First Wedding

[kristy_bolsby]

<p>I need some advice!! I had verbally booked a wedding about 3 mths ago. I had just started out with my business and the client is very aware of this. I told her that we would get a contract and details worked out later when I got myself more organized. Well....the tentative date was scheduled for Dec 2011. I gave her a list of my prices by hours. The minimum amount of hours was 6. I am now 4 months pregnant with a due date of July 1 2011. I just recieved a message through Facebook from the client telling me..."Oh...I moved the date of the wedding up. It is now June 11, 2011 on the beach at 1:00 pm. We will only need you for 1-2 hours that day. Congrats on the baby!"<br>

I am very frustated because she didn't even bother to ask if it would still be possible for me to do her wedding with me being 8 months pregnant. She is assuming that I will be fine with it. Not to mention that she only wants me for 1-2 hours. I did not even give her a price for 1-2 hours. This is my first wedding and it is suppose to be on the beach at 1:00 in the afternoon in June!!! Ummmmm....Hello!!!!! Not exactly the greatest time of the day for pictures. I just don't know what to say to her because everything feels sooooo wrong about this. I can't have her sign a contract with my due date being 4 weeks from this event.....who knows...I may not physically be able to do it! Help.....where do I start????????</p>

[alex_dc]

<p>I would say you start by backing out since you had no contract in place. You have no idea if you're going to be able to complete the job, so how could you take it? </p>

[rosina_dibello]

<p>Kristy,<br>

As a professional business owner you need to accept of reject jobs on the standards that you set for you studio.<br>

"I verbally booked a wedding" you need to have a contract in place and a downpayment in place for anything to be officially booked.<br>

"she only wants me for 1-2 hours" You have to decide if your studio has a minimum of hours for booking events - my studio has a 4 hour minimum and if it is less - they still are required to pay for the 4 hours.<br>

Be firm and clear- She obviously felt your flexibility when she dictated to you what the changes were.<br>

Have a contract in place for your studio bookings - you might need to visit with a lawyer to help you write this out - it should include a "change in date" by the client, a "cancellation policy", etc. All of which should be fair to both parties and clearly stated in the contract.<br>

Any deposit that is accepted by my studio "in case of a cancellation" is kept for the new date- provided we are available, or for any other sessions available at our studio.<br>

Hope this helps</p>

 

[cliff_nj]

<p>Just be honest and tell her ASAP that for your stated reasons, you would recommend they make other arrangements. If they don't understand they are wrong.</p>

[daverhaas]

<p>Kristy -<br>

1) you already have a contract with her - it is verbal - but still enforceable. I'm not going to go into contract law here - I'm not a lawyer - but you do have a contract.<br>

2) She is asking to change the terms of the contract. Contract was originally for December - now she wants to change the date to June.<br>

3) You had agreed to a higher number of hours and charge - now she is asking to change that.<br>

4) The fact that she wants it on the beach at high noon is irrelevant, where and when she has the wedding is 100% her call. As a photographer you need to be able to handle any and all types of lighting and situations. </p>

<p>What I would say / do -</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Client -<br>

Thank you so much for letting me know of the changes to your upcoming wedding, however, I regret that I am not going to be able to shoot your wedding due to my physical condition - I don't feel comfortable committing to shooting a wedding so close to the due date of my child.</p>

<p>I would be more than happy to assist you in finding a qualified and suitable replacement, if you would like.</p>

<p>Again my apoligies and best wishes for you and your future husband.<br>

Kristy....</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>That's the way I would handle it - Not intended to be legal advice or contractual advice....</p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

[john_h.1]

<p>Since the terms of the agreement/contract are being repudiated you should experience relative ease getting out of the assignment. Don't delete the facebook message and do a screen capture as well so you can easily and cheaply preserve it for your records as evidence. Get it in writing that there is an agreement that you are excused form shooting the wedding with the client being excused from payment ect. (I'll make the same disclaimer about advice as David did.)</p>

<p>For future work use a lawyer reviewed contract that specifies the rights and obligations of the parties including, among other things, what happens if dates are canceled ect. Don't get emotionally overwrought about these kind of things and deal with them in a polite businesslike manner. Don't enter in to business transactions without learning about how to manage these things as was the case here. Consider yourself lucky to have learned this lesson under somewhat favorable circumstances instead of having a bigger mess on your hands.</p>

[john_h.1]

<p>I like the tone of David's communication and would be just as respectful but would leave out the part about discomfort and mention, instead, that it won't be feasible. Find a nice way to include that the changes were unilaterally imposed by the client. Any apology can be framed as a regret caused by their decisions (i.e. I am sorry but I will not be able to shoot your wedding because you rescheduled it to occur different date than we agreed to and I won't be able to, in any event because...) You can dress it up with a lot of grace but it should technically explain that its the client breaking the agreement.</p>

[daverhaas]

<p>John -<br>

Thanks - I was thinking of that after I posted - then didn't get back to it -<br>

Kristy - Frame it the way John has suggested... You would have been fine doing the wedding had the client not moved it...</p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

[kristy_bolsby]

<p>Thanks for all the wonderful advice everyone. I did contact her and let her know I would not be able to shoot her wedding due to the change date and my possiblity of not physically being able to. I was also offered her other photographers contact infomation. She was very good about the whole situation and told me not to even give it another thought because thinking about my baby was the most important thing! Glad that turned out so well! I will be preparing myself a contract so that I do not put myself in this situation again.</p>

[ianivey]

<p>Good thread, Kristy, and thanks for returning with a how-it-turned-out comment. You gave me a good laugh, too, imagining your face as you read the casual "Oh, by the way, we're doing it on the beach in the summer at noon when you'll be 8 months pregnant and paying you no more than 1/3 what we originally agreed -- gonna be awesome, can't wait to see how you handle all your gear with that belly" message. What a riot!</p>

[frolickingbits]

<p>You definitely did the right thing in firing the client. I have been guilty of wanting to work with everyone who wanted me to photograph them, but there are definitely times you need to cut someone loose, and this was one of those times. Glad you managed to get out of it without losing any face.</p>