There is so much to think about when planning your big day. Irrespective of where you plan to get married or where the wedding date falls on the calendar, the planning does not end until the last moment.
However, if it happens to be in the middle of a pandemic, you might be wondering what to do. You should prepare and plan for the potential that the wedding might be affected.
Whether you are planning a destination wedding or an intimate wedding at home, there are a lot of things surrounding COVID-19 and there is so much uncertainty that you might have to make a few changes to the wedding. A lot depends on the wedding date, location, number of guests, and the travel involved. Here are a few things you can do if COVID is affecting the wedding planning.
1. Be proactive
If you have booked the venue, do not wait for it to close or for the vendors to contact you. It is important that you take the first step and contact them. Ask them about the contingency plans and what your options are.
Nobody can tell if the bans or closures will be extended beyond the dates mentioned and you do not want to be in a position where it is too late to find yourself a plan B. Do what you can now and act immediately.
2. Contact the vendors
You need to have a serious discussion with vendors about the impact of the virus on your wedding. If you have hired a wedding planner, they can look into it. Otherwise, you need to reach out to the vendors individually. There will be varying responses but many will help you reschedule while many might lock you in a contract.
3. Review the contracts
Go through the fine print of the contracts with your vendors. Many contracts have clauses about refunds, date changes, and more. Each vendor is different and every contract will be different. If you are lucky, the vendors might be willing to bend the rules a little bit while many others will stick to the signed agreements.
A lot of vendors are willing to bend due to the impact of COVID and they will be happy to help you with the change in dates. Reach out to them and be open about your requirements.
4. Ask the difficult questions
Do not hesitate to ask your vendors whether you will be able to recoup any of your money. Ask them about sanitization practices and staff health. Be open about the tough questions because they are necessary conversations to have at this point. The vendors’ responses will put you at ease and will allow you to plan.
You can also think of alternate arrangements if needed.
5. Do not cancel, Postpone
Please do not cancel the wedding. Postpone it. If you call off the wedding, you will be robbing yourself of the once in a lifetime experience and you will hurt so many vendors’ businesses in the process.
There are many vendors who are more than willing to transfer the deposit and they will sign a new contract for you. According to Keyah Grande, a luxury mountain resort that offers wedding venues in Pagosa Springs, CO, you might have more venue options if you opt to postpone your date to keep the guests safe.
Many local vendors are losing out on business and people are losing jobs. If you cancel the wedding, it will have a huge impact on their businesses and could disrupt an entire household. Whenever possible, postpone the wedding but continue working with the same vendors.
6. Stay positive
You cannot do anything about the current situation but you can choose how to react. It is a terrible spot for many of you to be in but it is important to stay positive. You are embarking on a new journey and you should have a hopeful mindset.
Be open to small changes in date or time and trust your vendors. They are looking for business and doing everything to serve you well. Emotions are high for everyone but you need to approach them with a level head. Things might not be how and where you want but if you lead by love, the journey will be beautiful.
At the end of the day, you need to remember that everything can be figured out. These are challenging times and it is natural to feel overwhelmed but you need to take a deep breath and remember that you can handle it.
Do not let the uncertainty of the current times ruin your wedding plans. This will not last forever and you will get through it. We will come out stronger and there will come a day when you will tell your grandkids about the crazy time when you married during a quarantine.
