Planning a wedding in the midst of a global pandemic kinda sucks, huh?
In our line of work we chat with couples every day who are feeling frustrated, fed-up and/or confused trying to plan their weddings in the midst of all things Covid-19. As we face the constant threat of increased Alert Levels, and while the borders remain closed – it’s hard to know the right thing to do, right? We’ve chatted with couples who have postponed, who have changed their destination weddings to be local weddings, who got married in the back garden or the livingroom with just their families, who have brought their weddings forwards because life is just to short, right?, and with couples who just don’t know what they should do.
And the truth is – there is no right or wrong answer.
There’s definitely hope on the horizon though – there’s talk of a vaccine, talk of a travel bubble with the Cook Islands – and as each day passes without major change, with us all doing our bit to keep people safe – scanning in to public places, staying home when we’re sick, washing our hands and so on – we get a tiny bit closer to normality.
There is no good or bad way to plan a wedding in a pandemic – but if you’re planning your wedding, trying to plan your wedding, or thinking about planning your wedding – here are our 5 TOP TIPS to planning a wedding in a pandemic:-
Ask about a Covid Clause….
….and make sure you get it in writing. Before you part with your hard earned cash with ANY Wedding Vendor – make sure you ask them what their policy is surrounding deposits, future lockdowns, forced cancellations etc. And make sure you get it in writing – not just to protect you, but the vendor too.
Have a Back-up Plan….
The VERY best way to be prepared for changes in Alert Levels is to have a plan B, and a plan C. How many guests does your wedding have? Can you still hold it if events become restricted to 100, or even 10 people? What will your wedding look like at Level 2 or Level 3? Put a plan in place – just like you’d have a wet weather plan – that way, no matter what happens you’re both emotionally and physically prepared to deal with it.
Shop Local….
Yes – we bang this drum ALL the time – but seriously – it’s one of the BEST ways to safeguard your wedding during a pandemic. We’ve seen already that our goverment will change the Alert Levels in certain areas – if you plan an out-of-town wedding, and that area goes to Level 3 – you may not be able to enter or have your wedding go ahead. The same applies if you’re booking out-of-town Vendors – Taranaki might be safe and sound in Level 2 – but if the area your vendors come from goes to Level 3, or worse, you could find yourself running around at the last minute looking for replacements and having to make compromises, or worse – cancel!
Be Flexible….
Be prepared that in the event your wedding date needs to change – your chosen Vendors MAY not be available on your new date. So make sure when you’re shopping around for your Wedding Vendors – select a few others and find out their pricing, etc. – that way you can work price changes etc. into your back-up plan.
Keep Planning….
If it all goes a bit pearshaped again and you need to postpone – DON’T DESPAIR! If you’ve followed all the above tips you’ll be prepared and you can just keep planning. See the postponement as the opportunity to have a bit more time to be prepared, a bit more time to find the perfect dress, a bit more time to spend on pinterest and a bit more time to plan the perfect wedding.
As Wedding season approachs remember – at the end of the day – LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED and don’t forget to WASH YOUR HANDS!
Happy Wedding Planning
Mrs TW x