This really has been the toughest few weeks of our career so far. But it is a time that we will always remember as when all our couples showed great resilience in the face of adversity. You may now be considering postponing your wedding date because of the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak. Or if you’re not quite at that stage, you may be thinking about a plan-B, just in case.
So we have written this blog so that you have all the information you need right now all in one place. It’s really important for us to make sure you know what implications changing your date may have in regards to your booking with us. We know you may not need to act on the details below, but hopefully this blog will reassure you that we will make everything as stress free as possible at this admittedly very stressful time. So please read the below carefully and if you have any questions or need us to check any dates in our diary, please let us know.
What happens if you don’t move your wedding date? If you don’t have to change your date and we are able to fulfil your wedding booking as planned then nothing changes. Of course, your and our safety is of paramount concern so we will be following and adhering to all guidance and instruction from the government. But if it is able to go ahead, we will continue to look forward to photographing your wedding. Our coverage, prices (no additional costs etc) all remain the same. You pay the balance due to us before or on the date that is due and we will photograph your wedding as planned.
What happens if you have to postpone your wedding? These are unprecedented times and the information and advice we are being given is changing constantly. Should you have to unfortunately change your wedding date the first thing to say is – we are so sorry to hear this, but we will work with you to ensure that we can still photograph your big day. We will be as flexible and understanding as possible – we firmly believe we are all in this together and we are committed to capturing your big day.
Will you be charged extra to move your wedding date? No, not a penny. We will simply move the date, provided we are available for it. We are genuinely committed to your day, we will not seek to exploit this difficult time for everyone. Having said this, we are not here to judge suppliers who do add on charges to moves dates. This is such a hard and unexpected thing for everyone to deal with and every business must take the right decisions to suit them. For us though, we believe the right thing is to honour the price you agreed at the time of booking even if you choose to change the date. That means no extra fee – not a penny.
If you move your date, is there any limitation on the date we can choose? No, but we – and venues – are very busy on prime 2020 / 2021 dates (we are especially busy on Saturdays this year) already so please work with us and your venue and be prepared to be flexible where possible. We really are committed to you and will ensure we can be there for you on your big day. We strongly recommend that you come to us with a number of alternative dates that your venue offers you, rather than just one date. Giving us 2, 3 or 4 dates to look at is our preferred way of approaching this situation, to ensure we have the best chance of being available first time of asking. If we’re not free though, we will of course suggest alternative dates.
If you do move your date, when do you pay your invoice? In order for us to manage this unprecedented situation, you will need to pay 50% of the remaining balance, due on the original agreed payment date and 50% of the remaining balance will be due one month before the new date. No additional costs will be added and you will not a pay a penny more. If you’ve already paid your full balance, that is just carried over to the new wedding date.
If you have the full balance ready, can you pay it all on the original date? If you want to pay your full balance on the original date still, absolutely, please do. In all honesty this will be a huge help to us. We are a small business. We love what we do and the current situation has, as with so many other people – including yourselves no doubt – turned things upside down. It’s a difficult time for us all but we are committed to you and all our couples. We believe in carrying on and completing business as next to normal as possible. These are worrying times but we are all in it together. If we can all support one another we can ensure that things get back to normal as soon as possible. We can photograph the wedding you have planned – just on a different date. Importantly – and this is from the experience of talking to our couples who have already moved their date – you can begin to look forward to your wedding again, with uncertainty removed.
Thank you! We wound like to thank the many couples that have already been in touch with kind words and positivity. It really does mean the world to us to know we have such lovely and supportive clients. We also hope that all the chats we have had with our couples so far have been useful and reassuring. We will continue to be here for you and to give you all the advice and guidance we can.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if we can help at all – Matt Godman, Patrick and Hollie Mateer – M and G Wedding Photography.