It’s impossible to open Facebook or Instagram (or probably any form of social media) right now without being hit in the face with whatever the latest COVID-19 numbers are or hearing about someone’s wedding being postponed/cancelled/delayed for an unknown amount of time. With businesses shuttering left and right, it’s time to bring light to the way I’m handling things on my end. Your wedding day is MY PRIORITY here, whether it’s this year, next year or five years from now. You’ve done so much work to plan the day of your dreams; it’s my job to capture it beautifully, no matter WHEN it happens.

COVID-19, Your Health & Your Wedding Photographer

Obviously, the health of everyone is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT when it comes to your wedding day plans. My family has drastically adjusted our own lifestyle and schedules in the past few days to keep our possibility of exposure to a minimum. Which for me is REALLY DIFFICULT between my love of Home Depot and fresh coffee and Target runs. I’m pretty much waiting for the day we can virtually visit the stores and they cyber warp the stuff straight into our living rooms (that’s basically amazon prime with instant delivery…). At the time of writing this, Jake is still going to work daily because someone must pay the bills, but the rest of us are staying home and working (or learning) from the kitchen table. We’ve taken as many steps as possible to limit our exposure to the outside world. Alas there are always questions that come up and need to be answered in relation to moving forward. Below are the most common questions and their answers.

What happens if you (Markie) get sick from COVID-19?

I’m lucky to live in the age of social media (it wasn’t as central to life when I started my business!) and with that comes a network of pro-active photographer friends. I recently joined a group of 60 photographers who are all willing to step in last minute as the photographer for your wedding day. With so many willing to step in, you can rest assured you will have a wedding photographer!

But I hired you for your style… Am I still getting that?

Short answer: YES. Your final gallery will blend with my current portfolio, and the current work you’ve seen on my social media and website.

Long answer: Every photographer in my emergency network has agreed to show up and shoot the wedding, then pass their original files (sometimes called RAW or CR2 files) back to me for my post wedding workflow. I will oversee all post processing and final gallery selection. This means everything you receive will be the same style as my current portfolio. Note: sneak peeks and blogs may be slightly delayed due to the need for an additional file transfer from photographer to photographer.

What if I must reschedule? What are my options?

With the governor’s recent requirements, many couples are finding themselves needing to reschedule their wedding days. It breaks my heart to hear about this, however I’m here to help in whatever ways I possibly can. There are a few options for rescheduling your wedding day: Postponing or Change of Package.

If you’re going to postpone to a later date, I will move your contract to the new date with no rescheduling fees. Your agreed upon price will remain, and your final balance will be due 30 days prior to the NEW date. Everything you’ve previously paid towards your wedding (including your non-refundable retainer) WILL be applied to the NEW date. Should your new day fall on a date I’m previously booked for, I would send an associate photographer and things would be handled similarly to if I got sick.

Change of Package: If you still want to get married on your original date, you have the option to swap your original wedding package to an elopement collection and apply all fees (including your non-refundable retainer) to your new package. In the event you’ve paid MORE towards your original package than your new package price, a refund of the EXCESS monies paid will be made to you. Elopements are my favorites, so let’s find an epic location, grab a bouquet and go get you married. Note: If you haven’t selected an officiant, Jake is ordained through Universal Life Church and able to join us for your elopement at no extra cost to you.

What if I must postpone indefinitely?

It would break my heart completely for you to postpone indefinitely, and there is absolutely 100% NO WAY IN HELL we can make a reschedule or change of package work. If this becomes the case, you will receive a refund of all monies beyond your non-refundable retainer. You may still apply your non-refundable retainer (minus any incurred expenses such as your included engagement session) to any other session or package to take place in the future. At this point it becomes fully transferable, so you may request a gift certificate to give to someone else.

What if you go out of business?

It’s a scary thought wondering if your wedding photographer is going to close their business before your “eventual” wedding day. I want you to rest assured, I have no intention of closing my business due to COVID-19 and have already taken the necessary precautions against doing so. This is my 10^th year in business, and thus far it’s survived a divorce, child custody case, two elections, a recession and more… We’re surviving this too. I will still be here when you’re ready to reschedule or rebook your wedding day.

What if I can’t make my final payment?

I know these postponements and time off work is hard on everyone. I don’t want my clients (or myself) put in a financial bind over a wedding day payment. Contact me to discuss payment arrangements as soon as possible. When needed, I will do whatever I can to work with you so that you do not have to postpone or forgo your photography. I have a few emergency payment plans available to make these times easier on you! Note: in the instance of payment plans sneak peeks, blog posts and final galleries will be delayed as per the payment plan addendum required to adjust your contracted payment plan.

The best thing you can do right now is to concentrate on your four walls financially. Should you find yourself needing to postpone, cancel or otherwise change your package, I’m here for you and I wholeheartedly understand. These times are scary for all of us, but don’t let it completely ruin the happiest day of your life.