Coronavirus Updates in Regards to Wedding Photography, Engagement Sessions, & Anniversary Sessions

I’ve been very much hoping that the Coronavirus would be an issue that could be dealt with quickly. However, that hasn’t proven to be the case. This morning (3/17/20), all 2020 VRP brides and grooms were sent the following email. In case you’re interested in seeing how this situation is being handled, I’m sharing the message on the blog. Praying you and your loved ones stay healthy, friends!

Hello lovely VRP brides and grooms (and coordinators)!

I’m writing to you to address the elephant in the room: the COVID-19 pandemic.

You are receiving this message if you’re planning to celebrate your wedding in 2020 or if you have an engagement or anniversary session scheduled over the next few months.

2020 Weddings

This is a long email, but I appreciate you taking the time to read through it fully. I know that many of you may be feeling very uncertain and uneasy about how this will play out in the coming months and are worried about how it may affect your wedding plans, especially if your wedding is in March, April, or May. And, friends, I’m with you. I understand. It’s hard to know how this is going to play out and how long it’s going to last. But, I want to help you in any way that I can.

First and foremost, I want to assure you that as your wedding photographer, I care deeply about you, your wedding, your wedding photos, as well as the health of you and your guests. I am taking every precaution I can to keep myself healthy for your wedding day, including lots and lots of hand washing and staying home whenever possible.

With schools shutting down, the CDC’s recommendation to suspend all large gatherings, and travel being discouraged throughout the country, I understand that some of you may choose to postpone your wedding day to a later date when you wouldn’t need to worry about you or your guests’ health, travel plans, etc.

If you are thinking about postponing your wedding day or if your venue forces you to postpone, I understand the financial burden of rescheduling a wedding day, particularly if your wedding is within the next couple months. Because of this, I am expanding my rescheduling policy to make it more flexible for all of my couples during this pandemic and help ease stress related to this.

If you choose to reschedule because of COVID-19, please let me know as soon as possible so I can provide you with a list of available dates in 2020 and 2021. I reserve Saturdays for weddings, and as a result, I have plenty of availability and flexibility for dates in 2020 and 2021, so please do not worry about losing me as your photographer.

Furthermore, any amount paid towards your invoice will be applied to your rescheduled event date, so long as the event is rescheduled to take place on or before December 23, 2021, and you will not incur any rescheduling fees or lose payments you have already made. My goal is to help make postponing your wedding day as easy and stress-free as possible for you if this is the route you choose or are forced to take.

If you choose not to postpone your wedding, while I strongly urge all of my couples to follow the advice of your state and county regarding large gatherings during the time of your event, I understand that some events may not be possible to cancel. In this situation, if the virus is still spreading throughout the community during the time of your wedding, I will absolutely still be there to cover your big day. But, I will need to take precautions in order to protect myself, you, your guests, and other VRP brides and grooms and their guests. Here are some of the precautions I plan to take:

• I will practice social distancing (staying at least six feet away from your guests) the day of your wedding. Because of the nature of COVID-19, I want to protect you and your guests on the off chance that I could be carrying the virus without realizing it.
• I will be sanitizing our equipment and bags throughout the day, as well as taking more frequent bathroom breaks to wash my hands in between wedding day events.
• During party dancing, I will be taking a step back from the dance floor so we can keep a safe distance from people who may be coughing, sneezing, or sweating. I will be utilizing longer focal lengths to compensate.
• If I become ill and I am forced to quarantine myself, I will send a backup photographer whom I trust in my place. The backup photographers will send the image files to me, so I can still edit your photos in my light, airy, and natural style. Your photos will look just like I shot them, and I will cover the cost of needing to hire this photographer, meaning this will be no additional cost to you.

I also recommend that you request any guests who are feeling ill or may have been exposed to COVID-19 to stay home.

I know these things might sound a little extreme, but I care about you and your loved ones so much and don’t want to take any risks that could cause illness or harm.

If you choose a new wedding date that I am not available to shoot, we have two options:

Engagement & Anniversary Sessions

I will continue photographing engagement and anniversary sessions throughout the spring. However, I will be limiting location options to avoid crowded or heavily trafficked spots and will be shooting all sessions outdoors in order to reduce the risk of being exposed to the virus.

If you would like to postpone your engagement or anniversary session, I completely understand. Please let me know as soon as possible, and we’ll get a new date on the calendar.

Meetings, Consultations, & Coffee Dates

As of today (3/17/20), all Indiana dine-in restaurants and bars are closed, meaning meeting in person and sitting down in a coffee shop isn’t an option. Until things settle down, I’ll be doing all meetings and consults via Google Hangouts. If you have an upcoming meeting, this is a super easy program to use, and I’ll walk you through it. No worries!

Questions

WHEW! That was a lot. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me. This is a stressful time, but you deserve to love your wedding day and photos, and I’ll do whatever I can to make that possible for you.

Also, if you don’t mind, please reply to this email to let me know that you received this message.

Stay healthy, friends! Love you all!

Victoria

Message inspired by Samantha Grant Photography’s Coronavirus email template.