After the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Irene along the East Coast, many couples were suddenly faced with a difficult decision about their wedding.
Do we brace ourselves and hope for the best? Do we reschedule? ... What do we do?!
Natural disasters, as I'm sure you all know, come suddenly and often times without warning. In this case, if you were in the NJ/NY area, you knew Irene was bound to make her way up the coast since a few days prior. Here are our quick steps to hurricane-proof your wedding if you don't have a planner/coordinator:
1. As soon as you find out that a hurricane could potentially be in your area or affect your wedding indirectly or directly, check all your contracts/agreements with your vendors immediately. This includes your photographer/videographer, florist, hair and make up artist, etc. Do they mention or include a clause for "Acts of God / Mother Nature?" Find out what their policy is when it comes to "Acts of God" or Mother Nature and then reach out to them. Determine if they can move your deposit funds for another date or if it can only be applied to on that date.
2. Contact your venue immediately. Ask them what they can do in the event the weather is just too horrible to venture out. Can they move your wedding date? If not, can they provide you with a partial refund? If not, what CAN they do for you?
3. Designate a family member (or two) to reach out to everyone in your bridal party, as well as all family and friends that may be guests. Based upon what the venue and majority of your vendors say, advise your guests and relatives accordingly. Start with a phone call, follow up with emails. Last resort: text them if you have their cell #s.
4. If you have guests staying at a local hotel or two, check in with your hotel representative and ask them what can be done in the event your wedding is postponed due to the weather. Most hotels have a 24-48 hour advance notice request so as long as you meet their policy requests, you should be able to cancel and not be liable. Check their policy first, always.
Natural disasters are almost always scary, inconvenient and stressful to deal with. A good planner would know to review your agreements carefully and address any clauses dealing with Acts of God / Mother Nature depending upon the time of year your wedding falls.
If you found this article while still planning your wedding, then you might be in luck! Consider Wedding Insurance! Think I'm crazy? Read more here. Also, ask your vendors if they can revise their Acts of God clause in particular, to allow you to reschedule your event if the date is available on their end, or if the reschedule date is not available, if the funds can be applied to a party to take place in that same year. IMO, it's better than losing everything... We have particular language we recommend vendors use that work with us for clients like you.
Shameless plug: All the more reason to have a planner ... we've got your back!
Thoughts? Opinions?
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Gabriela is the partner and certified wedding/special event consultant for No Limit Events LLC as well as the main writer for the company blog, No Limit Events LLC: Bloggin’ It. She enjoys sharing fun and unique wedding ideas, which include helpful wedding and party related posts, inspirational photos and advice for those planning special celebrations. Gabriela lives in New Jersey with her husband and business partner, Justin, and their 2 lovable cats. Planning a luxurious wedding or special party? Please visit her blog and website for specials and helpful advice.
This is such a great article Gabriela, and I'm glad you posted it.
ReplyDeleteAs a wedding photographer, I always stress how important a wedding planner is, but never were they more important than this weekend.
This past week-end, we had two weddings. Both took placed, but due to the storm, one of them went through major changes that wouldn't have been possible without the resources and experience a wedding planner has.
If you are a bride reading this, do all of the above, stay positive, remember what the true meaning of the day is, keep a positive communication with all vendors and be open to change.