Spreading the love
Well, here we are. Together, humanity is facing one of its biggest challenges of the century - a new virus that is spreading rapidly around the world and seemingly making prisoners of all of us.
Streets are deserted, cafes and restaurants lie empty, business chambers and parliaments sit in silence, and many people are suffering and in pain, both physically and financially. But today, the sun is also shining bright, cutting through the particularly fresh air, and many more people are safe and healthy and taking time out to breathe, collect their thoughts, and spread love and empathy.
If I could say one thing right now, one meager contribution to this, it is this: this too shall pass.
That is not to belittle the seriousness of the situation we are facing together, but simply to fight fear with pragmatic optimism. A vaccine is on its way, governments are mobilising rapidly to ‘flatten the curve’, and provide stimulus and support for those in need. It’s not perfect, but we are getting there.
For now, many of my wonderful couples are also hurting: weddings postponed, honeymoons cancelled, and the unfathomable stresses that come with reorganising their lives to fit into a new reality where they cannot have their wedding they had planned to have.
The second thing I want to say, now: I’m here, I’m ready to help.
Anybody who needs to reschedule their wedding at this time - no problem. Let’s work together to find a new date. Anybody that is worried, stressed, scared - I am here to talk and share in the challenges that lie ahead - just call me or email me and unload.
The third thing I want to offer - some practical advice and a bit of guidance.
If you are looking at rescheduling your date, there are a few things that might be helpful to consider.
Firstly, the date - you probably already know that Saturdays are popular, and many venues (and yours truly - your photographer) have Saturdays booked for up to a year, sometimes more. So if you are considering a new date, consider a weekday, including a Friday.
Weekday weddings always carry an amazing vibe - people are always particularly happy to get a guilt-free day off work and the atmosphere of a weekday wedding reflects this.
Secondly, if the idea of rescheduling is too much - consider eloping now, and having your big party later. I can work with you to split your coverage over two days so you can still marry that amazing person you love right now, and party later.
Thirdly, and this is a tough one for me to speak openly about - the whole wedding industry is going to suffer huge, potentially catastrophic losses over the next six months. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a number of vendors simply disappear forever - swallowed in the great virus sinkhole of 2020.
If you are able (and only if!), please do consider supporting your vendors over the next six months. Personally, I’m going to be rolling out incentives for early payments and engagement sessions for all of my amazing couples. I’m trying my best to be open about the headwinds, but also consider that some vendors may not be ready to share what great challenges they face.
That’s all for now - I am sending my love out to everyone and fighting fear with optimism and hope - we can, we will, get through this challenge, together.
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