July 7, 2007; A Wedding Postponed

I never like to answer the phone and hear the following: "You were SUPPOSED to film my wedding on....."

The moment I got this call on Wednesday, I wasn't sure where it would lead. Many times bookings are made months and even years in advance, so the eventualities of time leave open the possibility that things can happen that might alter when and if your wedding actually occurs.

In this case, the call was from one of my brides-to-be whose husband-to-be had suffered a knee injury. This injury needed surgery and sufficient recovery time. There would not be enough time, unfortunately, for him to be ready for the long wait at the alter, the first dance and many other wedding day activities in which having good legs would be essential.

They decided to try and postpone the wedding until November, so she was making calls to see if vendors and venues would be flexible to this change. Fortunately, I was still available on the new date so a change on my end was not a problem.

Other vendors might not be so accommodating.

It's important to be aware of what will happen if you find yourself in a similar situation. Will there be additional charges? Will the vendor already be booked at another event? Will the reception site or church you love be booked through 2009? Make sure to go over these possibilities even though you are sure YOUR wedding day will go off without a hitch. Family emergencies, weather disasters and even relationship roadblocks are just a few of the possibilities that could postpone a date that you had set in stone in your head and heart. Have the vendor include in the contract what would happen if you had to postpone or even cancel the wedding entirely. It probably won't happen to you, but it's better to be prepared in case it does.

So I am now available to shoot on July 7, the most popular wedding day of 2007. I started receiving inquiries for the date well over a year in advance. It seems that many people like the idea of a 07/07/07 wedding date on their marriage certificate, as I received an abnormally high amount of inquiries for the date.

So now, unless I get a last-minute call from a bride who didn't book a videographer yet, I will be spending the most popular wedding date of 2007 at the beach!