A Pandemic is probably not something that you ever thought you would have to worry about when planning your wedding, but we are living in weird times right now. Since most weddings are planned very far in advance it’s hard to foresee circumstances like these arising until they do. You may have planned your wedding during this time, or you may just be planning your wedding for a later time. Here are some of our best Pandemic Wedding Planning tips for both of these scenarios!
If your wedding is planned DURING the pandemic
Although this situation is not ideal at all for one of the biggest days of your life, there are still ways to hold a beautiful ceremony during this time while still staying in the guidelines put forth by the CDC.
Virtual Ceremony
A way to save your wedding if it was already planned during this pandemic is to hold your ceremony/reception as planned (if you can) and just show it all virtually. You can even have your guests participate if you use a program like Zoom! Everyone can log in, interact and watch all of the festivities from their home. Of course this is not as fun as being in person, but it’s a great alternative if you can’t reschedule your wedding.
Limited Ceremony
If allowed, limit your ceremony to under 10 people and practice social distancing as much as you can. Have guests sit apart from each other so that no one gets too close. That way they can still physically be there to witness your union. (The rest of your guests could watch through a live stream!)
Elope
Another option is to have a private ceremony for you and your spouse and celebrate with family and friends later when everything gets back to normal. This way you can still have the big day that you have been planning and looking forward to, and you can celebrate with the group later!
If you are POSTPONING your wedding because of the pandemic
If your wedding was originally planned during the pandemic, but you want to hold it at a later date here are some tips for postponing.
Alert Your Vendors and Guests
It’s important to alert your vendors as soon as possible and decide what future date will work with all your current vendors. Next is alerting your guests. You could send alerts through social media, email, your wedding website, letters, etc, or all 4 to make sure that everyone knows that your wedding is postponed.
Help Your Guests Who Travel
You may have many guests that have to travel for your wedding and most likely they already have accommodations booked. It would be good if you contacted hotels that you have reserved a block in to see what the options are with refunds or moving the date and relay this information to your traveling guests.
Know It’s Okay to Be Sad
Don’t feel bad that you feel bad. You have been looking forward to this day for a really long time and you probably never thought that something like this would ever happen, so it’s okay to be sad. There are a lot of terrible things happening around this, but you still have the right to grieve your big day. And just know that you will have your day soon!
Celebrate!
On the date that you had planned for your wedding celebrate with your spouse anyways! Grab a bottle of champagne and have a mini celebration just the two of you! And think about how great the actual day will be!
If you are Starting to plan a wedding during the pandemic
If you are just starting to plan your wedding, it’s completely natural to have a million questions especially what the future looks like. Unfortunately, there are many unknowns about when life will get back to normal, but don’t let that dampen your excitement about planning your wedding! Here are a few tips as you start/continue to plan during coronavirus.
Start Your Wedding Website
Wedding websites are awesome tools to help keep your guests in the know. Now’s the perfect time to start your wedding website and add info as you go.
Virtual Venue Tours
Virtual tours have been around for awhile. But now with Coronavirus many venues are offering Zoom & FaceTime tours to show you the space and give you the opportunity to ask questions.
Research Wedding & Travel Insurance
Take time to research wedding insurance. What does it cover and how much will it cost you? Does the policy cover external events, such as cancelations related to a global health crisis?
If your honeymoon or travel plans are beyond this Spring, check to make sure the cancellations policies are flexible and consider Cancel For Any Reason travel insurance.
Ask About Cancellation Policies
If you’re booking a venue or catering for an upcoming wedding or event, make sure you understand their policies. When can you cancel? what are the cancellation fees? Are there options to make up any missing food and beverage minimums? Not all company’s cancellation policies are the same and may not cover the situation with coronavirus.
Hold Off On Major Decisions
If you are planning a wedding for 2021 or 2022, hold off for a few weeks before making major decisions like booking your venue. Continue to do your research so that you’re ready to make decisions once we are able to make them.
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Remember at the end of the day what’s important is that you stay safe and that you’re married!
For more on COVID-19, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here, and the World Health Association here.