What if I have to postpone my wedding due to Coronavirus?

Uncertainty seems to be the operative word to describe life at the moment. COVID-19, a.k.a. the “novel coronavirus” has affected us all in one way or another and for most of us, we’re navigating uncharted waters. So this begs the question, “What if I have to postpone my wedding due to Coronavirus?”

There’s a lot of advice online regarding how to stay healthy, tips for self-isolation and what to do if you begin to feel symptoms. But what we want to discuss in this post is what you should do if you have to postpone your wedding because of flight cancellations, travels bans, event size limitations, your venue shuttering its door, or just plain old self-isolation practices.

Here are some tips from the perspective of two wedding photographers (us) who have been photographing events professionally for 13 years….

Planning Weddings During Coronavirus | Postpone, don’t cancel.

Life will go back to normal eventually. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not next week or even next month, but it will go back to normal at some point. With very few exceptions, there’s no need to cancel your wedding entirely. If you were originally planning on getting married this summer, consider moving it to the winter. Those fluffy white snow flakes make for a beautiful backdrop for wedding photos. That said, if you had your heart set on a summer wedding, you can always push it back 12 months to 2021.

Planning Weddings During Coronavirus | Check in with your photographers.

Before settling on a new date, be sure to touch base with your photographers (and your other vendors, for that matter) to check their availability ahead of time. Everyone’s contract is different, but we here at J. La Plante Photo are more than happy to apply existing retainers to all rescheduled dates, provided we’re still available on those rescheduled dates. This is why it’s so important to let us know ahead of time which new dates you’re considering before you put pen to paper.

Planning Weddings During Coronavirus | What if my photographers get sick?

As I mentioned above, everyone’s contract is different, but in the unlikely event that one or both of us gets sick before your wedding, we will refund your retainer in full. Additionally, we will do our absolute best to find a replacement photographer for you. We have the privilege of being a part of a vast, yet tight-knit, network of photo friends (locally, nationally and abroad) that we can tap into in times like these. We all have each other’s backs and, by extension, we all have your back as well.

Rest assured that we are doing everything in our power to stay healthy: self-isolating, washing our hands religiously, sanitizing the heck out of everything, eating healthy meals, taking plenty of vitamins and other immune system boosters, and not leaving the house except for small photo shoots.

Planning Weddings During Coronavirus | Wedding insurance

Be sure to check your wedding insurance policy to clarify what it does and doesn’t cover in the event that you have to postpone your wedding. If you don’t have wedding insurance, it’s not too late to purchase a policy. It might be more expensive at this point, but better late than never.

Planning Weddings During Coronavirus | Our promise to you 

Bottom line: we’re here for you. We are 100% on your team and we want you to have the most amazing wedding you can possibly have. Feel free to reach out anytime if you have questions for us.

We’re going to get through this thing together, one step at a time. We may be navigating uncharted waters, but at least we don’t have to go it alone.

Much love,
Moira & Jesse