Randy Chapman Contract ??

[Disney-Bride2010]

Hi everyone. I am in the process of sending Randy my deposit to hold my tentative date. I have heard such excellent reviews on this site and have seen the proof in Randy's photos that I just had to contact him and see if he was available. He is available for my tentative date in Aug. 2010, however I won't know if I have that date for another 9 months! If I put a deposit down now and don't end up getting the date, what happens to the contract? If Randy's not available on the date that I end up getting, will I get my deposit back? I'm filling out the online contract I printed and it states that deposits paid are not refundable, but when I contacted Randy by email he stated that it was. I'm just afraid of signing something that says my $ isn't refundable and I'll be SOL if I don't get my date.

Has anyone else run into this situation?

Also, the package I am thinking of is the 7 hour package. (The 3 hour package seems way too short, but I'm not sure if 7 will be too long). On the contract I need to put where the photographer should report to and at what time. I'm hoping to plan for a 5:00pm wedding.. how early do you think I should have Randy report for pre-wedding photos? If I'm paying for 7 hours of coverage, I want to get the most out of it. Does all this information need to be sorted out now? Or can I leave this information blank on the contract and fill it in when I get my date/time approved?



Any advice/info is greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

 

[padisneyfour]

Call and talk to him or email him any questions, I know he will answer any questions you have. That's what I did. good luck.

 

[HopefulDisneyBride]

I booked Randy before I got my day with Disney. The way Randy explained it to me was that he understood Disney's policy about not getting the date until exactly one year and the lottery system. He said if for some reason I had to change the date, he would put the deposit towards the new date, and if he was booked, he would refund the money. What I also did to was when it got near the lottery time with Disney, I contacted him to see what dates he was already booked, so I wouldn't tell Disney those as back ups. As far as the contract, there were some things (like the time to arrive) that I wasn't sure of, so I said I'd let him know for sure as it got closer. I booked him for 8 hours, so I'm assuming I'll be his only wedding that day. To be safe, you could book him like an hour or two before the ceremony to allow for pictures. So far, he has been really flexible and easy to work with. Hope that helps!

 

[beachprincess23]

I second you contact him and see what he says.
If he says it's still nonrefundable and is a stickler for everything I would wait to hire him. Your date is still pretty far in advance and even if he happens to not be available there are so many other great photographers out there. It's a lot of money to spend if you end up not getting your date or changing things. Unless you don't mind possibly wasting the money--then go for it

 

[camara381]

I booked Randy in March my wedding wasn't until Sept 09, when i signed my contract I did not know half of the information asked for, as a matter of fact I still don't know anything ceremony wise. He did tell me that if he wasn't available and we picked another date you would check availability, if not then I could have my deposit back. I also modified the package to fit my needs. He is really awesome and if you talk to him he'll work with you. HTH

 

[ClemsonGirl]

Randy is really easy to talk to and will work with you! I booked him in June for a date in 2010 (because I definitely did not want to risk him being booked ) and ended up having to change my date. He was available so they changed it no problem! I was afraid when I saw that line on the contract where it says its nonrefundable, but like others have said I have always been told by him that as long as he is available he will transfer your deposit and if he is not he will refund it. I had to leave pretty much everything blank on my contract as well since at that point in time I had no idea what resort we would be staying at or anything. And they said that was no problem! They have been so great to work with so far. The photography is one of the things I am most excited about for our wedding!

 

[polynesianbride]

I am also in the process of planning a 2010 wedding and have talked with Randy on this topic. He said if I put a deposit down and have to change the date and he is available for that date he will transfer the deposit to that date. If he is unavailable for the new date he will refund the money, since it is him that can not keep the contract. You just can't cancel him because you decide to go with someone else or something like that. I plan on crossing out that line in the contract though and writing "see attached" and then attaching the e-mail he sent me stating this, so I'm covered. If you are also planning on using Stan with STVA for videography his policy is different- his deposit is 100% NONREFUNDABLE so he recommends waiting until you book with Disney. Stan did say he could pencil you in on your date and he would notify you if someone else approached him about the date so you could decide if you wanted to chance it and put a actual deposit down. Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[Disney-Bride2010]

Thanks everyone for all the great info! I definitely feel a lot more comfortable going through with the contracting phase now!