Tis the season…. to be GHOSTED! BOO!

Hey there! I’ve been thinking about this blog post for a while now and well, it seems like it’s a good time to actually sit down and write it because I am experiencing ghosting right now!

If you’ve been scrolling on Instagram or Facebook and saw this, great! If you have taken the time to actually click on it to read it EVEN better! That must mean you’re curious as to what I am talking about when I say, “Tis the season…. to be GHOSTED! BOO!” And sadly, it’s probably not what you’re thinking!

To be GHOSTED is a blog post to educate. To educate brides & friends of brides about the phrase you may hear photographers & even other creatives in or out of the wedding industry say, “I’ve been ghosted a lot lately.” So, grab your Fall beverage of choice and take a read!

Around the end of summer, engagements season begins to pick up. Everyone is starting to attend last minute summer trips, welcoming Fall hiking trips, etc and that’s when I tend to see A LOT of proposals happen! And even more when Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and NYE happen! It’s a wonderful time of the year for many of reasons …. for you as a bride to be! For photographers, we are knee deep in Fall wedding season & trying to squeeze in all the Holiday family sessions before the end of the year BUT we are also receiving inquiry after inquiry getting excited for the following year!

Did you read that? We are also receiving inquiry after inquiry getting excited for the following year!

I don’t know about other photographers but I am speaking for myself specifically, when I receive an inquiry I do a little happy dance and think to myself, “someone is acknowledging all my hard work and found ME amongst all the other photographers in the area!” It is exciting! So, I read through the inquiry, draft up an email response or if I am away from the compute my automated response will send out and then write the prospective date on my calendar! Yes, I hold YOUR date without receiving a contract or deposit!!! Now, it’s not a forever hold but it is like a soft hold and until I receive another inquiry for the SAME date, I will hold it until I hear back from you!

Now this is where the “..to be GHOSTED! BOO” term comes in…

As photographers, we start working from the start of an inquiry to the end of the wedding day. When we respond to the inquiry we hope to hear back from you in a timely manor whether the response is a positive or a negative. I also send a follow up email 48 hours from sending you your initial email.

And this is where I loose you. If you’ve received an email, taken the time to talk it over with your fiancé or family members, please email us back. I know it can be hard to be a bearer of bad news, but we want to hear it. We want to know what you decided without us having to be the ones to continue to follow up with you. Here is a great example of a response;

And then if you’re interested in working with me or the photographer you’ve chosen, we obviously want to hear that!!! We want to get your contract finalized and the next steps scheduled! Whether that be an engagement session, bridal session, or a client meeting to discuss details about your wedding day!

The worst thing for you as a bride is to ghost a vendor that you really want to work with! Because, guess what? We can’t wait around until you decide to respond to us! We may not be planning a wedding but we are running a business! In my case, providing for myself & making a living out of wedding photography! The worst thing for me is hearing that you wish you booked with us!

A few reasons why you may not respond in a timely manor & ways to respond to the distraction:

1) You have a specific budget that you’re needing to stick with. In this case, don’t hide from the vendor. Email them back and be honest; that is all we want is your honesty. And in some cases, we will work with you or refer you to someone who CAN help you! This is the most popular reason why brides ghost me!

2) You have to talk to your family who don’t live with you and you don’t want to ask them in person. Well, all you have to do is tell us that. Maybe give yourself a deadline. Tell us something like this; “I am going to follow up in a week after I’ve talked to my parents and if you don’t hear from me, please reach back out.” That way we as photographers have permission to email you.

3) You decided to take up the offer from your cousin who is a “photographer.” Now, I am not trying to be prideful, but in this case you get what you paid for. But we still want to know you’re done searching and we want to wish you the best of luck.

I say all of this because, YOU are potentially a future client I can serve, get to know, invest in, and provide beautiful photographs to share your love story with other people!

Okay friends! Go you for making it all the way to the end of this blog post! I’ve addressed the issue and I hope the honesty is eye opening to you. Thank you for reading, feel free to share this with your friends! XO