Terri Ramsey Beavers Photo: Terje Sollie/Pexels
Your wedding is supposed to be one of the greatest days of your life. Unfortunately, this milestone is also notorious for presenting all sorts of challenges and disastrous misadventures. Couples set to marry in 2020 are facing even more pressure than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure you don’t find yourself in desperate need of debt help or intensive therapy as you scramble to rearrange your plans, follow these five steps:
1. Postpone instead of canceling
Some vendors are being lenient given the circumstances, but that’s not always the case. You’ll have a far better chance of coming out okay financially if you ask vendors to postpone rather than cancel their services. Speak with everyone to whom you’ve given a deposit – from your wedding planner to the venue, caterers, musicians, and videographer – and lock in a new date. To be safe, go for September or later.
2. Keep your guests in the loop
While it’s important to ensure you have your whole wedding team on-board with the new date, you also need to check in with your guests. Unless you already had a small, intimate wedding in mind, you’ll likely need to cut back your guest list. Ensure that family, close friends and other important guests are able to make the new date.
3. Make creativity and flexibility your buzzwords
You may not be able to travel to your ideal wedding destination or invite as many guests as you’d originally planned. However, that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a wedding that’s less than ideal. Shun the tired old “Bridezilla” stereotype and be creative and flexible in your plans.
Perhaps you can live stream your wedding to guests who can’t attend. For your honeymoon, enjoy a local beach getaway rather than the elaborate overseas extravaganza. Then, once this crisis has finally subsided, throw an epic post-wedding party and jet off for that romantic trip of a lifetime. As a bonus, you’ll find this flexible mindset will make the whole wedding planning experience less stressful.
4. Take the social gathering rules seriously
It can be tempting to be a little rebellious on your wedding day. After all, the media has been telling you since you were a child that your wedding is the one day when everything really is all about you. However, it’s essential that you don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.
We are still in the grip of a pandemic. Your actions can either help or harm your family and the community at large. Be responsible, follow all the guidelines for public gatherings, and do your best to make it fun. For example, you could hand out specially designed facemasks and cute custom branded hand-sanitizer as wedding favors.
5. Rethink the buffet
The last thing you want in the era of social distancing and hygiene obsession is a serve yourself food or drink situation. Even table service can be problematic. So, you may wish to consider setting up serving stations where guests can approach the caterers to receive pre-portioned meals in a more controlled setting. Alternatively, bento boxes are a fun and hygienic way to serve food to your guests.
The pandemic has been tough on everyone. If you’ve had your wedding plans fall apart, then your stress levels are probably peaking. Take some time out to relax and indulge in your favorite self-care rituals. Then follow the steps above to ensure your wedding goes smoothly and your guests stay safe.