My Event is Cancelled - Now What?

Corona-SelfieSolo trail walk during the novel coronavirus lockdown shelter in place in the San Francisco bay area of California. San Ramon.

The last couple of weeks have been filled with heartbreak as many of you have had to cancel, postpone, or reschedule your Bar & Bat Mitzvahs and Weddings. And if you're anything like me, you've been bombarded with emails from everyone you do business with, telling you it's all going to be ok. As much as we'd like to believe that and stay positive, the truth is, we just don't know how long this pandemic will last.

I want you to know I TOTALLY understand how trying this has been for so many of you. As your photographer, there's nothing worse than having to tell you that I'm booked on your rescheduled date!

So, thought I'd share a few practical suggestions to help you navigate changing plans for your upcoming event. And if you know anyone who could use this information, please pass it on.

Event ReschedulingEvent rescheduling due to the novel coronavirus pandemic of 2020.

Things to Think About When Changing Your Event Date
 

1. Prioritize what's important to you - the date, the venue, a particular vendor you really want to work with (DJ, photographer, etc...
2. Ask your synagogue/service venue for a list of available dates.
3. Be flexible on how far out you are willing to postpone. I'd hate for you to have to reschedule twice if this virus hangs on through August!
4. Contact your party venue, and all of your vendors as soon as possible to see if they are still available on your new date. If you can give them a couple of options, even better.
5. If a venue or vendor is not available, ask for referrals. All of us here in the SF Bay area event industry know each other, and we've worked in MANY different venues, so we're happy to help you however we can.
6. Be open to something different. Some of my favorite events have been held in non-traditional places!

sunshine_through_clouds

Be Gentle with Yourself

If there's one key piece of advice I would give you, it's to be gentle with yourself and your family. Months and months of planning have gone into your special day, and to have it all taken away is quite devastating for everyone.

Once things settle a bit, and you have a new date to look forward to, things will be better. And while the details of your event may not be exactly what you originally planned, the event itself will still be a wonderful celebration filled with the love of family and friends.

Stay safe, stay connected, and please feel free to reach out if there's anything I can help you with.

Much love,
Cheryl