COVID-19 has suddenly become a term that conjures up many feelings of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty for everyone. For those who are in the midst of planning their wedding, this can also induce sadness, disappointment and frustration.
While we are all new to this pandemic, we are certainly aware of the terribly confusing consequences this is causing and hopefully you have a professional, experienced, full-time wedding planning team to help you discover how to best handle unforeseen situations such as this.
We are working with our couples to determine what the best strategy and decision is for them, however, we have included a quick overview for what we’re currently experiencing and recommending based on the current CDC / State mandated guidelines. Have a look and if you are feeling anxious or confused, we are here to help you with no-fee consultations simply to help you talk through this with an educated, experienced professional. Call us anytime because we are all in this together and our only goal is to get everyone through these awful times.
If your wedding is in April – Reschedule if you have not already.
If your wedding is in May – It’s clear that COVID-19 won’t be completely in our rear view window by May, so we recommend you choose a firm date (in April) to decide as to (1) if you will reschedule your wedding date; and (2) start reaching out to all of your vendors and venue to discuss alternative dates. Be sure to weigh the pros and cons about this monumental decision to ensure that you are completely comfortable with what you decide and make the decision that feels right to you. We would strongly recommend you postpone / reschedule your wedding if it is scheduled for May of 2020 due to the simple fact that so many people across the country (and world) have been impacted either medically, physically or financially and may not have the means to travel.
If your wedding is in June – All of our June weddings have opted to postpone / reschedule their weddings as of this post. I think this is the right choice based primarily on the (repeated) fact that so many people across the country (and world) have been impacted either medically, physically or financially and may not have the means to travel. However, if your wedding is schedule for June (one of the most requested wedding months), I would hire a planning team to begin helping you with trying to seek and align consistent dates across your vendor spectrum. Hundreds, if not thousands, of weddings are rescheduling their dates and while this is certainly understandable, this brings with it a brand new set of challenges with regard to finding dates that the majority of your vendors are still available and the dreaded decision as to whether or not you will need to begin to search for new vendors altogether.
If your wedding is in July or August – Stay alert and keep up to date on all new CDC mandates. For those weddings in July / August, I would recommend you wait until May to determine what your next steps should be.
If your wedding is in September, October, November, December – Hold tight! Watch and see how things play out over the next couple months and start asking your vendors what their 2021 postponement policies are now so that you’re extra prepared to make a tough decision, should you need to, down the road. Be prepared, however, that with so many weddings moving to 2021, you may not get your ideal date for 2021 unless you reschedule earlier.
Bottom line here is that in no way should you cancel your wedding … this situation isn’t an easy one and we have had so much heartbreak over the last month, but that is why we are here. We are here to help ease your burden and to try to guide you as best as possible given the circumstances. You have a number of options if you need to postpone your wedding. Whether it’s hosting a more intimate reception, changing the scope of the wedding itself, or having a small, intimate ceremony privately on your actual wedding date and saving the celebration until our world is in a safer place, think it through and BY ALL MEANS, please don’t make a rash decision.
We understand that some deposits you’ve placed may be non-refundable, however, there are options you still have to maximizing your spend. If you opt to purchase wedding insurance, understand that most insurance companies do not cover pandemics so you really haven’t lost anything more than you would have with the insurance right now.
Please feel free to reach out to us at anytime for a complimentary consultation …. just to talk and see if we can offer you any consolation and help you find resolve that makes you smile and hopeful again.