Good morning, friends. This post has been on my heart to write for awhile now so I’m finally sitting down at my computer to get it out there. Covid 19 has taken over our year completely and after 7 months of working with brides to pivot and reschedule I have some advice, so let’s get into it.
1. Read your contracts
If you are just engaged and booking your vendors-read those contracts. Like every word. Contracts have changed this year. Brides need to clearly understand before signing each contract how each vendor will handle things if you were to totally cancel or postpone. You need to know about rescheduling fees if any will incur. Legal jargon can be unclear, so feel free to reach out to your vendors with any questions if you don’t understand. Know this too, being forced to reschedule your wedding vs. choosing to reschedule may be viewed as different situations to a vendor. We of course understand your choice to want to move your wedding and vendors as a whole have been accommodating and doing all we can for our sweet brides. We are a business though and we support our families. Many of us are struggling to be here for future weddings. This industry has been crushed. So when a venue, caterer, hair and makeup artist, or planner includes rescheduling fees if you choose to move your wedding or other measures that may seem unfair, please remember we are a business and taking up multiple weekend days with only 1 wedding can be disastrous financially. Knowing all this information before signing a contract will result in smooth sailing and no surprises if rescheduling comes up.
2. Guest count
First things first- and this will probably be unpopular. If you want to have a 30 person celebration because you and your family would feel safer- do it. If you want to have a 250 person wedding because that is your dream - do it. Don’t let anyone’s judgement deter you from what you want. Everyone’s weddings going forward will look different from one another and that’s ok.
Your guest count will depend on your state, If you are in a state with less strict measures in place (most important being social gathering size) and you are comfortable with your guest size, I would keep the original guest list that you have had in your mind. If you are in a state that keeps going back into phase 1 or 2 or changes gathering size from time to time, or you just want to have a smaller wedding for safety reasons, keep it below 50 so you don’t have to deal with guests being cut or desperately trying to lower it weeks out from your wedding.
3. Have fun with it
If your venue is requiring or you are wanting masks for guests and other safety measures, have fun with it! It doesn’t have to look so apocalyptic. Be creative and come up with cute signage for social distancing, supply masks that match your decor. Separate people in a way that isn’t noticeable. (More tables with less people at each), pods of chairs at ceremony. Signature drinks that relate to our current climate could be super cute! There is so much potential to have fun with all the craziness going on. Don’t let it get you down, embrace it.
4. Hire a planner
I know, I know. Shocking coming from a wedding planner. Really though. In normal times it’s such a good idea to hire one. In Covid times it’s a no brainer. Here’s why…
We know the ins and outs of the industry and we’ve had months of experience dealing with the changes and all that has come with Covid. We can help navigate you in a direction that leads to the best possible outcome without being emotionally attached. When something stressful is happening wouldn’t it be great if someone else just took care of it? Your wedding can have that person. Having a professional in place in a Covid world can potentially save you big bucks in contract changes if a reschedule comes into play. Tip: Hire a planner before you do anything-including booking a venue.
We can help pivot your design and keep your vision for your day so you don’t feel overwhelmed or feel like you have to change every little thing.
We make sure your logistics are corona friendly. (Now there’s a sentence no one would get a year ago-hah)
We are your sounding board when you need to vent. We’re here for you. This is stressful, lean on your planner.
5. Just because it’s small doesn’t mean it won”t be beautiful
Ok, You’ve switched it up to a micro wedding or elopement. Will it still be what you envision? YES. Will is be boring? NO. There is so much potential for micro weddings. As a planner and floral designer, I’m actually super excited for them. There is something to be said for small and intimate. Pour meaningful details into your day. Create fancy welcome baskets for your family, indulge in a wonderful meal and celebrate with those closest to you among fresh florals and candlelight. Don’t ever think just because you’re going small that it won’t exude meaning and all things beautiful. Tip: Keep your photographer and planner. Splurge on florals.
6. it’s okay to cry
Ok, so you’ve postponed. Maybe more than once. It’s ok to be sad, to cry, to scream, to feel like it’s not fair, like the world is ending. It’s okay to have those feelings. You are not alone even though it feels like you are. The pretty awesome thing? You and your soon to be husband will have gone through one of the hardest times of your lives together and this will make your bond so much stronger. In 20 years, all of this won’t matter- you might even be able to laugh about how you were married in the time of Corona instead of rolling your eyes at all the drama you went through. For right now though, feel all the feels, friend.
7. Remember the bigger picture
If anything has been learned this season, it’s that relationships and the small things really do matter the most. At the end of the day your marriage matters. At the end of the day, you’ll be just as married irregardless if your wedding was what you originally envisioned or smaller or completely different or if you waited a whole extra year. Yeah, flowers and invitations, and the food, and the music are fun and you look forward to it all throughout your planning journey. They’re not as good as the marriage and life you are starting. That’s the big picture. You are not alone sweet brides. Good luck.
Warmly,
Michelle
Images by Natalie Jayne Photography and Jenna Henderson Photography
