Unforeseen, unknown, unexpected changes… My heart breaks for all my 2020 couples, as well as their families whose wedding days are currently being affected by the Covid-19 virus. My heart hurts as my upcoming wedding couples try to navigate what to do and how it will impact their special day that some have been planning for a year+.
While my silence on the issue is not due to a lack of empathy, but more so being in shock, frustration, trying to decipher truth from fear mongering, silencing social media & the news, protecting mine & my families health (physical, mental & spiritual) as we process and quite honestly, feeling like theres not a whole lot I have to say right now. What I do know is that I have peace.
It might be hard to correlate, if you’ve never been through it, but bear with me… I had to wait for something beautiful that my husband & I had planned, hoped for, prayed for and were excited for, but repeatedly got pushed back and delayed due to unforeseen & unexplained reasons. I went through the 5 stages of loss every month our plans didn’t pan out… denial, anger, bargaining, depression and then acceptance. I was happy for those whose plans worked out, but was still sad that mine didn’t… asking God why over and over again.
Yes, I’m talking about going through infertility and waiting for a miracle baby. No, our pain, frustration and waiting didn’t effect everyone, but it did impact us and those around us in a ripple effect.
We had to trust that God was bigger than our current circumstances and was in control of all of it… if not, we would drive ourselves crazy and give up the idea of it ever happening. We had to have hope and have a faith over fear that things wouldn’t work out for good.
Everyone has their own views, perspectives, levels of anxiety and ways of navigating everything pertaining to the current Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of being crippled with anxiety & fear of the unknown not only for the future of my own business, but my couples’ weddings they’ve been planning & looking forward to, I want the focus of this blog post to help alleviate anxiety, provide hope for my clients and other couples out there, as well as provide options for those effected. Whether its the virus of the year, a parent being diagnosed with cancer, your photographer expecting a baby near your due date, a natural disaster, fill in the blank… there are endless things that can impact your wedding day, as we truly do not know what tomorrow holds. While this can cause undue stress & anxiety, please don’t let it. Sometimes plans have to be moved up, moved around, modified or changed to allow your love to still be celebrated. Trust that if you have booked professionals for your special day, they’re here to help you and have experience with navigating through sudden or unforeseen changes.
Instead of flat out cancelling your special day, being robbed of your joy and potentially losing your non-refundable retainers with various vendors you’ve booked, consider one of these options to give you two something to still look forward to and use as an opportunity to still celebrate the union of you two becoming husband and wife despite possible unfavorable circumstances.
-Ask your venue about a discounted weekday rate for a later 2020 date, if they will be closed or you wedding is effected for your upcoming date: Recently I spoke with one of my client’s venues about the possibility of cancelling their upcoming wedding. A lot of privately owned venues are allowing their couples to make the final decision on whether to move forward with their upcoming wedding date or not. The venue coordinator at this specific venue let me know that they are offering discounted weekday dates later in the year for any 2020 couples whose date is currently being affected by the coronavirus. Pro Tip- check in with your photographer first before moving forward with a new date.
-Moving your date to a date within a year that both you and your priority vendors are available: While a weekday later this year might not be what you had in mind, a lot of venues that have to close are allowing couples to transfer their retainer to a date within a year of their set wedding date. If this is the case for you, make sure to keep all of your vendors in the loop prior to booking, so you don’t miss out on having them apart of your special day.
-Elopement Style Nuptials: Still want to get married, but limit it to an extremely small and intimate gathering? Ask your photographer about elopement locations and using your non-refundable wedding payments towards that. Another idea is to see if payments you’ve made can be used towards: a boudoir session, a Fall family session or gift certificate for a friend or family member. While most photographers can’t give a refund after payments are made for a reserved date due to unforeseen circumstances or else it would be impossible for us to stay in business otherwise, what we CAN do if offer options that work for everyone, so we can all continue to show grace, move forward, celebrate, stay working and support our families to best of our abilities without anyone feeling taken advantage of in an unfortunate circumstance.
-Associate Photographer: Have to move your date but your photographer is already booked on that day? No need to fret. I have associate photographers I’ve worked with for years who know my style, brand and serve my clients with the same love & care on their wedding day, all the while I handle all the logistics, planning, coordinating and edit all of your photos in my personal Jessica Di Bella Photography touch post wedding day! Want to see one of many successful associate weddings under my business? Check out Zareh & Cat’s Wedding!
At the end of the day, I pray for peace, discernment and faith over fear for all of my clients as they navigate in the unknown and circumstance. The Lord has you and He alone is the greatest hope & comfort in every season.
If you need help navigating your special day due to unforeseen circumstances, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I’m here to help <3 info@jessicadibellaphotography.com
