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It’s no surprise that many of us are having to make tough decisions about upcoming events in this uncertain time of this Corona Virus pandemic. Whether it’s birthday parties, baby showers, or wedding days, our initial plans are having to pivot to accommodate both CDC and government recommendations. For brides & grooms who have a wedding coming up this Spring it can definitely be a stressful time knowing the wedding you’ve been planning for months may not happen as you had hoped. But I’m here to tell you, you CAN still have a beautiful wedding day, even if it’s not the plan you had initially! If you have an upcoming wedding this Spring, here’s a few ideas to keep in mind!
Have a Small, Intimate Ceremony
Every bride looks forward to their wedding day and no one wants to see it pushed back weeks or even months later. So why not still get married on your date with just a very small group of people, within the CDC guidelines? Don’t think of it as settling for something less than, think of it as an intimate, styled ceremony with those closest to you. No waiting months to tie the knot or move in together, just you and the love of your life making your vows to each other. You can still have a reception or celebration with your full guest list at a later date when all of this calms down and I guarantee they will all be just as happy for you then! This also allows you to keep your initial vendors and still have a beautiful day you dreamed about just with less people! You could even have the ceremony live streamed for those guests who can’t attend the event!
Postpone Your Date, Don’t Cancel
I’ve been hearing lots of talk in the wedding industry about brides thinking they need to cancel their wedding day due to the virus. First let me clarify that the definition of cancel is “to decide or announce that (a planned event) will not take place.” I’m assuming you don’t love your fiancé any less because of the corona virus so instead of “canceling” your event postpone it! Reach out to your vendors and find a date that works for all of them if possible to move your wedding to a new date. Most vendors are willing to apply the payments you’ve already made to a new date so you aren’t losing any money and you can still celebrate your wedding day with the full guest list you had envisioned. You chose your vendors for a reason, so if possible try to keep them all! This may mean you need to get a little creative on choosing a new date since many vendors are already mostly booked for the year. Think outside the box! Instead of a Friday or Saturday wedding, consider a Sunday or weekday wedding! This way you won’t need to wait as long to find available date and can still keep your vendors!
Don’t Make a Decision Until You Have To
If you’ve been watching the news at all, you know that the situation is changing on the daily. A LOT can change in a few weeks and there is no need to panic until you know things are for sure not able to happen as planned. At the time of me writing this, the current social distancing guidelines of 10 people or less have been extended until April 30. If your wedding isn’t until the end of May or June, I wouldn’t start making changes quite yet! Let’s see how this all plays out for a bit and then make those tough decisions! You can of course start discussing possible options for IF it would get to that point but don’t cause yourself unnecessary stress. Maybe create a Facebook group with your guests so you have a quick way of updating them on any changes that may be happening, chat with your vendors and see what days they have available for a back-up date if needed. Reach out to your wedding planner or photographer (we end up being a lot like a wedding planner on most wedding days 😉 ) to see if they have ideas or can help you with anything! Most of us have a lot more free time right now with everything going on and would be happy to help or even just be a listening ear!
Ultimately, just remember that no matter how big or how small your ceremony is or when your wedding day ends up being, it’s really about you and your fiancé and the love you have for each other. This unprecedented time we are in will eventually be thing of the past and you will have one incredible story to share about the year 2020, when we lived through a pandemic and you married the love of your life.
