MOORE PHOTOGRAPHY WEDDING COVID REOPENING PLAN
Yep. I never thought I’d be making a post for the end times, LOL! But then again, I never thought I’d be yelling “fix your chin diaper, sir” while standing in a socially distanced line in the grocery store last week.
2021 – POST FULL LOCKDOWN UPDATE: Hi, my name is Curtis Moore and I’ve been vaccinated for Covid-19… how about a hug, LOL!
Yes, after this long and crazy and stressful year, I was so happy and relieved and proud of the human race and received my first dose of the AstraZeneca. I feel so great and I’m happy to help get all of us one step closer to a safe and normal life again… with big weddings! Please get vaccinated if you are eligible and if you have any questions, I’m an open book!
I know, we really wanted this summer of 2021 to be “normal”. Have big parties and weddings and celebrations. But, although we can see that light at the end of the tunnel, it looks like we have a race to the end with vaccine rollout.
I hope we will see events go back up to 25, or even 50 people (We need lots of luck) in the early Fall after they hit a certain vaccine threshold, and infection numbers are low. But, I would bet larger groups will not be approved until after “everyone” gets two jabs in their arms or fully dosed with the Bill Gates juice.
What is the wedding trend this year in Manitoba you ask? Well, some postponements, but less than last year. More couples are planning to go ahead with a smaller weddings under whatever guidelines are in place this year.
This makes my heart happy because love is love and smaller wedding stories are just as beautiful and bigger ones.
So, just so I have all the Covid stuff in one place, here is my ongoing “Covid Plan”. Enjoy and see you soon!
The Guidelines
Ok, so, first and foremost, as a non-essential business, we will always follow the national, city, provincial, guidelines. This means that throughout the Spring, Summer, and even into Fall, we’ll do whatever our local governments tell us we can and cannot do.
Virtual Client Meetings
I do miss seeing your beautiful, smiling faces in the studio. However, for the foreseeable future, we’ll be holding all client meetings (including initial meetings and reveals) via Zoom. I can’t say that you won’t get a big virtual hug every time. But for now, I feel this is the best, safest way to move forward for your health and ours. If you want to schedule a call now for any reason, please do so here.
Engagement Sessions
During your session we’ll be maintaining a 6 foot, social distance at all times. This one is going to be really, REALLY hard for us since you know we like to get in nice and close. BUT, again, we feel it’s best for your safety and ours. Will I be wearing masks? As of right now, YES. I realize it might make things a little weird, but would feel better safe than sorry. I’m really good at moving it up and down while shooting when needed… some shots will require me to be VERY far away too.
Hugs
I’ll be honest, I was always a bit of an awkward hugger, LOL! But I do miss them with my couples. But for now, unfortunately, whenever we’re together we’ll be avoiding hugs, fist bumps, elbow taps, etc. Please know that I’m always hugging you with my heart.
Location Photography
During most of our engagements/wedding days when on location, we try to avoid large groups of people anyway. BUT, going forward, if there’s an uncomfortable amount of people, (hello guidelines), and we don’t feel good about it, we just won’t do it. We can either postpone the rest of your session or move to a new location. (This falls under our work-place safety clause in our contract.)
Sickness
Okay, so this is a biggie. If I have a session scheduled and you’re feeling unwell or are showing any symptoms of COVID-19 (or have recently been ill), please let me know. (Check out that work-place safety clause again.) If this happens I respectfully ask to reschedule your session until you’re symptom-free for at least 72 hours, without the use of any medication that might mask symptoms. If you live with someone or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, per national & provincial guidelines, I ask that you reschedule your time with me until after the 14 day self-quarantine period has finished.
I promise to do the same thing if we’re not feeling well or get sick. I’m not trying to be a hard-ass, but I’m only trying to prioritize the health and wellbeing of you, your families, all of the clients that we work with and their families, our families, and ourselves. We’re trying to keep ourselves from getting into too many scenarios too soon so that we can confidently and safely serve you better in the long run.
Rescheduling your Wedding
We get it. This just plain-out sucks, period. If you’re thinking about rescheduling your wedding due to COVID-19 please let me know. I’ll be using my modified rescheduling policy for the foreseeable future if you’re rescheduling because of the virus. If you’ve decided to just reschedule your wedding just because? Then my normal rescheduling policy still applies to you.
Here’s my modified rescheduling policy: If you’re moving your wedding date because of COVID-19 we’re happy to move your non-refundable retainer and any payments made to your new wedding date. There is a one-time $500 rescheduling fee if you’re moving to the next year, BUT, you also get a $500 gift certificate that you can use in your gallery for any art or album upgrades you wish.
Booking your Wedding
Also, you can still get married this year and we can still be there. Your Wedding day might look a little bit different than you expected, or maybe not, but that’s why you hire an awesome photographer. As long as your celebration is following national/provincial/city guidelines, we are more than happy to book your wedding date for this year and to capture your big day. Essentially, WE’RE STILL BOOKING FOR 2021. We do have updated collections and retainer policies to help make this process easier, but please know that if you’re interested we would LOVE to talk to you about your big day.
Wedding Day
So here’s the deal. We have to stick to the rules and guidelines that are set forth by our local leaders. If you’ve got eight bridesmaids, yourself, and a makeup artist crammed into a tiny hotel room? We won’t be able to be in there to take getting ready photos. Same thing goes with party buses, wedding ceremonies, etc.
If you have any questions or concerns about what other impacts COVID-19 might have on your wedding day or our operations, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask me directly. I’m an open book and always want to make sure that you’ve got more information than you probably need. This is new territory for all of us, and I think it’s safe to say we’re all trying to figure everything out together.
If anything changes or updates how my business operates, I promise to let you know.
BOOK ME FOR YOUR WEDDING:
To book me for your upcoming engagement session or wedding, please visit my contact page to send me a message. I can’t wait to hear about your big day! Having a destination wedding? We LOVE to travel and have the perfect wedding photography package for you. We would LOVE to hear about your adventure!
