Cancelations and Postponement Policy
Updated as of May 19 2020
First and foremost, at anytime please feel free to reach out to us via email, text or Insta-DM if you have any questions or concerns. We said it from day one, we are invested in your day and in the two of you and ultimately we are all in this together. We also want to thank you for continuing to support small businesses in our community and being compassionate, understanding and patient as we all make our way through these tough and turbulent times.
With the speed at which information from city, provincial and federal bodies are changing in regards to bylaws, policies and recommendations around COVID-19 with respect to gatherings/weddings/elopements/photography sessions we feel the best way to convey our policies is through this informational page. Due to the fluid nature of the pandemic the following page will be updated as needed to cover our policies and terms based on the current situation.
This section covers the original agreement, more specifically the parts of the agreement that cover booking fees.
This is a “Coles Notes” version of your original agreement, please reference your specific agreement for exact wording.
In the agreement you signed it is written that upon receipt of the booking fee and the signing of the agreement we reserve your wedding date for you and take no other bookings for that day.
It also states that the booking fee will be deducted from the final amount payable, which is due 30 days prior to your wedding date.
There are only two cases in which we will issue a full refund: if both of us are unable to photograph your wedding because we are ill or injured, or if for some reason there is a total loss of all your images.
Booking fees are non-refundable for any cancelation. Cancelations within a 60 day period before the event date are also subject to the full (final) payment.
This section covers how we are handling cancelations and postponements in regards to COVID-19
Of course we never thought we would all be in this situation where our couples are faced with having to postpone their wedding and deal with everything that comes along with that. Our hearts go out to you all. We hope you find this policy equitable for all sides and we hope you understand our goal is not to rub salt into the wound but instead to show you we are committed to getting through this epidemic together and ensuring our couples get the best service from us while maintaining our business through these uncertain times.
Postponements:
We understand that needing or wanting to postpone might not be your first choice but a necessary one.
Under normal circumstances, postponements fall under our regular cancelation agreement; that booking fees are not refundable and a new booking fee is required for a new date.
At the end of the day, it’s our hope to see you both get married and it not cost you a penny more than if you got married on your original date. So to that point, we’d like to extend to our current couples with wedding bookings in 2020 that any postponement will not have to forfeit their original booking fee but instead that that booking fee be kept on file as a credit towards future payments. The credit can be put towards packages, albums etc. however it cannot be used to cover any new booking fee.
Essentially, we have split up your package cost into a pseudo payment plan. This allows you postpone your wedding date without loosing the value of your original booking fee, while allowing us to maintain our business through these tough times.
Example A – If COVID-19 wasn’t a thing!
October 2019 – Booking made for a wedding on August 1st 2020. (Package cost $6000), paid $2200 booking fee
July 1st2020 – Final payment due. Package cost $6000 minus $2200 (booking fee), final payment equal to $3800
Example B – COVID is a thing and it sucks!
October 2019 – Booking made for a wedding on August 1st 2020. (Package cost $6000), paid $2200 booking fee
April 6 2020 – Canceled original date, signed rescheduling agreement, signed new agreement for wedding on August 1st 2021, original booking fee kept on file.
July 1st 2020 – New booking fee of $2200 due
July 1st 2021 – Final payment due. Package cost $6000 minus $2200 (booking fee) minus $2200 (credit), final payment equal to $1600
* Booking fee amounts are for illustrative purposes only. Fee varies based on package and agreement.
Terms:
- Applies only to bookings made before April 1st 2020 for wedding and event dates between March 1st 2020 and December 31st 2020.
- A new booking fee of $2,200 (or equal to the original booking fee you paid) is required and due 30 days prior to your original event date.
- Allowing original booking fees to be saved on file as credit for future use when postponing may only be done once. Ie. If you change the date again your most recent booking fee will not be refunded or applied to a new date.
- We must be available for the event new date otherwise the original booking fee remains non-refundable and can not be used in the future as credit.
- The new date must fall between June 1st 2020 and December 31st 2021 as long as we are available.
- Availability includes travel time; we are considered unavailable if the travel time/distance/logistics required for it prevents us from photographing another event that is already booked.
- If you know ahead of time you are going to postpone but you don’t have a new date yet, that’s okay, as mentioned we will keep your booking fee on file as a credit and you may use it up until December 31st 2021.
- When it comes to high season wedding dates (Saturdays in 2020, plus Saturdays, holidays and long weekends between May 2021 and September 2021) it is understood that we cannot guarantee that the two of us will both be available for that date, however there will always be two photographers (one of us plus an associate photographer of our choice)
- To understand this, please remember that if all of our 2020 weddings are postponed to 2021 we are essentially spreading one year’s income over two years and it isn’t a fiscal choice we can make
- We are also trying our best to accommodate as many people as possible by keeping the most amount of options available to everyone who needs to postpone/who originally wanted to get married in 2021
- There’s of course no saying whether or not we will get booked or not but we have to give ourselves the option under these unprecedented times.
- If we do use an associate photographer, all editing will still be done in house so there will be no change to the look and feel of the images.
- We will both be available like usual for low season weddings dates in January, February, March, April, October, November, December as well as non-holiday weekdays and non-long weekend Sundays during high season months. For any postponement to these dates we’d like to extend to you your choice of one extra hour of coverage ($500 value) or our full size image package ($700 value). This offer can be combined with our standard package complimentary extras.
If you choose to postpone your wedding both parties will sign a rescheduling agreement that will outline what we’re doing with your original booking fee and also nulls and voids our original agreement. This is mutually beneficial, it releases both sides from any future obligations regarding payments and service dates. Finally, we will all sign a new agreement for the new date to keep things neat and tidy J
Cancelations:
Cancelations will still follow our original agreement where booking fees are non-refundable unless we find another wedding to book your original date.
There are a couple of reasons why this is the case. When you pay your booking fee we use that money to invest back into our business. We use it for things like paying for our insurance, upgrading our camera gear, paying for subscriptions to services we use to run our business, and paying for our admin time leading up to your wedding.
Essentially, your booking fee has been invested into our business because from the moment you first contacted us we have been investing in you. We care very deeply about our couples and our business and use the booking fees to continue improving our service and product that we provide.
We understand that these are strange times that no one has had to deal with before, but under these circumstances for us to be flexible on our cancelation policy we need you to be flexible as well. If there are extenuating circumstances we are open to discussion, but please remember everything we have already mentioned above about our booking fee.
Q&A
Q: What if I want to postpone but I don’t have a new date yet?
A: As long as your new date falls between now and December 31st 2021 and we are available for your new date, we will keep your booking fee on file as a credit. Please contact us regarding availability; we want to make sure we are free for your potential new date J
Q: What if I just want to straight up cancel?
A: All cancelations fall under our regular policy and agreement. Booking fees are non-refundable and cancelations within 30 days of the event date are also subject to full payment.
Q: What happens if I choose a high season date like July 17 2021 to postpone my wedding date to? Who will photograph my wedding?
A: For high season dates we can only guarantee that either Jeff or Cat will be at the wedding plus one associate photographer. There won’t be any change in service leading up to or after the wedding. All photographs will be edited in-house and will maintain the same quality you’ve come to expect from us. Of course, if we don’t end up booking another wedding on July 17, 2021 then the two of us will be there to photograph your day.
Q: What if I decide to ignore government mandates or bylaws and decide to move ahead with my wedding date as planned?
A: Mandates and bylaws supersede our agreement. If you decide to move forward on a date that is under a government restriction we have no choice but to consider it a cancelation of our agreement. This means booking fees and final payments are not refundable. The health and safety of all people involved at an event is our highest priority not to mention the current fine for commercial businesses in contradiction to these rules is $50,000.
Q: What is the procedure to postponing my wedding and what do I need to do to get it all sorted?
A: Step 1 – find a date we are available for, step 2 – sign rescheduling contract, step 3 – sign new agreement for new date, step 4 – pay new booking fee
Q: Why do I need to pay a new booking fee?
A: Your original booking fee covered our promise to hold your wedding date and turn away potential business from others. But it was also used to run our business, paying for our insurance, upgrading our camera gear, paying for subscriptions to services we use to run our business, and paying for our admin time leading up to your wedding. Our business relies on the constant in-flow of income from these fees so we hope you understand just because we are able to postpone everyone’s wedding date an entire year doesn’t mean we don’t have continued costs to our business. The new booking fee isn’t due until 30 days prior to when you were going to hold your original wedding and all fees paid will be applied to your final invoice so at the end of the day it won’t cost any more, the payments are just spread out.
Q: Other vendors I’m working with are simply transferring my deposit to the new date, such as my venue, how come you’re not doing the same?
A: Every business is different and we really can’t compare. Some businesses are backed by multi-million dollar organizations and have the luxury of closing their doors for months on end with little to no consequence. While other small businesses might just be working on the side of their desk, ie. Their wedding business is a side hustle to another higher paying job. We are two full time wedding photographers and are all in with our small business and we have to make choices that fit our situation and also allow us to ensure our couples will get the best service possible.
Q: What happens if I book a new date and you’re not available?
A: We sincerely hope you reach out to us before this happens and explore all options. (we have lots and lots of ideas) However if you need to straight up cancel we will defer to our original agreement.