Wedding in the pandemic time | FAQ

Book vendors ASAP

I know what you are thinking: “let’s wait and see how the situation will develop”. Let me tell you something: nothing more risky. Boom! Your wedding might not be in the next 12 moths, but keep in mind that a lot of the weddings which were suppose to happen in this year were postponed and rescheduled for 2021/22. There are only few weekends each year… Can’t stretch the time… So as far as it is about the venue, photographer, videographer, wedding planner, musicians/DJ and catering – book it NOW.

 

Got it covered

Sure thing, contracts are bonding and you are freaking out not to loose the money. I totally understand you.  When Covid-19 started we were all trying to find the best possible solutions, from the beginning it was obvious for me that the only way to go is to reschedule free of charge for all of my couples. It wasn’t only my tragedy and loss of income, it was the tragedy of the couple who went through all the struggles to plan their perfect day and now have to go through it all again, inform families, who most likely already took days off, booked tickets, hotels… I know it, we all know it. We all are experiencing current situation. Whoever we are, wherever we are. There is plenty of people in the wedding industry who treat their clients as friends, they might not advertise it, as it seems obvious for them, but be sure that they will do anything that is possible to help you solve the issue – even reprint your invitations free of charge!

To feel safe, agree in the contract with vendors or in the written correspondence how you will solve this situation if the wedding has to be postponed or even cancelled due to Covid-19. Got it covered!

 

PLAN B

I already wrote about it in my FAQ for elopements in Iceland, but this is something, without what you can’t move further. Everyone has their dreams and desires, so write down your original plan for the wedding day and highlight three things which are THE MOST important for you, those kind of things which you see first when closing your eyes and imagining the person you love saying their vows. You’ve got it? Great.

You are the bride/groom, sure thing, but you are also now a strategist. So think like one! First step is behind you, you already know looking at the highlighted elements of your original plan if you should postpone the celebration as an emergency option, have outdoor ceremony with small amount of guests, or just make it an intimate moment with a party held later or maybe invite guests on Live Stream? My personal favorite idea is a Drive-In Wedding, make sure that you will start with a car parade, after vows played on a big screen  guests will receive to each car a box with a drinks in the bottles and a snacks and play pre-recorded speeches, ending with your favorite movie.

 

Be considerate

Due  to multiple reasons some guests will reject your invitation.  Some due to economical reasons, some because they decided to self isolate, avoid crowds, limit travel. Prepare yourself – it has nothing to do with you, but it might be  emotionally difficult…

 

Turn lemons into lemonade

Try to plan activities a little bit outside the box. Here is a few ideas, which might help you with it:

• Greeting guests? How about elbow bumps,  footshakes, heart shaped fingers…
• Less dancing – more speeches and toasts, those joining via live cam can also participate, those who couldn’t join you can create a video recording.
• If you do celebrate in the larger wedding venue you might create chill-out zones, each of them can have own theme, thanks to that groups of guests will be smaller and guests will be less on the move.
• Skip the buffet, plated dinners are simply safer as served straight from the kitchen and  make sure that each appetizer is served on its own platter or packed in a cute box dedicated for one person. If you cannot imagine no buffet, hire staff to be serving guests table after table, to avoid lines and food being touched by multiple people.
• Prepare custom made masks & social distancing signs – wearing masks, staying 1,5meters apart, cleaning hands can be asked and advised in a beautiful and creative way. You can find a lot of printable signs at Etsy.com or you can order them custom made.
• Highlight of the celebration can be  a slide show with funny or cute photos of your childhood, through the teenage years and relationship. 
• Weddings are all about the fun – stand up comedian can be a great idea, specially if he would be willing to setup an inbox, to which guests can send funny stories about the couple, so he can include them and create personalized performance.
• Unconventional but how amazing way to celebrate is an artist, who could paint one of the scenes from the wedding during the party – guests could observe progress, and the newlyweds would have an amazing treasure.
• Oh, don’t forget board games – Jenga, Monopoly, Guess Who, I Spy or Mad Libs are just a few to name it which can be really fun to play, even with the strangers
  
• Wine tasting run by a sommelier, or for a whiskey fans like myself – whisky tasting, cause why not?
• To those who have chosen an outdoor area: a silent disco is the way to go – guests can have fun in their own, safe space.

 

And hey guys, LOVE WASN’T CANCELLED. Share the ideas in the comments for others who wants to organize their wedding in the pandemic time. And yes-if you gonna do drive in wedding I’m on bard for free!