Hey all! 👋 I just want to share some positivity and encouragement for those who are planning a wedding during the current COVID-19 outbreak. This corona virus outbreak is affecting EVERYONE: not just students, parents, and health care workers, but also those are planning their wedding during such a time of uncertainty.
I’m writing this because my wedding was affected by COVID-19 too.
My fianc̩ and I had our wedding planned for mid-March of 2020 and we were faced with many doubts and decisions that needed to be made in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. So let me tell you firstly Рeverything is going to be okay.
We faced thoughts of changing our venue, changing our date, lowering our guest count, eloping, and all of the fears that came along with those choices. All in all, we ended up having our wedding as planned although the DAY AFTER OUR WEDDING large gatherings were banned and social distancing was put in place. COVID-19 changed the way we interacted with our guests: we bumped elbows instead of hugs, stayed away from older guests, and kept our gathering relatively short. Things won’t be completely normal either way, but looking at the situation positively will help in every way.
Now, I just want to encourage you with a few things to remember as you’re continuing in the wedding planning journey. I hope that you can find positivity and a sense of relief after reading this, because I can promise you: with the right attitude, you can make the most out of every situation.
Don’t let COVID-19 take over your time of being engaged.
About a week before my wedding, literally ALL we would talk about was ‘COVID-19 this’ and ‘corona virus that’, and it came to a point where the virus outbreak was all I thought about. While this virus is definitely a serious thing and shouldn’t be taken lightly, we shouldn’t let it take over the joy of the wedding planning process.
Don’t let your heart and mind get stuck on the negativity that comes along with COVID-19, but stay focused on the fun things about engagement (like spending the rest of your lives with each other!). COVID-19 almost ruined my wedding attitude, and don’t let it put out your flame of excitement for getting married!
Just because you have to reschedule or downsize doesn’t mean you’re not getting married.
At the end of the day, a postponed or smaller wedding doesn’t take away from the fact that you are getting married! While it may not be the big, 300 person party you were hoping for…you can at least say to your children that you eloped (which gives you extra cool points).
There are so many ways to make your wedding COVID-19 friendly. You can:
- Elope now and have a big party later this year
- Reschedule your wedding to a later date
- Elope & go on with life!
- Livestream your wedding to all of your invited guests
- Have a social distancing wedding where everyone is 6 feet apart
Like I said, although these may not be IDEAL circumstances, don’t stray away from the main goal in this whole planning process: marriage.
Quarantine is the perfect time to make changes to your wedding.
We’re all stuck in our houses for 3+ weeks, so why not spend this time organizing your game plan for your upcoming wedding? (because, let’s be real, what else do we have to do besides watch Tiger King? Asking for a friend)
You can contact all of your vendors during this time, and should be able to get everything squared away for whatever changes you need to make. Be productive and start to make moves to keep your wedding on track!
Vendors and guests are going to be very understanding and flexible to continue working with you.
I know it can be fearful to contact your vendors with the ‘Can we reschedule?’ email, but trust me… your vendors want to help you in whatever way they can.
*Disclaimer* I’m not saying that every vendor will give you full refunds with an extra prize for cancelling, but they will want to make sure that you’re taken care of for your new plans.
Here’s a few things to keep in mind while contacting vendors and making new plans for your wedding:
- Is there a date that they’re free & I can reschedule instead of cancel?
- If I have to cancel with a vendor, was my deposit refundable? If so, how much would you get back?
- Can they downsize their packages to only 8-10 people?
- Are they a business who is struggling during this time as well? Can I have grace on them when they can’t refund my deposit?
Your vendors are the people who will help to make your day run smoothly, so be sure to treat them with kindness and respect as they are probably facing challenges as well.
Make the best out of this situation.
COVID-19 sucks! But it doesn’t have to make your wedding suck too. No matter what ways this virus is affecting your wedding, try to make the best out of this time. Having a good attitude and a positive outlook will help to keep this time fun and memorable!
Share this with your engaged friend who needs a little pick me up during the COVID-19 blues!
