Cancelling weddings.....advice?

dancinkate

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dragon300zx

dancinkate wrote:

Should try to find a photographer for every weekend I am booked (if that's even humanly possible) as a courtesy?

All I can really say to that is YES.

Things happen and this is understood. As long as you have a backup plan then things will be ok. Try to line up photographers who will be able to fill in for those weekends within short notice should something happen. Sounds to me like the bride will have very short notice and no time to find a photographer on their own, or if they get notice now may decide to just book another photographer outright to make sure they are covered. However if you have a backup photographer (always a good idea no matter what if possible) ready to cover in case the worst happens and you make the brides aware that this is the situation and should you not be able to attend they will be covered still I don't see them going bridzilla. I'm sure they will understand the case of loosing a loved one, but they will also want to know they are covered.

dancinkate

Thanks for the quick reply....I'll work on that. I had a photographer email me that he was available for most of the shoots, I just need to fill in the few other weekends.

dragon300zx

dancinkate wrote:

Thanks for the quick reply....I'll work on that. I had a photographer email me that he was available for most of the shoots, I just need to fill in the few other weekends.

If I was in TN I'd help ya out but unfortunaltey for me to help travel would end up being involved and that can kill budgets.

wxwax

dk, I'm so sorry to hear about your step father.

Bodley

dancinkate wrote:

Now to my questions:

Do I inform all of these brides of the situation, even though it might affect only one of them at most?

Should try to find a photographer for every weekend I am booked (if that's even humanly possible) as a courtesy?

Inform them after you have secured the services of a "COMPETENT" Fill-In photographer. Then explain the situation, discuss the services and qualification's of the possible replacement photographer. Then the decision is up to the Bride/Groom. I would think they need to be prepared just in case. I can't help but think that if a sub shows up on their wedding day without sufficient warning the couple would be upset.

dancinkate wrote:

I would *hope* brides/grooms would understand when death of a parent is involved but I'm not holding my breath. If my wedding photographer had to cancel at the last minute I would have been irate, and then understood later. I feel bad putting that stress on them but my family comes first.

If the death of the parent is unforeseen it would be understandable to "most" reasonable people (if there are any left). However in your case it is not totally unforeseen. You would be wise to plan for the worst case. Your Bride/Grooms should appreciate it.

Wish I could help but I'm a sports shooter. Haven't ventured into weddings.

Blurmore

I sort of went through this last May when my son Owen was born. I notified my brides that if my wife went into labor while I was shooting their wedding I would finish whatever segment of the job we were on, and not leave until a collegue arrived to replace me. If it happened in the morning before I assured them that I had pre-arranged with photographer/friends to call in favors on the weekends they were not booked, and that I would have someone with at least if not more skill than I could provide at their nuptials. Basically I made sure I would not leave them without coverage and they were all understanding. As it was my wife went into early labor on Sat April 30th at about 11pm, I was shooting a wedding in DC. My wife WILLED herself to not go into full labor that night, and we ended up at the hospital May 1st @10 am with her 90% effaced and 5 cm dialated. A friend of mine however who is a social photographer and his father is a photographer as well told me that his father missed his own birth because his mother delivered on a Saturday night while he was working a wedding. But this is our industry. Explain the situation ensure that you will not put them out and do what you need to.

dancinkate

Oh, I didn't plan on surprising the bride with a replacement....they would be fully informed ahead of time of the situation. I just didn't know if I should contact EVERY wedding I have for the rest of the year and give them a heads up, even though it may not effect them.

I'm thankful not only for this community but the photographers in my town that I contacted. Since I posted this I've had over 5 individuals volunteer to help. Thank you ALL for your responses.