WEDDING PLANNING PROCESS DURING COVID-19
Navigating the wedding planning process during COVID-19? If your wedding is in a few months, we believe that you are in the clear. Some good advice is to reach out to your guests and express your excitement to celebrate your big day with all of them. Let your guests know that you are keeping an eye on the CDC guidelines. We are all hoping that this passes over and we can all celebrate together soon.
If your wedding is at the end of the year or next year, use this time to get all of your planning done! Do not let this virus stop you from planning your big day!
FIRST THINGS FIRST: START RING SHOPPING EARLY!
NEXT UP, THE BRIDAL PARTY:
Now is a great time to sit with your loved one and figure out who will be in your bridal party. During quarantine, get creative and come up with cute gifts to give to your bridal party. Support small businesses and order cute bridesmaid boxes from Etsy. For the Best Man & the groomsman get some gifts from The Man Registry. If you want to be even more creative, make your own gifts. DIY gifts help personalize things, so here are a few ideas: Buy a mason jar and fill it with some goodies and create a personalized label for the top of the jar. Purchase a dozen cute boxes and fill them with personalized items to make your bridal party feel special. There are so many great DIY affordable gifts to give to your bridal party; check some out here: POPSUGAR.
YOUR WEDDING WEBSITE:
There are so many different websites that you can choose from when it comes to your wedding website. Here are a few we recommend to our couples: The Knot, Zola, Weddingwire, Minted, and With Joy. Update your wedding website with your favorite photos! Upload pictures of everyone in the bridal party and write a paragraph about each person and how you know them. Do some research on must-see things you want guests to experience and add in restaurants you support and love. Don’t forget to share your love story!
TIME TO EXPLORE AND GET CREATIVE:
Are you overwhelmed with planning your wedding? Get your butt on Pinterest! We always encourage our couples to hop on Pinterest and create a wedding board. Pinterest is a great tool for couples because it helps you get inspired by all of the architecture, floral designs, decor, and the colors trends for your wedding. Not only is Pinterest great for design inspiration, but it’s also great for cocktail creations and food ideas. Pin these items to your wedding board and share these photos with your vendors on a Zoom call!
WEDDING PLAYLIST:
Now is the best time to work on your wedding playlist! Open a bottle of champagne and figure out what kind of music you want to play during each chapter of your day. First decide if you want a DJ, band, or both. The majority of couples use some sort of musician for their ceremony and have a DJ for their reception. The tricky part about a band is that sometimes they will only play a certain genre, so if that’s what you’re looking for, a band is a way to go! Get some inspiration. Watch some rom coms or do some digging on Spotify to find love songs. Variety is huge, mix up your genre of choice for your big day so that all of your guests get on that dance floor. If you are totally lost and need help, hop on a call or video with your DJ or band manager and ask for some advice.
REGISTER WEDDING GIFTS:
Register for gifts or honeymoon experiences. We all know that going into stores and using that little scanner gun is fun, but for the time being couples can take advantage of the wide array of online registry options available. Some of the options I love: My Registry, Blueprint Registry, and Zola. These sites make it easy to add items to your registry.
COCKTAIL TIME!
What better time to plan your signature cocktails and your happy hour menu than now, when you’re home? Now is the best time to sample some cocktails! Get back on Pinterest and pin some great recipes. Then get all the ingredients, mix them up and sample at home together! We also recommend to reach out to your catering team or bartending team for some cocktail inspiration. Here are some of my favorite places to get cocktail recipes: Food & Wine, Delish, and Brides. Always remember to make it colorful!
MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE WEDDING DAY-OF TIMELINE:
Sit on the couch with a glass of wine, a comfy blanket and your loved one and daydream on how your big day will flow. The key to a timeline that runs smoothly is to plan ahead and now is a fantastic time to do that. First things first, think about logistics like, where you will be getting ready, when would you like to take photos, how long will the ceremony be, etc. Always start your timeline from scratch. Guests are always running late, so we always recommend to put an earlier ceremony start time on your invitations to ensure your guests are “on time”. Best thing to do, is to reach out to a wedding professional like a Wedding Planner for advice.
GET A WEDDING PLANNER!
A lot of people make the mistake of not getting a wedding planner and then a few months before their big day, they’re scrambling for help. Stop stressing about your big day, hire a Wedding Planner! Now is a great time to reach out to your wedding professional and ask for advice. Even better, hop on a video call with your wedding planner, so you can provide them with visual ideas that you may have for your big day. Instead of spending your whole quarantine planning your wedding, hand it over to a professional.
ASK ABOUT CANCELLATION POLICIES:
Pay close attention to cancellation policies in your contracts. You can never ask too many questions. Couples that are getting married in the future have the upper hand right now because cancellation policies are being highlighted in contracts. Ask your venue, hotel, vendors, and even airlines what cancellation policies are applied in your contract. Most contracts have a “Force Majeure” (“act of God”) section that is under the cancellation policy section. In most cases, you can cancel (or “terminate”) your contract if there is an “act of God”. Couples that are getting married a year from now should not have any problems, but it is always good to highlight the cancellation policies in every contract you sign. Make sure your contract has an “Expenses” section that outlines what expenses are refundable and if there are any deadlines, make sure you cancel in time, so that you can get a full or partial refund.
ZOOM CALLS!
If you’re ready to book your vendors, take advantage of this time to schedule meetings via Facetime, Zoom, Hangout, etc. The majority of venues have amazing photos and videos on their website to help you get started with your search. We recommend reaching out to the venue manager and asking for a virtual walk-through of the event spaces. Using Zoom is also a great way to get to know your vendors and what they can provide to you on the day of your event. Schedule a happy hour with your planner and vendors and share what you’re excited about!
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