Planning your wedding can be stressful, planning your wedding during a pandemic is even more so!
As of March 15, 2020, the CDC has officially recommended the cancellation or postponements of weddings and/or large gatherings for the next 8 weeks in the US. (Read more about that HERE.)
The Covid-19 virus is greatly impacting the wedding industry as a whole, understandably, these are serious times and people aren’t sure what to do right now. I have seen so many of my peers in this industry post about cancellations left and right. I myself have rescheduled weddings recently because of the virus. I thought it might be helpful to give a handful of tips and advice on making it through this craziness right now!
****Please keep in mind, these are my personal thoughts and opinions from my own experience. This is most definitely not “the law of the land”. These are just suggestions and hopefully they’re helpful for those who just need some guidance on what they should do currently.
Communication is Key
Make sure you keep clear communications with all your vendors during this time. Touch base with them and make sure everyone has a plan of action ready to help you if you need to reschedule. I would suggest creating an email group so communications are the same with everyone and it keeps everyone on the same page in regards to planning your day and possible rescheduling. It allows there to be understanding and transparency for all vendors involved in making your day happen!
Emotional & Mental Health
Prepare yourself emotionally & mentally to have changes with your date that you’ve set. This is something that is effecting everyone in the wedding industry, we are all working to help our clients in every way possible with rescheduling their weddings. Try to keep yourself prepared for changes and open to those changes.
Re-scheduling Your Date
Your wedding date is super important to you and we get that! If you find yourself in this situation, just know that we are here for you!! We understand the frustration. Most vendors are working hard to ensure that we have availability for rescheduled dates. If your wedding date is being affected by this pandemic currently, look into pushing it back several months or rescheduling for the following year on the same date. This is stressful we know, but safety and well-being for yourself, your guests, and your vendors is a priority for all.
Inform Your Guests
Keep your guests informed of any possible changes. Let them be aware as soon as possible if you are in the process of changing your date. The better informed everyone is, the better chances you’re going to be able to reschedule and still have everyone you want to celebrate with you there as well. This will allow for rescheduling babysitters, time off from work, travel, etc.
Remain Calm
I feel this is probably the most important piece of advice any of us vendors can give you. Please don’t make any permanent decisions on a temporary feeling! Rather than panicking and cancelling everything, gather your thoughts, your concerns, and everything that you feel needs to be addressed and write them down. Once you’ve done that, go down the list and address them one at a time. As stated in the first tip, communication is key! I am always available to chat with my brides and help them navigate their day. This is no different! Your vendors care and want to calm any fears you may have about rescheduling as much as possible. We are here for you and we are here to help! Try your best to stay calm and be optimistic. You’re marrying your person. That’s all that matters! The date may change, but the love and celebration will be the same!!
These are uncharted waters for everyone right now. We are all doing our best to navigate through this together. I just want to send out encouragement to all the couples, my photographer peers, and wedding vendor associates having to go through this right now. We will make it through this!
Much love to you all!!