If you’re reading this that means that we are the lucky people you’ve chosen and trusted to celebrate one of the most precious and memorable days of your life with an unforgettable music experience. I want to lead off by saying how grateful we are for trusting such a vital part of your overall experience with us. I value the relationship we have built and the understand how vital sustaining that healthy relationship will become the day of your wedding. That being said, due to how stressful of a time this is for everyone, I want to do everything within my power to maintain transparency and an open channel of vulnerability with each of my couples. I want you to feel safe sharing your needs with me moving forward. I want you to know that while we are your entertainment, I am also someone who cares deeply about you, my couples, who inspire and support us as we share our gift of spreading happiness through sound and energy.
I realize that some of you are in the service industry and have been forced to file for unemployment, some of you have lost your jobs and your healthcare that follows, some of you have mortgages, parents you take care of, medicine that is becoming increasingly harder to afford, and family members that live abroad.
Every single one of you has a multitude of stressors that are involved not just with the fears that come with a pandemic, but also the fears that arise with planning a wedding and having invested so much money into a day that you have awaited with excitement. Which is why I wanted to take a moment and put together a page that not only shares my Covid-19 rescheduling policy but also provides resources that will hopefully make this stressful time, less stressful.
To be fair to couples whose wedding is being directly affected by Covid-19 the below Covid-19 rescheduling policy is only applicable to couples who are being immediately forced to reschedule their wedding due to government and state mandates. Couples who are not within a 4-8 week window of the current estimated end of the government mandated Shelter in Place will be subject to the terms of contract unless mutually agreed upon.
Thank you for understanding.
1. Clients may reschedule to any date within 8 months which I am available. Your retainer will be applied to your new date and all rescheduling fees will be waived. A rescheduling contract will be required to secure your new date.
2. Clients may reschedule to a peak Saturday 8 months beyond the initial date pending availability. To book a peak Saturday in 2021 the remaining balance will be due, plus the difference in my 2021 booking rate [per time contracted] will be applied as a change fee. Change fee is waived for non-peak dates: Friday, Sunday or winter (November - January).
3. Per our cancellation clause in regards to Force Majure (Paragraph 4), clients who choose to cancel their wedding altogether are subject to the terms agreed upon in our contract but have the option of transferring monies paid to an alternate service for future use.
Covid-19 Rescheduling Policies
Now that my rescheduling policies have been shared I’m sure you have questions - many of which that I would probably have if I were an individual being affected by this virus. I believe open communication is important, and as a small business in a global pandemic I have no option but to be vulnerable with you, the wonderful humans who have made the choice to support my small business. Some of you are in the event and service industry and some of you are even in the wedding industry and understand first hand how delicate our booking seasons are. But to simplify answers and questions, I’m listing them below in a Q & A format to hopefully answer your questions without forcing you to read any further lengthy paragraphs that may not pertain to you.
Q: Our wedding is not until Fall (August-November) should we reschedule now?
A: I am strongly encouraging couples whose wedding date is not being directly affected by a state mandated Force Majeure or whose date is not within a four to eight week window of when the Force Majeure is expected to end to hold off on rescheduling. Right now, vendors and venues are working over time to provide available dates to their couples who are being directly affected by state and government orders.
Q: What if our wedding is not being directly impacted or is not within a four to eight week window of a Force Majeure but we would like to reschedule any way?
A: For couples whose date does not fall within the circumstances of a Force Majeure due to state and government mandates, a rescheduling fee will apply if moved to another peak date. We are open to discussing unique options outside of this window as a courtesy.
Q: We're looking at several dates in which you're available, can you reserve those dates for us while we're deciding on what to do?
A: For my couples who are already booked with me, I am providing the option to "stronghold" 2 dates in which I am available. Meaning I will hold two dates for you without a retainer until you decide which date works for you and your entire vendor team. In the instance another inquiry hopes to book the dates in which you have held, you will have the first right to refusal. However, without a signed contract for the new date I can only hold a date for 24 hours once a new inquiry has been made.
Please only stronghold a date once you have contacted all of your vendors about their availability and feel confident that you will move forward with one of the dates held.
Q: In the instance we go with a date that you’re not available, can we get a partial refund?
A: This is dependent upon our contracted terms, however, for couples who are choosing to cancel I am able to offer credit of monies paid towards future services.
Q: What if you’re not available for a date that the rest of our vendors are?
A: In our contract terms, that would allow for a refund of deposits since a postponement attempt was made. We would need proof of rescheduling with venue and two other vendors to confirm this indeed took place.
If you would like to retain your entire vendor team and not lose your retainers/fees paid it might be a good idea to consider Friday’s, Sunday’s, as well as weekdays. Coming from a city like New Orleans I know first hand that any day of the week makes for a solid party. In addition, a lot of vendors are offering their impacted couples discounts on their remaining balances if they choose to book to a week day. Who said a Wednesday wedding wasn’t a thing?
Q: Can we reschedule to a date in 2021 without a fee?
A: Yes! You can move your wedding to any Friday, Sunday or weekday in 2021 at no additional cost. This only holds true for clients moving from a Saturday do the above off days. All others will be a case by case
Q: Why is there an additional fee if we choose to move our wedding to a Saturday in 2021?
A: This is a wonderful question, and one that is going to require me sharing a bit about how my small business survives year in and year out. As a full time event band we have 52 Saturday’s per year to make our primary income for the year. My small business depends on booking these 52 Saturday’s with new income so that it can sustain itself for the year and continue to grow as a small business. Consider, hypothetically, that about 25+ of my current 2020 couples request to move their date to a Saturday in 2021, that would leave me with 27 available Saturdays in 2021 to make new income for the year.
My business could not financially sustain that impact, which is currently a very real and dark reality for many small businesses, especially in the wedding industry. Which is why I am asking my couples to meet me half way and to consider the other 327 days in the year to get married at no additional cost to them.
For couples who would like to move forward in booking a prime Saturday in 2021 they would owe the remaining balance due, plus the difference in our 2021 booking rate. Please keep in mind that many vendors are not providing this option to their clients, however, I am willing to take a loss of profit per Saturday in 2021 for the couples who are already booked with me and feel that a Saturday in 2021 is their only option to move forward.
I hope the questions above provided some insight as to why these policies are in place.
If after reading the questions above you find that your questions went unanswered, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at bemusic1984@gmail.com