COVID-19 & YOUR WEDDING DAY
This really is a page I never ever thought I’d see myself having to write, but let’s face it, we’re in a situation none of us could ever have imagined.
Firstly, & most importantly, I hope you & all your loved ones are all safe, well & enjoying lockdown as much as they can.
Secondly, let’s talk 2021 weddings. Specifically, your wedding.
I honestly understand more than you realise that these are hugely stressful times. The added pressure of your upcoming wedding & the uncertainty around your day to day lives right now really isn’t easy.
As a lot of other suppliers in the wedding industry, I am as much in the dark as you are about when weddings will be allowed to take place again & how social distancing measures will affect them. Since March 2020 I’ve been working with all my couples to reschedule their big days if they wish to do so with minimum stress.
Throughout all of those postponements & stress over everything these past few weeks I’m staying optimistic that from June we might see a return to weddings, but they may have to be a little different to what we are used to with social distancing measures in place.
None of us knows what will happen next with this ever-changing situation but I just wanted to pop this page together to let you know my current strategy to deal with different eventualities. Below are some of the more common questions that have been cropping up. I hope by answering them here I can ease any worries.
WILL ANYTHING CHANGE WITH MY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY IF WEDDINGS ARE ABLE TO GO AHEAD FROM AUGUST?
I want to assure you that I intend to attend every wedding I have booked in the diary and will be returning to ‘business as normal’ whenever we are allowed to do so. Nothing about my coverage will change, I won’t wear a hazmat suit and I am as excited to be there as I ever was.
I am constantly taking appropriate measures to avoid infection. Once restrictions are lifted I will be continuing to limit social contact & avoid crowded places & unnecessary outings. That's the one bonus of being a self employed photographer...I spend most of my life in self isolation anyway. As you know I have a 1 year old so, as you can imagine, I’m pretty on top of cleanliness & hygiene to the point of obsession right now!
Having said all that, please don’t be offended if I don’t greet you with my usual hug or you see me washing my hands or constantly using hand sanitiser. Once weddings are ‘go’ again I will be attending them on a regular basis & don’t want to ease up on precautions. During your wedding it’ll be air kisses & waves rather than hugs all round (I say lets bring back the bow and curtsey.)
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU BECOME INFECTED WITH CORONAVIRUS OR HAVE TO SELF ISOLATE?
If I – or anyone in my household – get any of the dreaded Covid lurgi symptoms I solemnly swear not to rock up to your day. Your health, & the health of your guests, is of the utmost importance & I don’t want to put anyone at risk of infection. I take that responsibility very seriously. I will treat this just like any other illness scenario as outlined in your contact . As some of you know Captured Life has 2 other photographers on board, Hannah & Charlotte (yep there’s two Charlotte’s). If I was unable to attend your wedding, these two would be my first port of call. If however these guys weren’t available I am part of a network full of people I trust to shoot your day for me. It's a bit like International Rescue (or for those with young kiddos; Paw Patrol), but instead of Thunderbird puppets or small cartoon dogs, there's a whole load of talented photographers, ready to spring into action & save the day. If I need to find cover, I will give you as much notice as I can, depending on the circumstances, arrange an online meeting between me, the back up photographer & you, to go through the plans for your wedding. Your wedding would be photographed exactly as I would do so. I would then edit the photographs & deliver your final images as normal.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I DECIDE TO POSTPONE My WEDDING OR IT IS UNABLE TO TAKE PLACE DUE TO GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS
Whether postponement happens from your own decision or because of a forced restriction it’s undoubtedly heartbreaking. Over the last few weeks I’ve spoken, & cried, with so many couples in this position & it is hugely emotional. The one thing that has kept them all going is reminding themselves it’s a postponement not a cancellation. Your wedding will still happen, come rain or shine & us suppliers will be there along the way!
If you make the decision to postpone, communication is key! Please let me know as soon as possible if you are thinking of doing this. I am more than happy to move your wedding booking to your new wedding date (if I am available). I’ve always been excited to shoot your wedding & still am– so please do check on my availability if you are considering this. To be clear, there is absolutely no charge for moving your wedding date to the remainder of 2021 to 2022. I know this is becoming a growing concern with a lot of couples. Any monies paid to date will be carried over to the new date completely free of charge. However, if you are wanting to move to 2023 there will be a small fee required to do so. I am more than happy to explain why if you'd like to query this.
Rest assured your suppliers are working hard to come up with a date that all or most of us can do. We want to make postponement as stress-free as possible for you so please, please, please keep us all in the loop. As you can imagine dates for next year are now flying out of the diary so the sooner you let us all know the easier it is for us to accommodate.
Below I have put the dates that I currently booked for 2021 & 2022. I will be keeping this list regularly updated. If you are at the point of discussing new dates then please use this to see my availability.
Dates I am now BOOKED- 2021
April
9th April
17th April
23rdApril
30th April
May
1st May
14th May
15th May
21st May
22nd May
23rd May
24th May
25th May
26th May
27th May
28th May
29th May
30th May
June
5th june
7th june
12th june
13th june
17th june
19th june
20th June
26th June
July
3rd July
14th July
17th July
31st July
August
7th August
17th August
21st August
22nd August
27th August
September
2nd September
10th September
12th September
19th September
23rd September
25th September
October
9th October
16th October
17th October
30th October
31st October
November
26th November
December
28th December
(Christmas holiday week not available)
Dates I am now BOOKED- 2022
January
23rd January
February
5th February
6th February
13th February
March
April
16th April
17th April
28th April
30th April
May
1st May
22nd May
29th May
June
12 June
2nd June
4th June
July
9th July
August
6th August
27th August
September
3rd September
18th September
October
16th October
29th October
30th October
31st October
November
5th November
12th November
December
28th December
(Christmas holiday week not available)
FINALLY…
Overall lovelies, don't panic. The media is full of rumours & opinion about when life will resume & it’s all a bit mind boggling, please try not to get swept away with it. Whatever happens nothing’s going to stop you getting married & having a damn fine time doing it. You will have the time of your lives & it will be brilliant! It might not be the date you’d originally planned but it will still be a mega celebration.
Please do keep in contact & let me help any way I can, even if it’s just someone to listen.
*Insert curtsey here*
Charlotte xx