Jamie Wolfer says read every wedding vendor contract before signing. Mark unclear clauses, redline what you won't accept, and get everything in writing. Most contracts don't cover COVID or illness of key people, so Wolfer recommends event liability and cancellation insurance from Brightco, which he says is the only provider covering COVID disruptions.
Read your contracts extremely carefully. Call attention to anything that does not make sense and feel free to ask the vendor to firm up that language surrounding the issue at hand. Redline anything you do not feel comfortable signing, which means literally taking a pen right through it and saying, I'm not signing this section, I'm not agreeing to this. And then make sure that all of the deliverables are included in a statement of work or in a proposal that is attached to the contract itself. And most importantly, what happens if you cancel, if the vendor cancels, if an act of God takes place, AKA force majeure clause, which could be an act natural disaster, but doesn't necessarily include things like COVID, which Brightco is the only event liability and cancellation insurance company that I know of that covers things like COVID, not just for the couple specifically, but anyone important and pivotal to their wedding day, including, you know, maybe the father of the bride, maybe a grandmother, maybe maid of honor slash sister. You will likely not find clauses or stipulations for those in any of your vendor contracts and therefore will not have any recourse unless you seek outside coverage through Bryco. Read through your contracts, I beg of you. Redline things you do not want to agree to. Ask for addendums when it's promised in writing and/or over the phone or spoken in person to your actual statement of work and/or your contract itself. I want to make sure that you know what you're reading. I want to make sure that you feel capable signing on the dotted line, and I want to make sure that for any exposed risks you might have, you have Bryco liability and cancellation insurance in your back pocket.
