Cancelled Weddings

[rachlynn17]

I am so frustrated right now. At the beginning of the summer I have had Sept-Oct. completely booked with weddings. Now, I only have 4 weddings between the two months. Some couples have broken up and the others have moved their dates back until this Spring. I do have a non-refundable deposit, but I'm still going to miss a HUGE chunk of my paycheck those months.
I've been in business for 1.5 years. Someone tell me how common cancelled weddings are. Is there a standard ratio that I need to plan on in the future?

And then, tonight I drove over an hour to meet with a bride to discuss wedding photography. After I got there, she called and couldn't make it!
I am even made my husband get off work early to watch my daughter so that I could get their on time. AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH.

 

[WonderWoMom]

Man people suck! hope your luck turns around

 

[JIP]

Looks like you need to get bigger deposits.

 

[oldnavy170]

That bride seems pretty rude. She should of called you sooner or made sure she kept her appointment.

 

[AprilRamone]

Yep, people are just plain rude these days when it comes down to keeping appointments. That's why I always try to confirm as many times as I can so that if they are thinking they can't make it they can tell me sooner.
Sorry to hear that happened. Them's the breaks in this business though. You could try to offer discounted weddings to any last minute brides?
-April

 

[Big Mike]

Sorry to hear about that. I agree with JIP, raise your deposit. Many photographers require 50% of the total.

 

[astrostu]

Other than raising your deposit, I'd agree with April - you should confirm any appointment the day of (if in the afternoon) or the afternoon/evening before (if in the morning). That way, you should only have the people missing if it's really an "emergency."

 

[wildmaven]

The photographer for my wedding consultation when I got married required a $50 deposit to meet with him, which would then be refunded should I not contract with him, used in case of cancellation for the consultation, or applied as a credit towards the cost of the wedding photography. Heck, doctors today charge a $25 fee if you don't cancel within 24 hours, why not us!

 

[lifeafter2am]

The photographer for my wedding consultation when I got married required a $50 deposit to meet with him, which would then be refunded should I not contract with him, used in case of cancellation for the consultation, or applied as a credit towards the cost of the wedding photography. Heck, doctors today charge a $25 fee if you don't cancel within 24 hours, why not us!

In my office we charge $100 if you don't cancel within 24 hours! I agree with what everyone else said, especially with requireing a larger deposit.

 

[Onegreatsmile]

I think we've all had that same problem. Even though we love what we do and sometimes it doesn't feel like work, we have to treat our business like a business. I agree with the other posters. Require a deposit, confirm appointments in advance and have a great contract. I found new software that makes all this stuff easy. It's called Photo Jobs Data Base, and the Deluxe version of it was less than a cheap digital camera! Its not just a database, it has contracts for just about everything, and a scheduler, too. They can't argue with you when they cancel if it's in the contract. That way they know ahead of time you're taking it seriously. And if you can, try to fill the day back in. The contract won't prevent things, but it can cut back on them. Hope this helps.