“Your day will come, and trust us when we say it will be the most amazing thing. When we can all come together and celebrate, there will be nothing else like it.”
What to Know If You’re Planning a Wedding During the Coronavirus Pandemic
There’s a lot to think about when planning your big day – no matter where your wedding date falls on the calendar. But if it happens to be in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, you might be wondering what you should do – if anything – to prepare and plan for the potential that your wedding may be affected in one way or another.
What to Know About Coronavirus (COVID-19) Diagnosis
Right now, whether you’re planning a wedding at home or abroad, there are countless moving parts surrounding COVID-19 – and since this situation is fluid, what it means for your wedding, specifically, really depends on your wedding date. That said, as of March 15, 2020, there is one thing we know one thing for certain: The CDC has officially recommended the cancellation of weddings in the United States for eight weeks, or until mid-May (read more here).
While this news, unfortunately, means a change of plans for weddings within the next few weeks, we have to remember that so much is up in the air, especially for weddings that are months away. At this time, due to the uncertainty of the situation, many planners are now recommending that couples move weddings through June, and possibly into July, domestically and consider postponing (or making a domestic backup plan) for all 2020 weddings overseas.
To help you prepare for what you should do – and help if you do, sadly, have to change plans – we have networked with experts across the wedding industry, including travel consultants and wedding planners, to give you a closer look at how COVID-19 is affecting wedding planning right now, and how to prep for the coming months. Their overall advice? Be prepared, follow the news closely, and maintain an open conversation with your vendors and guests.
“Whenever there is a problem, there is always a solution to the problem.”
And, no matter your situation, it’s important to keep your eye on the end goal. The number one priority, As always, is to take care of yourself. Honestly, it’s OK to cry. It’s OK to be angry or to feel a wide range of emotions. One thing we like to tell our clients is that it’s not a matter of if, just a matter of when. Your day will come, and trust us when we say it will be the most amazing thing. When we can all come together and celebrate, there will be nothing else like it.
Don’t postpone, split it up!
You already have the date – go for it! (in moderation of course).
Many of my couple have chosen to march ahead with things – keeping the original date for a small intimate ceremony and having the big bash later in the year. This keeps the date you have already dreamed about for your actual wedding and allows you to enjoy the day with a small group of family, but still gives the joy of celebration with all your extended family and friends at a later time.
We have already done this with a number of May weddings in the Central Ohio area who are still getting married with a small ceremony in May and pushing the reception to either the Fall of 2020 or the Spring of 2021. (Note: At this time, the CDC has officially recommended the postponement of large weddings in the United States until mid-May. Some states, such as Ohio, have shelter-in-place orders in effect until early June, but still allow small family gatherings for weddings, so be sure to keep up with the latest orders at your specific wedding location.)
To help with this kind of plan, we can photograph both events for you, and even offer live streaming services thru our partner Blue Skies HD Video & Film Productions, LLC.
What you need to know about coronavirus, based on when and where you’re planning to say “I do.”
If Your Wedding Is Planned in the United States in April, May, June, or July:
If you are slated to marry in May or June 2020 and even into July 2020, we strongly recommend you have a discussion with your family and closest friends about the effects of C-19 on them and travel and safety for the wedding. We have already postponed a number of May weddings in the Central Ohio area to either the Fall of 2020 or the Spring of 2021. (Note: At this time, the CDC has officially recommended the postponement of large weddings in the United States until mid-May, while some states, such as Ohio, have shelter-in-place orders in effect until early-June, so be sure to keep up with the latest orders at your specific wedding location.)
What to Know If You’ve Decided to Postpone
Whether you’re forced to postpone or decide to out of precaution, it’s important to remember that you do have options, and your vendor team will be there to guide you through the process of postponing your event. (We are here for you!) We want this to happen for you – you deserve to celebrate – Let’s just shift the date to make that happen. To help you navigate that process, see our step-by-step guide below. Oh, and if you decide to postpone until 2021, make any important decisions as soon as you can and then take a nice long planning break!
When to Postpone?
When considering the right time to officially make the call there are a lot of variables to keep in mind. Every situation is different, but generally speaking, to allow for a process with far less stress, we are recommend that the decision be made at least three to five months before the wedding date. In order to make the decision that is best for you, your wedding, and the safety of all of your guests, consider taking the below steps.
Consult With Your Team:
First, we encourage couples to speak with your entire creative team in the same swoop – if you have a wedding planner let them handle this for you – contacting the venue, catering team, musicians, video and photography teams, and basically anyone involved in the day.
Get a pulse on any potential back-up plans and have alternate dates in place sooner in case state regulations or other outlooks shift. The goal is to have all of your loved ones safely attend your big day so everyone can celebrate with you. Try to think about changing a date as just that – picking up your wedding and simply moving it to a date that feels good for everyone involved so everyone can safely celebrate.
Recognize Your Priorities:
When you postpone a wedding, you should be first and foremost determining if the venue (and hotels) can accommodate the new date. After confirming with your venue, you should be reaching out to all your other vendors simultaneously to see if they can do the same date. Chances are slim that your entire plan and team will be able to be carried over without any changes, and you’ll have to consider any extra fees that may be associated when determining whether to postpone later in 2020 or move to 2021, but in general you’re aiming for the least amount of changes and financial impact as possible. Again we are here for you – we have NO additional costs to moving your day if it is absolutely needed.
Consider Your Guests:
Where your guests are traveling from is definitely a huge factor. Just like the availability of your venue, if your guests have made travel plans, you need to think about how much time they’ll need to make adjustments. If your guests are primarily local, you can likely make your final decision closer to three months out but it’s important to keep in mind that invitations should really be sent at W – three months to allow for an RSVP deadline of eight weeks before the wedding date. We always recommend eight weeks to allow for seamless production (availability of décor, the printing of dated day-of materials, sourcing of welcome gifts, etc.).
In terms of a postpone-by date, the sooner the better so you can ensure a 2020 or 2021 date that fits and that you can communicate with your guests quickly, either by phone or an email to them all. With so many spring and summer weddings moving, we recommend acting swiftly so you can inform your guests and your vendor team.
If Your Wedding Is Planned in the United States After July
Create a roadmap of options so that once more information comes in, you can make quick and informed decisions.
What’s Recommended?
Depending on when and where it’s planned, your wedding may be affected by COVID-19 and it is really up in the air right now. That said, it’s important to stay informed and make educated decisions as more (reliable) news becomes available. It’s a waiting game right now. Things are changing day by day and week by week. Don’t do anything drastic before you have a chance to be properly informed.
Weddings Planned for August:
We recommend that the postponement of August weddings be determined no later than the end of May because of the timing of invitations. We would honestly consider calling it earlier, but we think there’s a lot of crucial information coming in the next month, and we want to understand the full picture before making any serious decisions.
Weddings Planned for September and Beyond:
For weddings in fall, we all have a little more time, but keep in mind that it all depends on whether or not guests are traveling for your wedding, as well as your venue’s availability to accommodate a postponement.
How to (Cautiously) Prepare Ahead of Time
In order to make a decision when the time comes, go ahead and have a serious discussion with your vendor team to decide the best plan of action moving forward. It doesn’t hurt to know what your options may be if the current regulations are extended to include your wedding date – so speak to your planner, if you have one, and if not, call your venue to see what your options might be.
Talk to Your Venue:
If you’ve booked a popular wedding venue that does 52 weddings a year, you might not be able to get in any sooner than a year out if you wait too long to decide – unless of course, you choose another day of the week. With that said, some venues won’t even discuss postponement with you too far in advance because they have to allow spring 2020 weddings to postpone first.
Moral of the story? Talk to your venue and be transparent about what your concerns are so that you have a support system and can be ready to make the leap when the time is right.
Speak With Your Vendors:
Sometimes it’s best to get it out of your system and think of the worst scenarios so you can prepare and come up with a game plan. Ask vendors about solutions should you need to postpone your event if you and/or your partner get diagnosed with COVID-19. If you’ve already signed contracts with wedding vendors (we hope you did!), it’s smart to go ahead and have a sit-down discussion with all of your wedding vendors. Sit down and revisit their contract to what might happen if they need to cancel or postpone their wedding, You should have a transparent and honest conversation about your anxieties with all of the vendors on the topic of sanitization and what vendors are doing to keep themselves and their wedding party/guests safe.
Keep Everyone in the Loop:
To avoid having to constantly field questions from family members and wedding guests we suggest to proactively add a blurb to your wedding website acknowledging the coronavirus, and letting guests know you will keep them in the loop should any plans change. Keeping an up to date email list is vital too and you can easily reach out to people that way as well. You can also go as far as adding a link to the CDC website in the ‘travel and accommodations’ section of your wedding website so guests can quickly access up-to-date and accurate information as well.
Be Considerate of Your Guests:
To that point we cannot emphasizes how important it is to account for your guests’ health, time, and finances at this time. Be really be considerate of your guests, and try to give yourself a deadline to make a decision that allows for their comfort and peace of mind. Just as on the day of the wedding, you want them to feel taken care of, giving them extra time to make adjustments or cancellations to their travel will be greatly appreciated.
If Your Wedding Is Planned Internationally in 2020
Due to travel restrictions and the amount of travel associated with destination weddings abroad, having a backup plan is imperative to couples, their families, and their creative teams. We won’t know when international flights will be allowed again and though we hope that’s soon, time will tell. We hope that our creative partners and friends in Europe and other international destinations will come out of the pandemic strong and ready to celebrate, but we just don’t know what that timetable looks like right now.
What Are Your Options?
Consider Postponing in Your Original Destination:
For our clients getting married in any areas where they’ve requested you limit travel to in 2020, many traveling vendors are working out deals with their clients. When rescheduling a destination wedding, you’ll also have to account for a change in guest accommodations. Have you signed hotel contracts and, if so, will they allow you to postpone all rooms to another date? What other events are happening in the area you’re getting married in that weekend? Will the rates stay the same?
Consider Choosing a New Domestic Location:
To be prepared, consider an amazing domestic location as a back-up for a weekend or week-long wedding getaway in the U.S. The majestic islands in Washington State are breathtaking, San Diego’s beaches are incredible, Napa Valley is filled with rolling hills and grapevines, upstate New York is pastoral and serene, and New England in the fall is just stunning – all beautiful locations that could be a spectacular substitute to your original ideas. Find a location that means something to both of you, or to your families that you maybe didn’t think of before, like the lake house where you got engaged at or the mountains where you grew up hiking with your family, or the coast where you vacation with your friends each summer. While having a domestic wedding might look different, you can still roll with the same vision for having an extended weekend and get your guests excited.
What to Do If You (or Your Guests) Are Booking Travel
Whether you’re booking honeymoon travel or asking guests to travel for the big day, weddings involve some degree of travel. Knowing this, it’s important to understand travel options for both you and your guests in the coming months.
Understand Cancellation Policies:
First and foremost, anyone with domestic or international travel arrangements should check the CDC’s and WHO’s websites daily and ask their own doctor for recommendations. Beyond this, we are advising that our clients to mark their calendars with cancellation deadlines to make a better decision at the point when they might lose a deposit (or more) rather than making an immediate decision when it might not be required and might not make any difference financially. Check with the hotels or cruise partners on potential waivers or flexible policies that will allow them to move dates without an additional cost.
Consider CFAR Insurance:
If your honeymoon or travel plans are beyond this summer, we recommend going forward with plans cautiously. Book the places you want to go but book flexible cancellation policies if you are concerned consider Cancel For Any Reason travel insurance so that the financial impact of cancelations won’t adversely effect your pocketbook.
Follow CDC Guidelines:
If you have your date and venue set, pay attention to what the experts (CDC) are saying and heeding their advice. Pay close attention to what venues are allowed to do and how they can make sure their guests are safe. Yes, it’s your wedding, the most important day in your life, but the last thing you want in your celebration is to make a lot of people sick.
Expect a Smaller Guest Count:
It’s important to be aware of your guests’ travel plans, and understand if some guests choose not to attend the wedding or any pre-wedding event. Guest counts may drop due to the fear of flying.
Consider F&B Minimums:
Couples are having a more difficult time meeting their food and beverage minimum due to lower guest counts. Couples have guests that are unable to obtain visas to travel, air flights canceled or domestic guests that are concerned about traveling. If you’re booking a venue or catering for an upcoming wedding or event, make sure you understand their policies. When can you cancel, what are the fees, and do you have options to make up any missing food and beverage minimums?
Account for Invitations:
For anyone who has already sent out invitations, go ahead and mail – or better yet email! – a “Change the Date” notice and updating your website with the new information. If you haven’t printed invitations yet, and if you can, ask your stationer about paying for rush printing so you can hold off on printing until the very last second. Make sure you’re designing your invitations with a line item that requests your guests’ email addresses and make sure to direct them to a website for any updated information. Being able to easily be in touch with your guests right now is key! Another tip? – modifying designs with less time-consuming print material methods – flat printing versus letterpress as an example – and doing online RSVPs, whenever possible, for ease and reliability.
Design With What’s Available:
The coronavirus may hinder your florist’s ability to deliver fresh flowers, depending on where they are sourced. Flowers are shipped primarily from portions of the world that are not currently experiencing the coronavirus outbreak, like Holland, Ecuador, and South America, but we do not know what the next few months will bring. That said, many of the hardgoods that florists use for décor, such as vases and silk flowers for large installations, are likely to be impacted by the virus. So, if you’re already working with a floral designer, consider discussing backup plans and select a design that does not require the purchase of new products to produce the desired look for your special day.
Source Local Goods:
Look for local wonderful favors that are produced here. Hair extensions and veils. If you ordered hair extensions from China, consider synthetic ones because anything that has human hair may be delayed. Also, many veils are produced in China, but no worries, you can get them locally sourced as long as they have enough of the fabric in house.
Practice Extra Hygiene:
We are always closely following the CDC guidelines of basic human hygiene, which means washing our hands frequently and using hand sanitizer. Every time we shake hands, touch elevator buttons, open a door, push a shopping cart, get gas, etc. We’re taking extra precaution to ask that any staff members showing signs of illness stay home for a 14 day quarantine.
Consider a Livestream:
For elderly guests or those who choose not to travel, this is a must! Opting for live streaming of your wedding. We will work with you to make this happen with the latest gear and dependable technology thru our partners at BlueSkies HD Video.
If You’re Just Starting to Plan
If you’re just starting to dive into planning, it’s natural to have a million “what if” questions about the future. While all of this is uncertain, we hope this news won’t cripple you or take away from the excitement that comes with wedding planning. Be really, really excited! This is the moment you’ve been waiting for, and while the landscape of the world might look different right now, your loved ones are going to be so excited to hug and celebrate with you when your wedding comes. For this reason, we say take note of the above, and consider the below as you continue to plan in the wake of coronavirus.
Get Started Now:
If you’re planning on a 2021 wedding, and particularly spring 2021, you’ll definitely need to move fast! There’s competition from the 2020 couples who are rebooking, so we’re seeing our dates and venues starting to go quickly.
Hire Your Vendor Team:
Your creative vendors are all itching to create and celebrate couples. Share the good news and focus on things you can actively plan right now: choosing the right date, hiring your creative team, daydreaming how your story will look and feel, listening to music for your playlist, and dreaming up fun cocktails to serve.
Make a Vision Board:
Create a Pinterest board that is more real-life geared: One that focuses on food styling you love, pretty cocktails, flowers seen in nature, architecture, and landscapes. Use this real-life inspiration to develop the ideal design plan for your big day and share it with your developing team.
Follow Positive Accounts on Social Media:
In a time of such uncertainty, Valley also recommends following accounts (like @brides!) for helpful planning tips. There are so many top planners, floral designers, dress shops, and venues who are making it a mission to share happiness and positive planning tips.
Be Flexible:
This will be a year when flexibility is key, not only with date and location but also guest count. We’ll basically be combining two seasons into one, and we know every other venue and vendor out there will be doing the same, so giving yourself as many options as possible is really important.
To end, a final piece of advice for all planning or affected by the current coronavirus crisis.
The goal of a wedding is to celebrate the couple and their love story with their loved ones and families. We encourage our couples to plan full steam ahead, to continue to be inspired and seek out inspiration, and to also share their story. As soon as you’re all able to gather, you know that your wedding is going to be celebrated like crazy! Be ready for that moment and have your plans in place to have the best wedding ever!
Planning a wedding in 2020 and want to share your experience? You can comment below to share your thoughts on COVID-19 and wedding planning.
