Well, first of all, if this is a question you’re having to ask yourselves, I’m so terribly sorry you’ve been faced with this decision. To have to add this burden to the already heavy burdens you’re carrying in the midst of the pandemic… well, it’s a lot. My heart goes out to you! I know these aren’t decisions you take likely, and that you need to weigh out quite a few factors to figure out what the wisest course of action will be that works best for you. Ensuring you can keep everyone safe, while evaluating your priorities and options is so important!

Over the past two years, many clients either chose to postpone entirely until they feel safe to proceed, held a small elopement-style ceremony in the immediate and a large reception later, or to proceeded with their original date at a revised size or scope. Here’s a shortlist of factors you may want to consider as you evaluate your options. These may help you decide whether it’s best to postpone your day, or to reshape your plans to adapt to how things work now. Or, fingers, crossed: that you don’t need to change things at all!

While this may not have been the original plan, you may find yourself quite taken with the number of benefits that come from the elopement-now, wedding-later philosophy. Convenient and helpful, this may resolve some of the frustrations/challenges you’re dealing with, while accommodating your most immediate concerns. Here are a few points that you might find compelling.

I know it feels scary to think about the future. I’ve spent the last two years developing a safety strategy that will ensure the protection of all my clients as well as my staff, so we can keep everyone safe and healthy during these unprecedented times. So I wanted to tell you a little about what we’re doing for our sessions and weddings in order to protect everyone. We’ll be taking these precautions at all events that occur before yours, in order to ensure your protection, and that of your guests, at your event. Basically, these steps help us make sure we won’t get sick at a wedding prior to yours, in order to ensure we can be present at yours, as well as for those that follow yours. One note is that we’re all fully-vaccinated and boosted, and that gives us a little more flexibility in feeling safe and protected and adaptable to your changing plans.

1. Social distancing: We’re maintaining a six-foot distance from both our clients and their guests whenever we deem it necessary, particularly when indoors. We have an arsenal of a whole bunch of long lenses that allow us to get close detail even from a distance.
2. Mask-wearing: Though we’re all fully-vaxxed and boosted, we may still be wearing well-fitted masks (over our mouth and noses of course), during any periods of our time together where we we deem it necessary—primarily in small indoor environments. If you’re comfortable with it, we may remove our masks when outdoors or sufficiently socially-distanced, however we may decide it’s in our best interest to remain masked all day. You may obviously choose to go unmasked, of course, but ours will stay on whenever we feel it is appropriate. Should you have guests present who are not wearing masks, we’ll be keeping our distance for their safety as well as ours. Sometimes small children and pets have trouble connecting if our masks are hiding our faces, so occasionally, and with your permission, we will remove our masks briefly when safely distanced, to show them we’re smiling and approachable as well.
3. Hand-washing: In addition to carrying sanitizer everywhere, in order to clean our hands every time they come into contact with another surface, we’ll be pit-stopping to wash our hands with soap and water thoroughly whenever feasible.
4. Eating & Drinking: Since eating requires the removal of our masks, we will not be sitting down with your guests to eat or drink. Most caterers have offered to box meals or serve them to vendors in a separate location, so we can consume them from a safe distance from others for their safety and our own. If this isn’t possible, please let us know so we can prepare our own food. Additional time to accommodate the safe distance for food consumption may be necessary.
5. Group Posing: It’s your prerogative and that of your guests to decide what you’re comfortable with, so I’m leaving this up to the individuals in the photograph. If they’re comfortable being close to one another, we’re happy to document your groups, but we won’t ask anyone to get close to each other who isn’t comfortable with this. Same goes for removing masks—we won’t ask anyone to remove them if they’re uncomfortable doing so. We offer it as a choice. We’ll work on your family groupings lists together, so once it’s completed, please discuss this with those listed, so that you understand in advance what their level of comfort is, and you can all make informed decisions about your group photos together. That way you’re not blindsided and stressed on the big day.
6. Indoor coverage: With the widespread prevalence of the vaccines being distributed, indoor venues reopened mid-2021. Now that we’re fully vaxxed and boosted, we’re happy to operate in indoor spaces but occasionally we may deem it necessary to remain socially distanced and/or masked, as long as we’re adhering to all governmental restrictions regarding capacity.
7. Dance Floor Distance: As much as we love shaking our tail feathers, we won’t be getting on any dance floors or other densely crowded environments if we deem them as too crowded or difficult to maintain safe radiuses. We’re continuing to provide detailed coverage of dense environments masked, or if very dense, then from a safe distance off the perimeter of the dance floor.
8. Pre-Event Safety: We’re practicing these guidelines not just at all of our weddings, but every day. After over two years, this has become a new way of life. We’re washing our hands with the same dedication, wearing our masks when we leave the house, and keeping our distance from others. Protecting ourselves in order to make sure we stay healthy (so we can provide you with excellent and safe service on your day along with all of our clients) is always guiding our interactions with the world.

Practicing the above guidelines at every event that leads up to yours is what will help us make sure we can perform for you to the best of our abilities. We’ll be following the same protective guidelines at your wedding, as well, to protect all the couples that come after you. I hope this shortlist can help to reassure you that we’re doing everything we can to be healthy, strong, and safe so we can do our jobs effectively on your special day, while protecting you and your guests. I appreciate your understanding as we navigate safety for events during these times. If you have any questions for me about these, or even ideas about safety that you’d like me to consider, I would love to hear from you.