UNDERSTANDING HOW COVID AFFECTS YOUR WEDDING WITH KATE GARCIA WEDDINGS
I think we were all hopeful that by the time 2021 rolled around, we wouldn’t have to worry about the beloved coronavirus anymore.
Well.. we’re a lot closer to “normalcy” than we were a few months ago with the development of the vaccine and other measures taken, etc… but we are still most definitely feeling the effects of the pandemic. I have already had to work through a few reschedules again so far this year and am expecting that to be the case for a little bit longer.
I’m sure there are lots of questions in many couples minds about what that means for their wedding if they come to find they have to make the decision to postpone or cancel, so what does that mean for all the KGW brides? In an effort to provide as much clarity and understanding as possible, I have created this post to provide that information for you so that you are well-informed and understand how these strange times affect you.
BUT FIRST
I need to do my due diligence in an effort to support myself and other small businesses in the event industry by saying this: if you find that your vendors are not necessarily operating the way you think they should, please don’t assume it’s because they are horrible human beings that don’t care about you or can’t understand what you’re going through. Because I would believe that 9 times out of 10, they are simply just trying to survive during these times and not lose anything unnecessarily — just like you. So keep these things in mind if you ever find yourself in the shoes of postponing or canceling.
OUR CONTRACTS ARE MADE FOR TIMES LIKE THESE
Most of the time when conflict arises between client and company relations, it’s because some sort of event or circumstance has happened that is now requiring the use of the contract that was agreed upon. 98% of the weddings I have photographed were never affected by the information in the contract because there was never a need for it. But contracts are made for when things don’t go as planned. They are created to protect everyone involved in the process. They are made for exact circumstances like what we’re in. They are made for the grey areas of life where navigating the right decision is difficult. And that’s why we use them. And if you agreed to the terms and conditions that they laid out, that is legally binding. If you agreed to their postponement and/or cancelation clause, you agreed to it and that is legally binding. To put us in a spot of feeling guilty or wrong for standing firm on what was agreed to is not right. And furthermore, to retaliate against vendors who stand firm on what was agreed to is not only a terrible thing to do, but could literally destroy their lives. That is not an exaggeration. Media is powerful, and if you retaliate through reviews or persistent online bashing, the business that that individual has worked so hard to build up and that they use to provide for their family can be crushed completely.
YOUR PAYMENTS ARE OUR LIVELIHOOD
Every time small businesses get paid, it’s a paycheck. Small businesses don’t typically survive off of a secure, bi-weekly or weekly paycheck. We are at the mercy of our consumers. The beauty in that is that if we’re not happy with the income we are making – it’s on US. There is no other boss, CEO or Corporation that we can place blame on. It’s on us. I actually love that about having my own business because it holds me accountable to making sure I am doing all the necessary marketing things I need to do to get my services in front of the people who are looking for what I am offering.
But on the back end of that, because every payment we receive is a paycheck – we don’t automatically pocket the entire payment – a portion automatically goes towards taxes, a portion automatically goes towards our basic necessities (what it takes to survive and live every day personally) and a portion automatically goes towards the every day necessities we require for our business to run properly (subscriptions, equipment, etc) and depending on what that looks like for you (otherwise known as the CODB – Cost Of Doing Business) what you take home can look drastically different than what your payment system told you was transferred to your bank a few days ago.
So when we are put in a position of having to navigate a situation where either clients are expecting us to return funds that were agreed upon to NOT be returned, or wondering/questioning why we are operating with certain payments in mind and expecting us to forgive them – it can break us. And if that’s happening for even just 40-50% of our couples – it can break us HARD.
My point in all this isn’t to say that small businesses are always right, or that I’M always right and you shouldn’t question me. My point is to have grace. Show kindness and empathy to others and I would bet they would be more inclined to show you kindness and empathy back. But don’t misread me – small businesses showing kindness and empathy back does NOT always equate to forgiveness or a refund – it can, but not always. EVERY. BUSINESS. IS. DIFFERENT. and ultimately how each individual chooses to run their business is up to them — and I’m gonna say it again — if you signed a contract and agreed to their terms – that’s legally binding.
So what are KGW’s policies and procedures for COVID-19?
Here is my cancelation and postponement clause in my contract:
“CANCELLATION , POSTPONEMENT: At the time the contract takes effect, the COMPANY shall reserve the date and time agreed upon, and not make any other reservations or accept any other clients for said date and time. For this reason, in the event that the CLIENT cancels the contract for any reason, all monies paid shall be retained by the COMPANY in order to offset its loss of business. If CLIENT herein cancels the wedding photography services for any reason or circumstance beyond our control, or an act of God or act of Nature, the COMPANY retains the sum of the retainer without exception. If the wedding needs to be rescheduled, new date must be within six months of original scheduled date or retainer cannot be applied to new date. A new retainer will be required to book a date outside of six months of the original date. A rescheduling fee of $300 will be applied to any rescheduled weddings.
In the event of a rescheduled date, the COMPANY will include the CLIENT on the steps necessary to terminate the previous contract and update to a rescheduled contract specific to the new situation.
In the circumstance where the CLIENT finds they need to reschedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, if a new date is chosen within 6 months, there is no payment necessary, and the new date is reserved. If a new date is chosen outside of 6 months, a $300 payment will be necessary to reserve the new date, but it is taken out of the final payment – it is not an additional cost. In some instances where the total package amount has already been paid in full, then a payment amount that is decided by the COMPANY will be required to reserve a new date. Payment amount in those instances is dependent on the year/date that the CLIENT wants.
It is understood that the CLIENT will do everything in their power to include the COMPANY in all communication regarding necessary postponements or cancelations but in the event that the CLIENT chooses to reschedule their event to a day that the COMPANY is unavailable for, the COMPANY will provide an associate shooter of KATE GARCIA WEDDINGS LLC to stand in and photograph on the wedding day. The CLIENT understands this photographer will physically be standing in for Kate on wedding day to photograph it, but that the images will be given to Kate and will be edited and delivered by Kate. Package price does not change – the COMPANY will supply the necessary funds to the associate photographer to cover his/her time.
If the CLIENT has not properly communicated any potential changes to their event plans with the COMPANY, and they choose a date without prior communication that the COMPANY and the COMPANY’S ASSOCIATES are not available for, the retainer will not be refunded.”
I am going to breakdown the main points of that clause just a little bit more:
1. UNDERSTANDING WHAT A RETAINER DOES
The whole purpose of putting down that retainer is to reserve the date and NOT make any other reservations for that day. It’s a promise from us that your date is secured. It is non-refundable because we are losing out on other paying clients booking for that day as well as any personal plans during that time. Another reason it’s non-refundable for me specifically and how I operate my business, is that I am constantly doing things every month that pertain to your wedding day. It’s easy to think that the only thing photographers do is show up on wedding day and click a button. But that is not the case. Quality photographers will do more than just show up. The entire booking process is extremely valuable to me because it’s how I understand the couple and what their needs are. If I haven’t heard of your venue, I look it up and find images to familiarize myself with it. If I find it extremely necessary to visit the venue before the wedding day to scope it out, I do that as well. If I understand what your dream wedding day looks like, and there is equipment I can buy to help achieve it, I do that. If there is a workshop or class or PDF or video series that I know will help me specifically with your wedding, I will purchase it and learn how to do what I need to to make your photos amazing. If there are presets that I know are going to further enhance my ability to bring your photos into glorious technicolor beauty, I am going to purchase that. If you need help nailing down a schedule, or picking outfits for your engagement session, or understanding what locations you should pick from, or how to properly plan for photography on wedding day – I am there to answer those questions and guide you through that process. You’re investing in my time, expertise and help. So to put sometimes over a year’s worth of time, expertise, money, time, and more TIME into your experience and then be questioned about why we can’t refund the retainer or why we are operating the way we are can be extremely hurtful, potentially disrespectful and ultimately – it makes our hearts sad. Because in our eyes, it would seem as though you see no value in everything that was just described above (and that’s only a fraction of what else we do behind the scenes).
2. WHAT ABOUT COVID-19 THOUGH – HOW DOES THAT FIT INTO THE MIX?
I am operating my business with this understanding: COVID-19 is an event that was entirely outside our control. There was nothing we could have done to prepare for it, and nothing we could do in the heat of it (right after the lockdown initially happened last March) to still operate our lives let alone any events. I was way more willing to compromise the legal agreements because of the intensity of it all back then and was more willing to talk through a possible refund. I was literally going through the same thing. I was a bride planning on getting married just 2 months later in May. I was a bride having to navigate rescheduling or canceling and what that would mean for my personal life as well as my business. I was living it too.
But then, as time progressed and we all adapted. There were ways that began to surface that made these wedding days possible after all. Are they ideal in comparison to what we had been used to for literally the entire existence of humans up to that point? No. Not in comparison to what we were used to. But there were (and are!) ways to safely navigate everything and still make your day happen. My husband and I had an elopement with just 10 people and then planned for a bigger celebration later. And so many of my couples did that towards the end of last year and didn’t regret a thing. If you’re interested in all of the ways that you can still make your day happen despite COVID-19 check out my post about that here!
Some venues have learned how to safely operate and offer their services to couples. Others don’t have that ability and can’t operate yet. But what we all came to find as we turned this new year – is that there are ways to make your special day happen. It may look different than perhaps what you had initially dreamed of, but you will still experience the dream of marrying the one you love and THAT can never be shaken. It doesn’t matter who was at your wedding, what decorations are there, what food you eat, what music you dance to – the reason the day is special is because YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED. And with that as the focus alone, weddings can still happen safely.
Even now as we approach the 1 year mark of living with COVID-19, being the intelligent and resilient human beings we are, we began to figure it out. As I type this, there are healthcare workers that are getting the vaccine. There are plans and actions in place to overcome this sickness and get a sense of normalcy back.
So how does COVID-19 affect my contract now? Because of the adaptations and progress we have made towards normalcy – It is no longer an extenuating circumstance that would warrant an automatic decision of forgiveness or discussing a refund.
3. COMMUNICATION IS KEY
The biggest and most helpful tool during this time if you find you are needing to evaluate a postponement is to communicate. And it’s hard. It can be overwhelming. But putting forth that effort and time to make it work for as many individuals on your vendor team as possible is going to help and not hurt you in the long run.
If your day is affected by COVID and you find you are needing to reschedule, I am still navigating that circumstance with as much love, care and support as I can. Which is shown in a continued refusal to enforce extra/additional fees for changing anything when couples are affected by COVID. However, as I have already explained why having a monetary amount to reserve a day is important, I am now requiring that if the date chosen is outside of 6 months from the original date, a $300 portion of your final payment will be made to reserve the new date. It is not an ADDITIONAL payment, it comes FROM the final payment. This specific instance is only applicable to the clients that still have a remaining balance left to pay, if the clients have already paid in full, they are still subject to a rescheduling fee depending on what day/year they choose to postpone to. If there is any question as to why, please refer back to my ‘“Understanding What A Retainer Does” paragraph above!
If, after communicating as much as we could to find a date that could reasonably work for everyone, we find that I am not available, I am now enforcing that one of my associate shooters stand in on wedding day. There are many positive reasons for this:
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My associate photographers have been chosen by me for a reason. I do not allow just anyone to represent my brand. I have handpicked these individuals because I completely trust that they will treat you with the same care and service-mentality as I would.
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Because of this, there is no longer heavy stress on you about needing to find another quality photographer. There are only a handful of photographers I trust to recommend to couples because I deeply care about the experience my couples have, so providing this option is actually in an effort to help you.
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Depending on the timeline/what your desires were, there could still be a possibility of working with me for your engagement session. So if your dream was to work with me, we can still partially make that happen! Plus, depending on schedules and availability, we could have the potential of having the photographer you chose come along and meet you during your session as well to seamlessly transition into having them on wedding day.
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Your final images will still be edited to my style and taste which is a HUGE factor when it comes to couples being interested in working with me – couples should resonate with a company’s philosophy and final work… and with the associate options – you are still getting both! They understand my philosophy & strive to give you the same incredible experience as I would, and I still professionally edit, re-touch & deliver your final gallery just as if I had photographed it!
Just as our world is adapting and finding ways to let events happen, so have we as businesses adapted and found ways to still offer our services even if a reschedule may seem like it’s becoming a cancelation. Instead of having to navigate the waters of a cancelation and the potentially hard conversations that can bring with the retainer – we now have options that will still provide you an amazing experience without losing any monetary value for those involved.
So what that means is…
If, after communicating as much as we could to find a date that could reasonably work for everyone, we find that even my associate shooters are not available for your day. I would then begin to ask other fellow full-time wedding photographers about their availability for your new date. These photographers STILL live up to the expectations and standards that I have for operating my business and therefore are trusted individuals that you can count on for your day. With this option however, it’s a possibility that it could add a small amount more to your package price because of the experience and value they themselves would bring to the table as well. It’s genuinely a case by case basis that will determine that.
If, after communicating as much as we could to find a date that could reasonably work for everyone, we find that even my associate shooters, as well as my go-to professional wedding photographer referrals, are not available for your day. It is at that point that, on a case by case basis, we can potentially have a discussion about what a refund or partial refund might look like. But that is strictly on a case by case basis and can never be promised because of the time, effort, time, and more time that we have put in up to that point that I talked about in the “Understanding the Retainer” paragraph.
HOWEVER, like I said in the final sentence of my postponement and cancelation clause, if the client has not properly communicated any potential changes to their event plans with me, and they choose a date (without any prior communication) that myself, or any of my back up options are not available for, the retainer will not be refunded. Period. Again, communication is KEY, and if you don’t take the time to include me in your potential changes, I cannot be held responsible for not being available when I wasn’t even part of the process to offer input and options.
Ultimately what I am trying to communicate with this blog post is that there are ways that your day can still happen this year, whereas when all of this was first starting, there really were no options at all. But because there are changes that can be made and options that can be evaluated for your day, I will be holding more strictly to the contract that was signed and agreed upon during booking.
Does this make me heartless? No.
Does this mean I don’t care about you? No.
Does this mean I don’t understand what you’re going through? No. Again, I genuinely lived exactly what you’re going through.
Does this mean that I am trying to do what’s best for my business so that I can continue to radically serve and offer incredible experiences for as many couples as I can? Yes.
I will always care so incredibly deeply about my couples. NOTHING can ever change that. And my standing by my contract more strictly for the future does not mean that I care about you ANY LESS. And I hope that is abundantly clear not only on my website, or how I express it on social media, or through your interactions with me, but also even as you read this post.
If you’ve made it here to these final sentences. I am so incredibly grateful and appreciate that immensely. We’re all in this together, and I hope that you can feel my passion for you and your experience shine through everything I do.
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