendor team can accommodate.
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I hope the above questions helped provide insight as to why the COVID-19 policies are in place.
If you have additional questions you didn't find answers to on this page,