This blog is definitely one I have not enjoyed writing. Weddings & Corvid 19, what can be done? I simply cannot believe that I am using some of this terminology in this blog but I guess its something we will all have to get used to from now on, at least for the foreseeable future.
This situation is without doubt serious, its unprecedented, the speed of spread is crazy, it is causing lots of problems and people are understandably unprepared. In the midst of this, your wedding plans will no doubt be affected to either by cost or because some of your would be guests are either to scared or vulnerable so won’t attend. What can you do? I am afraid that unless you have insurance or plenty of money, there isn’t a great deal☹️That does not mean though that you can’t do some things, but you do need to plan and act immediately!!
Wedding insurance - get it if you can!
Firstly, you may be thinking that your wedding is not until September or later so you should be OK, I am really not sure this is the case! Wedding insurance is more vital now than ever! Moneysupermarket are not excepting wedding insurance requests for 150 days (not sure why so specific) but if your wedding falls out of this time period, get it now while you can. we have no idea how long this ordeal will last and it’s implications!
Protect your money
Sounds simple I know, but pay for your wedding supplies using credit cards, PayPal or anything else that gives you additional protection.
Guest list
I think it may be a good idea to contact people on your guest list and see who may potentially be vulnerable and therefore more likely to not attend. If you are going ahead with the wedding, you can then relay this to the venue and if its within a certain time frame, you obviously wont need to pay for them. Even if you do have to pay, a different amount of guests will mean you should be adjusting other things, there is more on this in my other blogs.
Wedding suppliers & services
If I was you, I would be contacting the people you have hired and be asking them what their plans are during this crisis, they may need to be 'self isolating' on your date. You should definitely check their terms and conditions and if you need to ask for a refund, do so in as much advance as possible.
The situation we find ourselves in is not great for anyone and many small businesses will be worrying about paying the bills and supporting their families through the crisis. I would urge both understanding and compromise on both sides but please remember that this does not give license for people or businesses to act illegally. For more clarity on this issues please see the advice on the government website by clicking here
What can I offer?
Well first of all I want to reassure you that I have not changed a single word on my terms and conditions. My terms and conditions state that if someone who books me wants to cancel, they lose their money within certain time frames. I do want to go further than that at this crazy time, customer experience is more important to me.
If you have booked me and need to re-arrange your big day because of this global situation, i will accommodate you without penalty! You will not lose anything! If you need to change the date of your big day, you do not need to pay anything additional and my current agreed upon prices will not increase😊 If you are cancelling but are unsure of the new date, then contact me and we can talk about your situation and solutions. I promise I will do my absolute best to help.
KEEP IN TOUCH
I will be writing as regularly as possible on these issues and will be including advice, information, offers and tips from myself and other wedding supplier professionals. If you want to get these messages, click the following link and then the 'Get Started button'
If you have any questions or can offer couples advice yourself, please do get in touch