How to Plan a Wedding during COVID-19 | Advice from a Wedding Photographer
This blog is UPDATED as of 1/11/2021!
If you’re in the middle of planning your wedding and feeling overwhelmed, scared, and stressed out from the uncertainty of the world right now - you are not alone! We are currently facing an unprecedented global pandemic that no one saw coming. Wondering what to do now? Whether your wedding is this year and every single detail was already complete or if you literally just started planning and aren’t sure how to move forward with any plans, have no fear! I put together some advice from the perspective of someone in the wedding industry and I hope it can be helpful to you during this time of uncertainty.
What is the current status of COVID-19?
Stay informed by visiting the official websites of the CDC and World Health Organization to get the most up-to-date and accurate information on the current status of COVID-19.
When will weddings be allowed in California?
California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy outlines where we are currently at in your specific county. While we don’t know exactly when unrestricted events will be allowed again, we do know that marriages are currently allowed with certain limitation and restrictions. Keep in mind that guidelines and restrictions are county-by-county. Be sure to check with your specific county for what is allowed and what isn’t. Talk to your wedding venue and find out what their plans are. They will be able to tell you more specifically what will be allowed for you and what isn’t.
If you currently have your wedding booked in 2021: I highly suggest not postponing your wedding again and instead, get married this year within what the legal limits are. Although it may not be the original party you had envisioned, If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that we don’t know when life will truly return to “normal”. What we do know, is that weddings currently follow the same guidelines as religious ceremonies in most counties. (Again, please check on your specific county’s website for their requirements!) You and your partner deserve to get married!
Even if weddings are allowed with a size limit, what would that even look like?
Weddings during the world of COVID-19 will unfortunately look VERY different, aside from just gathering limits. Below is a list of some things that MIGHT be required, just based on what we know with current social distancing requirements.
Guests may not be comfortable traveling.
Guests may be required to get a COVID-19 test a few days before the wedding.
Masks, temperature checks, and sanitization stations may be required.
Open buffets / passed apps may not be allowed.
Distance between chairs / table set ups may be required.
Dancing and receptions may not be allowed.
There are so many other things to think about with how the overall vibes of your wedding day may change. If this isn’t how you envisioned your wedding day, then consider changing your plans.
Can we cancel our big wedding and elope instead?
Currently, yes you can! Parks are opening back up and LA County and Orange County are finally issuing marriage licenses again! Each County has different rules and ways that they are issuing these, so be sure to check the specific clerk’s office. Need some ideas? Check out this Joshua Tree Elopement and Beverly Hills Courthouse Elopement!
Alright, we decided to postpone our wedding. Help, what do we do?
Steps for postponing your wedding due to COVID-19:
Take a Deep Breath and Stay Organized. Start a Google Spreadsheet with your master checklist and to keep track of your progress and vendor availability. Don’t know where to start? Here’s a link to my template Google Doc with a checklist and sample chart for keeping track of your vendor availability! Just click this link and then click" “File" > Copy” to copy the spreadsheet to your own account.
Contact your wedding planner and wedding venue first. Let them know you’re looking to reschedule and ask them about their available dates. Be flexible! You may have to choose a weekday or schedule further out than you may want to in order to find a date that your venue can accommodate.
Contact the rest of your vendors and read their contracts to refresh your memory of what their rescheduling policies are. Decide who your must-have-can’t-live-without vendors are. Is it your photographer? Caterer? Prioritize your dates around these people!
Pick your top wedding dates and contact your VIP guests. This is your parents, grandparents, and anyone else that absolutely must be at your wedding. Send them your top wedding dates and find one that works for everyone.
Sign the rescheduling contract with your venue first. Then the rest of your vendors after.
Send out a “Change The Date” email to all your wedding guests
Open a bottle of wine and take a deep breath!
After dreaming about this day for so long and spending so much time planning out every single detail, it SUCKS to have those plans change. Take the time to grieve the loss of your original plans. It’s ok! Allow yourself to be sad and cry, be angry and scream, and just mope for a while if you want to. (I know I sure have done plenty of that!) It’s OKAY! Honestly, my couples that have had to postpone their weddings have told me that after everything was finally rescheduled, they felt so much better just having a plan and having it done, rather than waiting around in the uncertainty and anxiety of it all!
We were in the middle of planning a 2021 wedding when COVID-19 hit! Now we’re unsure how to move forward. What do we do?
It’s completely valid to feel hesitant about moving forward with wedding planning. Everything sort of feels frozen in time. The news gets scarier every day and it’s hard to imagine a time where we aren’t stuck in our homes. First of all- this will get better and we will come out of this! Here’s some advice for what to do if you’re currently planning a 2021 wedding during this Coronavirus COVID-19 chaos:
Keep dreaming up your day. There’s no reason to stop the Pinning, Googling, and browsing dream weddings! Stay inspired and excited by focusing on what your dream wedding looks like. Many bridal dress stores are offering virtual appointments and at home try on! Check out my blog on the 5 best bridal stores for online shopping.
Hire a great wedding planner. A planner will be able to help you navigate any challenges or issues that arise and help you be in the best possible position for an amazing wedding day!
Consider locking in your vendors ASAP. The reality is that so many weddings postponed to 2021, so our calendars filled up fast. You don’t want to miss out on your dream venue or vendors, so get on it!
Consider purchasing wedding insurance. If you can, look into wedding insurance BEFORE you secure a date or venue, since companies and policies will differ on their requirements and parameters. Policies may not cover pandemics anymore since it is a known event, but this situation has shown that it’s still important to consider how other unknown events might effect your big day. It’s better to be as prepared and informed as possible, so do the research before you start booking vendors.
Carefully read through all of your vendor contracts. Make sure you fully understand what would happen if you were to have to postpone. Ask your vendor if you are unclear or confused about anything in their contract.
If COVID-19 is affecting you financially, decide what is best for YOU personally in how you want to move forward. Everyone’s financial situation is different and what is best for you will be different than what’s best for someone else. Here are a few options to consider:
Consider reducing the size and budget of your wedding for categories that aren’t as important to you.
Elope instead
Ask your wedding vendors if they have payment plans or flexibility with their initial retainer fee.
No matter what situation you are in right now, know that it’s okay to feel whatever you are feeling. You and your partner will get married, even if it may not be on the day you imagined or how you imagined, but you will be married to the love of your life and that is what is most important! I’m here to help in any way that I can to make this process as stress-free as possible. Your wedding should be a joyous occasion and let’s not let this situation take away from that!
Want to chat with me about your wedding?