I feel like we’re living out a dystopian fantasy.
Watching the spread of this pandemic (I can’t believe I’m saying that word) play out has been terrifying, confusing, and heartbreaking, to say the least. People are dying, everything is shutting down, and people are rightfully scared about their livelihood and quality of life moving forward. Anxiety and stress has manifested into selfishness, panic, and bickering about conspiracy theories. It’s a scary time to be alive, as the majority of us have never lived through something like this.
I don’t think any industry had seriously considered the very realistic threat of how a pandemic would affect their business.
While we all self-quarantine and collectively hold our breath waiting for an end that seems nowhere in sight, I think about all the couples who were planning to get married in the coming months. Wedding planning is hard enough let alone planning a wedding during a pandemic.
I certainly didn’t experience this when I got married and believe me, I thought I had seen every bad unplanned event happen in my career. But looking back on it, I’d honestly prefer every wedding I shot to have a smoke alarm go off mid-ceremony over this (which did happen once! Be careful setting fires indoors).
I pride myself on thinking on my feet no matter what disaster appears. But I’d be lying if I said I had thought about the implications of a global pandemic and what that would mean for my business, or how the event industry would being affected.
I have taken some drastic measures to my business model to accommodate my current and inquiring clients for the remainder of 2020:
As my current clients begin to postpone wedding plans because of all this, I’m delaying ALL payments until further notice. I do not want to be the reason for added stress during this time. If you want to pay your invoice you still have that option but no late fees will be incurred and no payments will be required until we see a light at the end of this tunnel. If you are deciding whether or not to postpone plans, rest assured that I have many open dates still available and any transfers will not incur a fee.
As for new inquiries, I’m currently suspending deposits for anyone hoping to secure me for their wedding or event in 2020. This means we will have a contract in place but you do NOT need to pay a deposit to book with me until further notice.
Past clients and everyone else who is reading this:
ALL prints in your gallery or on my print shop are currently 20% off. Brighten up your home with some art. Use code TOGETHER at checkout. Valid through May 1, 2020.
All this time has given me a little perspective on what we can do now survive this mentally, physically and emotionally:
Focus on the positives. There is so much negative stories, thoughts, opinions and news circulating that it is critical to our mental health to look for the light in this situation.
Try something new. Now is the time to learn that hobby or make a new recipe or write that novel or start meditating. Now. Time is a gift, use it.
Socially distance yourself not only from people but also from the news. I know this one is difficult, but the less I’m glued to my phone for updates the more present I am and less worried I am for the future.
Count your blessings and remind yourself what you have to be grateful for, whether it’s a roof over your head, the people you’re trapped with, the invention of video conferencing “happy hour,” or simply having a day of nice weather where you can spend it having a picnic or taking a hike.
Show love to each other. Be considerate, stay home if you are able, think of your actions and the affect they have on others. We can get through this if we aren’t selfish.
And last but not least:
Think of how great the party will be when this is all over.
I’ll be posting some lighthearted content and adding more print options to my shop over the coming days to help distract everyone.
Thanks for reading and stay safe. Love to you all.
