Photographer Ciara: ‘More intimate weddings will be the norm’
USUALLY at this time of year I’m gearing up to full throttle on my wedding photography, shooting up to three a week all over the county, Munster and Ireland. All are rescheduled, two cancelled altogether.
I had a wedding in Canada in the summer which I was really excited about, and that too is off the calendar. I’ve spent eight years building my business from scratch, moving to Kerry with my family and managing to build my business to a level of success I could only dream of a few years ago. I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved so far, and I’m not about to let it all go. So I will fight on and work hard to rebuild, like all of us in this crisis. It’s a scary time for all SMEs, but I’m determined to get back on track. Next year looks good already, and I still hope to open a new studio in Ballyheigue this year.
The very first thing I did just before the schools closed was to take the advice of a professional risk-assessment advisor, who has helped me enormously. Every week I speak to him, and it keeps me focused on the tasks at hand and how to react as things change.
And boy do things change! So I am communicating with venues I am due to work in this year, and of course my couples. I check local press and national news to keep informed and try to make good decisions as time goes on. I think I have managed to retain most of my clients because of this. I also teach photography privately and am working on building that side of the business online. Diversifying at a time like this is essential. As a small business I am used to thinking on my feet and managing every aspect of my business, and this is testing me for sure. But I’m up for the challenge!
Since March 12 I have made contact with all of my couples on a regular basis. Initially I naively thought just a few people would have to reschedule. Now, all have moved bar one, most have moved twice. I am holding multiple dates for some while they try to figure out what day will cause their move the least amount of hassle/ money loss. All have chosen dates from late July this year to summer 2021 and beyond.
Most couples are getting a good steer from their venues but some are finding it hard to get accurate guidance. Some venues are quite booked for 2021 already, especially for Fridays and Saturdays, so couples are opting for mid-week dates and even Sundays.
However, most don’t seem to mind. My overwhelming impression from my couples is that they just want to get married. They would rather have a small ceremony to get married officially and legally as soon as allowed, and then have a big party next year when things have eased.
After the introduction last week of the phased lifting of restrictions, some rescheduled again. The general thinking people have is that they would rather not chance it this year now, in case of the second wave.
In general though, I have managed to accommodate all bar two of my bookings working into the future and have taken a few new bookings too. So weddings are going to happen, I’m sure of that. It’s when that is uncertain at this point. What most people feel when they settle on a new date is relief. They feel better knowing they have put things off, to a time when they can really enjoy the build up to their wedding day, and not put the most important people in their lives at risk. It’s just not worth it.
Now is the time to shine, and help people through this crisis. My opinion is that people will want to marry sooner rather than later, as a global scare like this snaps people’s priorities into focus. Large gatherings may be a thing of the past and smaller, more intimate weddings will become the norm. At least until the vaccine comes our way. Weddings will survive.