5 Tips for When Your Wedding Plans Change Due to a Pandemic
If you’ve had to change up your wedding plans due to the coronavirus, I can’t imagine how stressful this must feel! Though I want to acknowledge that this must be hard, this isn’t a pity-party blog post — I’m going to be sharing helpful tips, actionable steps and advice from other couples in the very same situation. This week I asked on my Instagram for advice from couples who have had to change up their wedding plans due to the coronavirus and I was blown away by the responses and positive feedback. Yes, this time is hard but we really ARE in this together.
Let’s hear from the couples who are going through this right now, shall we?
The biggest thing I’m learning from this is non-attachment and having to step back to see the big picture. Oh! And read the new cancellation contracts carefully! I lost out on a lot of money, because I took a vendor’s word for it instead of reading through the contract as well. Read your contracts! — Becca
A good vendor should always match what they say in email/over the phone in their contract. And if you have any questions about the contract, a good vendor should always be willing to answer them! Don’t feel embarrassed for asking questions.
My fiancé and I sat down together and said “What matters most is that we get married, not when we get married.” We went forward with that mentally and reached out to all of our vendors to see what dates they had available since we wanted to try to keep as many of our vendors as possible. We were able to find a date that worked with all our vendors and were surprised by the kindness and compassion by everyone! — Sarah
Taking a deep breath and starting with the right mindset is SO important. Don’t reach out to all your vendors in a panic — they are dealing with a lot right now too. Remember that yes your wedding is a very important day, but to vendors in the wedding industry, this their livelihood at stake. If you are open and kind to them, most likely you are going to get kindness back. Oh and make sure you trust the vendors you hire in the first place. Read reviews, talk to them a lot . . . this is your wedding team so “vibing” with them is crucial!
This next tip is from a gal who had to cancel her Colorado destination wedding (oooff right?!), they decided to have a tiny ceremony with their parents on their original wedding date and then have a reception with all their friends later. Here’s what she says.
My fiancé and I figured out our values together. We decided it was best to go ahead and get married with our parents there, then have a reception later. I’m usually not a silver linings person . . . but having our wedding in a more intimate setting first and a more public setting later is making it even more special. And I get to wear my wedding dress twice! — Aly
Reschedule your wedding to a Friday! It gave us way more options and we were able to move all of our vendors over to our new date. — Suzannah
Fridays and Sundays are less popular days than Saturdays. If you can swing it, weekdays are even less likely to be booked by your vendors!
Look for the humor in it all . . . you’re a part of the Coronavirus wedding couple tribe now and we’ve got this! — Sallie
Though it might not seem super funny at first, one day you’ll probably look back on this and laugh these crazy times! We’re living in the midst of history right now. One day you’ll be able to tell your grandkids or friends that your wedding happened during a pandemic and how often are people able to say that?
Let’s do a little refresh about what you should do —
Take a deep breath & talk about your values with your partner.
Decide on if you are going to postpone your entire wedding OR if you are going to continue with a tiny wedding (if that is a viable option in your area), then have a reception later.
Reach out to your vendors and important family members to find a new date. Be flexible.
Sign contracts with your vendors for the new wedding date & double-check everything.
Take another breath. It’s going to be okay. “What matters most is that we get married, not when we get married.”
And mostly . . . we’re in this together. The main reason I wanted to write this post is because there are so many couples going through this right now. We could all use a little encouragement right now. This pandemic is bringing the world together and I truly believe that at the end of it, we’ll come out as better humans.
— Kendra
talk to me on instagram, I’m all here for it!
