WEDDINGS IN THE AGE OF COVID-19
Posted on 14 April 2020
WEDDINGS IN THE AGE OF COVID-19
You worked so hard for so long towards making your wedding day as perfect and as unforgettable as possible. However now, things feel about as far from perfect as could be, and your big day is unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.
Innumerous plans have been ruined due to the pandemic wreaking havoc all over the world. However, all hope is not lost. Whilst the COVID-19 virus has thrown a (metaphorically) huge spanner in the works, we are here to try and provide some guidance and insight as to how to think about and proceed with planning the wedding of your dreams.
Whether you decide to cancel or postpone your plans due to COVID-19 is completely up to you. The decision and decision process will be different for each family, but it is one that should definitely be discussed with all relevant parties. It is important that you stay up to date with information such as government announcements on lockdown procedures and rules surrounding gatherings, and to keep an eye on information provided by world organisations including the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO provides the most current updates on the state of the world during this pandemic, and the CDC are able to advise on how to proceed with hosting and planning larger gatherings of people for events such as weddings.
Once you have decided on what path you would like to take (cancellation, postponement, etc), it is important that you keep your guests in the loop. Ensure that you have everyone’s contact information, and follow up with them through whatever means is easiest for you, whether that be putting everyone in a facebook event page and posting frequent updates there, through email, phone call, letter etc.
The next step would be to go through and contact the venues, wedding flower suppliers, cake suppliers etc that would have been involved in your big day. If you have opted to cancel, make this clear to everyone involved. Be sure to look at the cancellation policies in the terms and conditions sections of contracts. If you have chosen to postpone, also be sure to look into the terms and conditions, and look into whether or not these places are willing to make an exception to their terms due to COVID-19. Additionally, check to see whether the companies/suppliers you had booked are available for the new date you have chosen, or if they are happy to accomodate an undisclosed date in the future.
In the meantime, once everything has been rearranged and sorted out, you might be feeling wistful for what might have been. But fear not; there are other ways to celebrate to take your mind off things. You could arrange a small fancy dinner for just you and your partner. If you had decided to cancel your wedding completely but still want to celebrate, you could organise a smaller gathering, with only the closest of family and friends - it could be a rooftop gathering with a grazing table, sit down dinner at your favourite restaurant, or even just a chill gathering at your place.
So, fear not! At the end of the day, despite the destruction COVID-19 has caused, the most important thing is the health of yourselves and those you love. Wedding plans can be changed and are not set in stone, and we hope that we have been able to provide at least a little bit of direction to help you rebuild your vision and dream.
- Hailey Paige Flowers xx
