Did you have a wedding planned between March 2020 and now? If so, you are among thousands that had to make unprecedented changes to your wedding plans and date. You are not alone! The struggle is real, and we wedding professionals are right there with you. Fear not, as the industry will bounce back from the global pandemic.
With so many delays and reschedules of wedding and events, we have some helpful tips to get through the pandemic.
Hire a wedding planner. Even if you did not have one to start the planning process, a wedding planner can assist you in so many ways. Of course, they will help plan, coordinate, and get you through the wedding day. They will also be able to help you reschedule and work with new or existing Vendors if you are one of the many unlucky couples who must change the wedding date. Wedding planners are on your side and can often negotiate new dates and avoid contract terms and extra fees.
If you are pondering when to reschedule your wedding – think long term. With numerous weddings from 2020 moving to 2021 + the couples who initially scheduled weddings for 2021, there are few to no dates during peak wedding season left. We suggest looking into 2022 for a new wedding date.
Do you have a special date or reason you scheduled a wedding in 2020 or early 2021? Was it the same date as your parent’s anniversary or the day you first met? You can keep your date by proceeding with the formal or legal part of the ceremony – signing the marriage license. It is not glamourous but at least your “official” wedding date will be your intended one. All you need (in Minnesota) is an Officiant, yourselves, and 2 witnesses.
If you opted for the above, consider moving your ceremony and/or reception to a later date. You can still symbolically host the ceremony; you just won’t be signing the marriage license on the rescheduled date. Hosting a reception down the road has some advantages. You have more time to save money for the reception. There will likely be a vaccine for Covid-19 in the (hopefully near) future. Your guests will not have to worry about travel, etc.
While rescheduling your wedding date – start with the Vendors who only perform or take on one wedding per day or weekend. Vendors like photographers, Videographers, DJ’s, live musicians, Officiants, and your venue typically are available for one wedding a day/weekend. Coordinate to reschedule these Vendors first. Vendors such as linen rentals, florists, caterers, etc. usually have inventory and staff where they do more than 1 event on a given day.
Make sure your new date lines up with all the VIP family members and wedding participants.
This is a hard one but can save you some money if you are patient. Print and send your wedding invitations as late as possible. With so many changes to policies regarding large gatherings, it best if you can wait to print and send your invites. That will save money in the event the pandemic continues to worsen. If you get caught right after you send your invitations, create a “postcard” with information about postponing the wedding date. Better yet – make sure you have a note on your invitation or guide your guests to your wedding website for details in case the pandemic delays your wedding.
Purchase wedding insurance. This will help protect you from potential losses or problems with venues and vendors, pandemic or not.
Regularly stay in tune with the local news. Here in Minnesota, we just had a new set of policies and restrictions implemented by the Governor which will take affect tonight, November 20 at 11:59pm. Again, our abilities to resume life pre-pandemic is always changing, so stay in touch with the current news.
Once you have found a new wedding date – take a break from wedding planning. Especially if you reschedule your wedding for 2022 or later, there is no sense to plan this far out. It will cause unnecessary stress, you will find more things to spend money on, and you could change the overall design and décor of your wedding. It is good to take a back seat for now, then hop on board when you are around the 4-8+ months away from your wedding before you tackle the planning again.
If you have questions or need help, we have a variety of tools to assist you during the pandemic. From hourly consultations to full-service wedding planning, CONTACT US today.
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