Have you ever had a wedding client drag things out?
Help me understand this, because I’m at a loss for words…
Wedding was over a year ago.
I’ve been paid. That’s not the issue.
I’ve been working on the same wedding album for the entire time. I delivered the first draft with all the images, she said NOTHING about changes and agrees to the final viewing. We spent FIVE hours making changes. I was po’d, because all of these changes could’ve been done prior to me sitting in her living room. So, I’m packing up, ready to go home and place the order, and she takes a call. The person on the call gives her the idea of including her vows…and the guest notes on their wedding site…and all the guest photos that she received. Now, I own that I should’ve set a boundary there—but I also could not have imagined how this would turn out. I told her to send everything to me that night, and I’d work on it over the weekend.
She took 3 or 4 months to send me the stuff. Then, hit me up, essentially rushing me to finish the album. I sent her receipts of how I’d been waiting on her to deliver the content she wanted to add. Her tune changes…and she proceeds to send me 40 something guest photos…one at a time via text. It felt passive aggressive, but I didn’t say anything.
I send her the new draft; and, now, she’s requesting all sorts of changes that she never even mentioned before. She also says something about me not getting back to her, trying to make it seem like I was the reason it was taking so long, and made a comment about wanting it by their anniversary. So, I sent her an entire timeline of the events, with dates and timestamps of our correspondence, along with a schedule she must agree to in order for me to deliver it by then (she would have had to review it same day, had one chance to ask for changes, and all content had to be delivered that night). Again, her attitude changes and she says she didn’t mean that they had to have it by then.
I complete the revisions, and send her the final draft. She asks for a few more changes—at this point, I’m just doing it and sending it, because I know I hadn’t set the right boundaries at the right time and just want it over with.
We’re on what should be the final revision and ready to order; and she texts me asking where we stand—I tell her the final draft is up and ready to review. Weeks goes by, I reach out by email. A couple more go by, and she’s now texting me, asking if she’s been lost in the shuffle..as if she can’t see the texts I sent weeks ago. So, I send screenshots of the texts and the emails, and ask if she’s not seeing them.
Like… I don’t understand. You’ve already paid. You know I have proof of this entire situation. What benefit does she get by dragging this out?? All she has to do is confirm it, so I can order and deliver. I’ve done every single thing she requested (and have completely changed my contract).