Planning a wedding during a pandemic has definitely thrown us all for a loop. And now that we are months-deep into this situation, wedding experts have had some time to adjust and assess their situation. Here are what those in the know have to say.
My best advice is know that you can still plan a beautiful and thoughtful event under the current circumstances. Adapt and come up with new unique ideas to still give your guests an amazing experience.
–Alana Klein, Swoon Events
My best piece of advice for planning a wedding during the pandemic is to prioritize. Prioritization is always important in planning, but especially in a pandemic where vendor schedules aren’t linear and they are being pulled every way for different types of celebrations, it’s important to prioritize and book those vendors as soon as possible. If you love a photographer and dreamt of having them for your wedding, book them as soon as you have a date and venue booked.
Also, read your contracts well. Most vendors have updated their contracts and there a lot more clauses in case of postponement or cancellation. Your initial payments are always non-refundable. Read the contracts and understand what you are signing up for. If the contract your vendor gives you doesn’t have clauses regarding postponement, cancellation or pandemic, make sure you ask them about it. Don’t wait for something to happen and then having to deal with it
–Sauwmi, Events by Sauwmi
Do what feels right for you. It’s a lot easier said than done, but make a list of 5 important things that you feel are musts. With the pandemic, put aside all the pressure of traditions and focus on the love you have for your partner. I have also decided to separate the idea of marriage (the most important part and most exciting part in my opinion) and the wedding/ celebration. I’m SO happy we got married and I think the wedding can wait or it may look completely different/ not traditional.
–Shanna, real bride
Use a wedding website to keep your guests posted, and collect email addresses to be able to send important information quickly!
–Liz, Liz Kotsamane Designs
Consider moving your wedding reception to next year. A fair amount of my couples still decided to celebrate by tying the knot as close to their original dates as possible and will be moving their reception/party until 2021. This will allow you to say your vows in front of your nearest and dearest, then host a bigger group when we can hopefully, dance, hug and party all night long next year, without having to forego any details you had originally planned.
–Nicole-Natassha Goulding, Chic by Nicole
Be flexible and prepared to go small. Memories are made where there is love, not necessarily the biggest budget.
–Jitka, ItkasanImages
Don’t feel bad about anything. Do what’s right for you. You’re doing your best. Friends or relatives giving you grief? You’re not getting married for them you’re getting married for you. Make decisions based on what you want and given the information you have in that moment. You have to be flexible and roll with it, but just never feel bad for doing what feels right for you.
–Khrystyna Kulyasa, Creative Director, Pastiche Events
Use this as an opportunity to really hone in on what’s actually important to you, and where you want to spend your money. A lot of my clients have been shifting their budget around and spending less money on the things that are only going to be important on “the day of” (flowers, menu cards, expensive rentals), and more money on what they can have for the years to come (photography, the rings, the outfits etc). Also, just go with the flow. Times are ever changing.
–Liane Vaz Designs
Find vendors that have flexible minimums and offerings. If you might need to scale up or down depending on changes to gathering limits, it’s important that your vendors can comfortably shift and adjust plans, minimums, etc.
–Valary, Vivid and Vogue
With so many rescheduled weddings, dates will be scarce. Remember that if you celebrate on a Sunday or even a weekday, people will understand. This pandemic has affected everyone. People will be looking forward to social gatherings and celebrations.
–Nicole Sharma, inxvii Events
If you don’t have a videographer, now is the time to book one!
–Deluca Films
In the midst of all the craziness and the little details that go into a wedding do not forget to take care of yourself, both mentally and physically. I understand many weddings are happening last minute, but find a way to make self-care and skin care a priority.
If you do not have time or if you do not feel safe getting a facial, speak to a trained aesthetician for at-home protocols to get your skin wedding ready. Skin goes a very long way in how your makeup looks in person and in photographs. Whether you’re having a 10-person or 100-person wedding, you want to look and feel your best. Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate (drink that water and apply that skincare)! Do not forget delicate areas such as the eyes and lips.
–Prerna, Prerna & Co.
Read the fine print to make sure you understand cancellation or refund policies. Things like florists deal with live product and if you cancel too late, sometimes we cannot refund you because all the flowers go to waste or because the flowers have been custom ordered just for your wedding/event!
–Cassia, Blush and Balsam
In planning your wedding during this pandemic try to find the best in this tough situation. Planning your wedding now in comparison to prior COVID may be a little different. Ensure all vendors you book with have a clause in their contracts that refers to you possibly having to postpone your wedding in 2021 and that they offer flexibility and options as part of your signed agreement with them. Now it’s more important than ever to have back-up plans, so discuss plan Bs as a just-in-case with your wedding planner and vendors. We are all hoping everything to be back to normal in 2021, but at this point everyone is still taking things day by day and things are still uncertain for next year. All in all, take time to enjoy time together as an engaged couple where you have a date night and not discuss anything wedding related as wedding planning can get overwhelming at times, especially now.
–Elena Siavelis, Events by Elena
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