COVID 19
Policy and Rescheduling Procedure
Updated: May 11, 2020
Hey everyone,
We hope you and your families are all healthy, safe and positive during these times. We know how difficult these times can be for us all and we’re here to support you in any way that we can. It has been a few weeks since we had last sent an update to all of our couples regarding our process during the Coronavirus and as we continue to face restrictions and receive updates from the state, we want to take this time to share a few more updates as well as answer any questions you might have.
First and foremost, we have been doing everything in our power to accommodate all of the couples who have been affected and we’re very grateful to those who have reached out to us expressing their concerns and following the necessary steps to guarantee a new date as quickly as possible. As of today, we have officially rescheduled 13 weddings. All of these couples had been in contact with us from the very beginning and sent us a list of new possible dates to consider which worked out perfectly.
In case you did not have a chance to review our first email, if you are planning on rescheduling your wedding date we highly recommend you take these steps to ensure that the process of changing your wedding date goes as smoothly as possible.
1. Contact your venue and vendors and ask them what their procedure for rescheduling is.
2. Ask your venue for a list of new potential dates but DO NOT COMMIT to a specific date without confirming with your other vendors FIRST. We highly recommend getting at least 3-5 New Potential Dates.
3. CALL / TEXT / EMAIL US and all of your other vendors IMMEDIATELY to cross-check all new possible dates so that we can confirm our availability as well.
4. Request a 1 Week Soft Hold for the new potential dates. What does this mean? If you're planning on rescheduling your date from let's say April 1st to November 1st. If we have the date available, we will hold your date for 1 week. This means any person rescheduling or new bookings will not have the possibility of choosing that date for 1 week. After the week, if your date has not been confirmed, the hold will be removed and the new date of November 1st will be considered available to any new bookings and reschedules.
5. LOCK-IN the new wedding date with your venue within 1 Week of communicating with us and your other vendors.
6. CALL / TEXT / EMAIL US and ALL VENDORS IMMEDIATELY as you're in the process of locking in the new date with the venue so that we too can reschedule your date.
Once we have confirmed the new wedding date, we will send over a small updated addendum to your contract for you to sign stating the following:
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), & have chosen to reschedule their original wedding date of (ORIGINAL DATE) to the new date of (NEW DATE) agreed upon with RichardBFlores Photography. and acknowledge that their original payment schedule will remain the same and RichardBFlores Photography will be available for the newly scheduled date. All of the terms and conditions from the previously signed contract apply to this current agreement.
Now, for the past two weeks we have been in constant communication with couples who have expressed their concerns and we have also spoken with several other wedding coordinators and vendors so that we can all work together and continue to be as proactive as possible. So we wanted to take a moment and write this update on what we are currently doing, how we are working with couples on rescheduling, what options are available, and any other questions that might arise.
Are your Photography Services allowed to be open for business?
As of May 9, 2020, the state has approved that photography can be open for business. This means all scheduled sessions will be resuming. We will be in contact with all families, couples and clients regarding their booked sessions to discuss any and all precautionary actions that we will be taking during their sessions.
State Document Link can be found here : https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/businesses-permitted-operate-current-executive-orders-administrative-orders-list/
How many of your couples have changed their dates?
As of today, we have had 13 couples officially reschedule their wedding dates.
How soon should I think of rescheduling?
In our professional opinion and based on the experience we’ve had with our recent clients, you should consider rescheduling the moment you even think of rescheduling. Based on the date this email has been sent out, it seems like some venues are now looking to postpone any weddings taking place in June. However if you don’t feel comfortable proceeding with your wedding because the restrictions will be lifted to close to the upcoming date, then I would consider rescheduling for the safety of your family, friends and most importantly for your peace of mind.
If I want to reschedule my wedding date, what should I do first?
First and foremost, reach out to all of your vendors and tell them that you are planning on rescheduling your wedding day. Once that’s done reach out to your venue and church (if having a church ceremony) to get a list of possible new dates.
What days should I consider?
Although weekend dates are the most popular wedding days especially Saturdays, we would recommend considering other options as well. We have photographed weddings on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and even Mondays. Obviously, it’s important to find a date that works best for you but considering the limited availability and the rush from new couples to book their dates for 2021, we’d highly recommend you leave your options open. We’ve had numerous Thursday weddings in the past and the way our couples have explained it, Thursday Wedding, Friday Off, and you have a 4 day amazing wedding weekend!!
If I send you potential new dates, can you put a hold on them for me?
YES!! We have been putting “Soft Holds” on all dates that our couples have been considering. A Soft Hold means we will hold the date for 1 week from the moment you let us know. IF we get an inquiry for that date from a new client we will check in with you before anything. If your plan is to reschedule for the new date then that date is officially yours. If we don’t get an inquiry for that date and a week passes by then the date will now be considered open. Most venues and clients have been taking care of rescheduling within a 3-5 day timeframe. We have created an availability calendar which is currently live on our website and will be updated daily or as needed. You can view it here: https://www.richardbflores.com/contact OR Scroll to the bottom of this post to view.
What should I ask my venue?
The most important thing you need to ask them is to give you at least 3-5 possible new future wedding dates. Chances are that we and your other vendors will be available for a few of them, this will avoid any conflict and forced cancellations.
What happens if you are not available for any of the dates we are giving you?
Chances are, we will have availability on at least one or more of your dates. Although we’ve received numerous inquiries for next year due to limited availability, we have opened up our entire calendar year to help as many couples as possible. That being said, we have couples who have rescheduled their dates for Friday, Saturdays and Sundays as well as Mondays and even Thursdays. So being flexible is key and although it might not be the “ideal day” for a wedding, it will still be your perfect day.
But what if you are not available at all?
We are grateful to be a team at RichardBFlores Photography. That includes Richard, Andrea and Nino. We will try to do everything under our power so that at least one of us is available for your new date. All of us are fully capable of photographing your entire wedding and we will provide a 2nd photographer with either of us if needed for the new date.
Is there a fee to reschedule or will I lose my retainer if I reschedule?
There is no fee to reschedule the wedding date!!
Can I reschedule my session or Engagement Session?
Yes, rescheduling engagement sessions are not an issue at all. Just let us know if you would like to reschedule and we’ll find a date that works for both of us.
What if I booked another photographer and or want to cancel my wedding completely?
We pray that none of our couples are affected to the point where this will need to happen and as of now, we’re grateful that it hasn’t. However, if this is the decision you will be making, we will refer to our cancellation agreement in the contract originally signed during the booking process.
Will I lose my retainer and or any money paid?
During the booking process, one of our requirements to hold your date is a booking retainer followed by a payment schedule. The booking retainer is not a deposit for your date. The booking retainer is a guarantee that we will be available for your wedding date and from that moment forward, we will turn down all other business for that specific date. The process of booking includes reviewing and signing a wedding contract followed by submitting your booking retainer. As soon as these two steps have been completed, we officially block your date and no longer book any events for that specific day. From the moment we sign with a client till even after the wedding, our work has begun. From assisting in planning, scheduling, sessions, the actual wedding day, followed by editing, album designing, and more. The time frame where all of this occurs can be sometimes up to two years from the moment they first book us till the day of their wedding day and during this time we give each and every client 100% of our effort and work. For this reason, the booking retainer has always been non-refundable and we ask our clients to refer to section 8 of their booking contract regarding their booking retainer and any payments already made.
Will I get any refund?
Although our contract is made to protect our clients as well as us as a small business. We will always refer to our contract which we put a lot of time and energy into with a professional lawyer to create. However, we completely understand everything that is going on and as we mentioned earlier, we will do everything in our power to help our clients in any way possible. With that said, IF you decide to fully cancel your contract, AND we are able to re-book a wedding for that specific date, we will be more than happy to refund your booking retainer and any money paid. Although this is highly unlikely due to the timeframe and the circumstances, we will promise to do everything in power to open our calendar unless the government prohibits us from doing so.
Can I use any money as a credit?
Per our agreement, any money for cancelled weddings are forfeited however considering the circumstances we are doing everything we can to work with our clients. With that said we are willing to use any money paid to us as a credit for up to 1 year from the date the cancellation takes place.
I’m not sure if we’re going to reschedule or not, should I continue making my payments?
Yes. Because we are a small business our business and personal life relies solely on the payment schedules from our clients, we kindly ask that you continue making your payments per the payment schedule agreed upon in our signed contract. Please refer to your contract “Section 3” regarding payment agreements, late payments, and fees.
What happens if my payments are late?
To be completely honest, in almost 10 years that we have been in business there have been very few times where our clients have had late payments. We always ask our clients to refer to their booking contract regarding late payments, fees and cancellations. We also ask that if you are facing extreme hardship, please let us know at least one week in advance of your upcoming payment. If a client's payment is late and we are expecting those funds, our personal and financial obligations can be hurt however if we are made aware in advance we can help come up with a temporary solution to your upcoming payment as we make adjustments to our personal and financial situation to accommodate.
If I reschedule my wedding, do my payments also get pushed back?
Per our rescheduling agreement, all payment schedules will remain the same when rescheduling your wedding. The plus side to all of this is that your wedding photography will be paid for and you’ll have one less thing to worry about as well as we’ll continue to get paid and stay in business.
How can we help you guys?
Thankfully we don’t need much right now. Our number one priority is the health and safety of our son, ourselves and our family and we’re grateful that everyone is safe. We ask you to do the same. Remain healthy, happy, active and positive. We also saw a great post on Instagram recently on how to support friends and small businesses for free and we’d love to share it with you. This right here is worth more than you can imagine!!
Do you have any other tips?
Honestly, we’re all in this together and most likely it’s the first time for all of us. As we continue to learn more about the situation we all have to remain calm and adapt accordingly. We’re all struggling together and the ripple effects caused by this pandemic were unimaginable but we will recover. Continue to pray, stress less because sadly there are people who are truly struggling by means we’ll never imagine, and let's all have faith that we’ll come out of it together!!
Thank you to every single person who always supports us!!
Love you all,
Richard & Andrea
Availability Calendar
Please Allow Calendar to Fully Load before scrolling to the following month.
FULLY BOOKED - We are completely booked and unavailable on the specified date.
1 BOOKING AVAILABLE - We currently have another photographer from our team available on the specified date
Pending Inquiry - Currently have an open inquiry for the specified date. (Numbers shown are for multiple inquiries)
SOFT HOLD - These dates are currently being held for COVID affected couples and dates. Once a date is completely moved this will convert into a Booked date. Calendar will be updated Daily or as needed based on latest changes.