This blog post was written in March of 2020 and has since been edited to reflect new updates and information.
It’s safe to say, 2020 has been weird. This pandemic isn’t making anyone feel at ease and we can only imagine how stressful this is for anyone planning a wedding this year. We want you to know that we have your back.
As small business owners and wedding videographers, we are also stressed about the coronavirus and its global impact. But we are choosing compassion over fear and preparation over worry. Has our business suffered this year? Yes. Will we still be okay? Yes, we will. And we want you to be okay too.
In efforts to be proactive, we’ve created a coronavirus action plan and thrown in some tips and advice as well. Our goal is to be understanding, easy-to-work-with, and flexible during all this COVID-19 chaos. We operate our business with core values of honesty, transparency, and respect. Your health and wellbeing are our absolute TOP priority. We want to help ease your minds going forward, so you have one less thing to worry about at this time.
HOW WE WILL HELP:
- We will be flexible with you should any issues arise regarding your wedding date. There are many unknowns right now due to COVID-19, and we want to help make videography one less stressful thing to worry about. We are offering (1) free rescheduling for those affected. We ask that you keep us up to date as much as possible so we can take the necessary steps for ourselves as well.
- On the second rescheduling and beyond, we will charge a $1000 reservation fee for the new date.
- We are keeping up to date with all WHO and CDC recommendations + their travel advisories. We are also receiving local updates daily from The NY Times to be aware of how the virus is impacting New York City and the Tristate area.
- We are also keeping a close eye on our own health to make sure we don’t contract the virus or spread it. We evacuated our apartment in lower Manhattan on March 11th and have been in Florida, self-quarantined with family since then. We are taking every measure to maintain good health.
- We won’t shake your hand or hug you when we meet. We can awkwardly wave, haha.
- We will not touch you, and will keep a 6 ft distance if possible during sessions unless you request a specific shot that requires us to get closer. We will choose lenses that let us stay a little further away.
- If you want, we can wear a mask during sessions/weddings. Please let us know if you’d prefer this.
- We will not be attending any large events or gatherings of people. We are maintaining social distancing precautions until further notice.
- We will quarantine for 2 weeks after traveling or exposure to large crowds.
CORONAVIRUS TIPS AND ADVICE:
- Don’t panic! We’ll get through this!
- Be honest with others about your health and travel. Be honest with yourself. Now is not the time to pretend like you are healthy if you are feeling off. Stay home. Reschedule stuff.
- If you have event insurance, check to see if your insurance covers anything impacted by the Coronavirus. A lot of insurance companies are sneaky and they will NOT cover stuff. It’s good to know in advance!
- Get creative about ways to include people who can’t be there. Worried that your grandparents or immunocompromized guests can’t make it? Find a way to live stream your ceremony and as much of the wedding as possible, so they can watch from afar. This is another huge PLUS of hiring videographers 😉
- Communicate with your vendors as much as possible if you are considering postponing your event. The worst thing is to cancel last minute! Most of our businesses have taken a huge hit this year from the virus, so preparing for slower cash flow is essential. We are trying our best to help clients, but you can help us too by being super candid about everything!
- Be open to having a smaller wedding than you originally anticipated. It could be really special! We love shooting elopements, and we’d be happy to help you plan one instead of a bigger event if it comes to that. Here is an amazing blog post about the option of eloping during coronavirus.
- Remember, we are all in this together. We are all a little scared. We are all getting hit economically and worried about loved ones getting sick. Be kind. Be understanding. It will go a long way!
- Keep your guests posted about ways you can help them! Post on your wedding website about the virus situation in the wedding location, and tell sick guests to PLEASE stay home. Tell people what precautions you will be taking as their wedding host. Keep them updated with travel plans. Communication goes a long way. Use your wedding website as a tool!
If you are rescheduling:
Dear Friends and Family,
We have made the difficult decision to postpone our wedding due to the coronavirus outbreak. Your health and safety are our top priority! We will keep you updated regarding our wedding details.
Love, [Couple Names]
If you are not rescheduling:
Dear Friends and Family,
We wanted to check in given the changing travel climate due to the coronavirus outbreak. At this time, our wedding is going forward as planned and we’re excited to spend time with all of you.
If you are no longer able or feel uncomfortable traveling or attending, we understand. Please let us know as soon as possible—no later than [date]—so we can update our relevant vendors.
We will update you if the circumstances change and are looking forward to celebrating together.
Love, [Couple Names]
CORONAVIRUS FAQ FOR WEDDINGS
Postponing your wedding due to Coronavirus
We completely understand that you may need to delay your event due to travel restrictions, quarantines, fear for the health of family members, or being sick yourself. If you decide to postpone your wedding to a new date, your deposit will transfer over, as long as we are not already booked on the new date. Please reach out to us if you need to change dates so that we can accommodate you! We are here to help.
If you decide to postpone your wedding and we are not available on your new date, we will secure a talented associate replacement videographer to video the event in our place. Usually this means someone from our team but it could also be someone from our network that we trust and have worked with before. We will be completely transparent with you about our availability upfront whenever we begin talking about potential new dates.
We totally understand how chaotic and unstable this year is so we are allowing 1 free reschedule for each of our couples. On the second rescheduling and beyond, we will charge a $1000 reservation fee for the new date.
Cancelling your wedding due to Coronavirus
We know that logistically not everyone who has to postpone due to the coronavirus will be able to immediately reschedule their wedding. This pandemic is affecting everyone on so many levels and we recognize that there are many reasons why cancelling might be the right option for you. Should you choose to cancel your wedding due to Covid-19, you will have access to your funds as a credit with us for 12 months after cancellation.
What happens if we decide to elope in lieu of the big wedding?
We 100% support the decision to elope during this uncertain time. My boyfriend, Hector, wrote this blog post about eloping during the coronavirus – I recommend giving it a read if you are considering this option!
We are happy to apply your payments toward an elopement if you decide to go that route in lieu of the big wedding. If you decide to have both, we would love to be at the elopement too! We can maintain social distancing by using long lenses and then the video can be debuted at your party next year, allowing all your loved ones to witness your union 🙂 And even though they weren’t there when you exchanged your vows, this moment can be just as meaningful or even more so.
What happens if we get sick/quarantined before your wedding?
We are keeping a close eye on our own health to make sure we don’t contract the virus or spread it. We evacuated our apartment in lower Manhattan on March 11th and have been in Florida, self-quarantined with family since then. We are taking drastic measures to maintain our health by washing our hands frequently, not touching our faces, only leaving the house for essentials, wearing N-95 masks when we do and disinfecting everything we bring into the house – including our phones.
If we feel sick (cough, fever, body aches) before your wedding, we will inform you as soon as possible and ask how you would like to proceed. We vow to be honest with you about our own health so that you can make an educated decision about your event. Here are a few options:
- If you still want us to document the event, we will wash our hands frequently, wear a mask, use hand sanitizer hourly, and avoid physical contact with guests. We can discuss exactly what would make you feel the most comfortable.
- If you want us to stay home, we will secure a talented associate replacement videographer to video the event in our place. Our protocol is to secure a backup associate 2 weeks before the event so that we have someone on hold in case of an emergency. We will ensure we take this extra precaution even more seriously during this uncertain time. Should this worst case scenario arise, we will still edit the video ourselves in our editing style.
We will get thru this
Every decision we are being forced to make right now is being made out of love, not fear. Love for our friends and family, love for our vendors, love for each other. You will still get married to the love of your life, and although it might not be exactly how you planned, you will appreciate it even more after coming out of this. Now more than ever is the time to focus on the good, focus on our relationships and be thankful.
Any further advice we can help with, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Stay safe, healthy and sane!
