Postponing or planning your wedding during lockdown
You CAN still plan your wedding during the Corona lockdown.
It’s everywhere at the moment isn’t it? Literally. The horrid Corona Virus that is taking and changing lives all over the world. I genuinely fully empathise because of course, we are ALL affected by it in one way or another. It is an extremely tense and stressful time for all of you that have your wedding booked in 2020, especially in the forthcoming months. I’ve spent time speaking to couples due to get married towards the end of this year and understandably, they are just as worried as nobody knows how long this pandemic will last for. #stayhome #bogoffcorona!
My work (I hate calling it work because honestly, it feels more like a hobby) continues as normal and nothing changes there apart from not being able to run the actual wedding day itself, however, if anyone is up for a virtual wedding, I’m totally up for that! I have a contact that has the facility to live stream the wedding out to all your friends, pretty cool in my opinion (and kinder on the purse strings)!
Currently, I am spending a lot of time assisting and supporting couples all over the Country on video chat and it’s been super beneficial for both of us, however there are a lot of wedding mojos suffering at the moment, but, not on my watch! I will not let this beat us! I know there are a lot of social media posts about staying positive and appreciating the little things in life but it is so true, what’s the alternative? Submit yourself into a vicious circle of negativity, become a full time recluse whose closest trip outside is when you’re twitching at the curtains at people going past?… You’ll never get married at that rate. Stay positive and let’s get planning!
So, if you’ve already booked your big day, should you postpone your wedding?
If you are due to get married within the next few months, my personal advice is yes, yes you should postpone. I’m sure you have already but, if not, I’d also strongly suggest that you speak to your venue asap, we are due another update from the government next week about lock-down and whether it will be extended (it’s looking likely) so you also need to speak to the registrars or church to see where they stand. Find out what their contingency plan is if lock-down just keeps carrying over week on week. Of course the frustration may be ‘but what if we come out of isolation the week before my wedding is/was due to take place’ - honestly, do you want to take the risk?
If you have already booked your wedding and you’re looking to postpone, the sort of questions you should be going through with your venue should be:
Are there any fee’s to change the date during this time (I’d also strongly recommend obtaining 2 to 3 different dates available to you, will they hold them for free whilst you check with all of the suppliers for their availability?)
Do you get to re-sample the wedding menu if you have now booked a different season, will there be a charge for this?
Once you have new dates the below points should then apply to every supplier you speak to.
If you move to another date that was cheaper/more expensive, will you receive a refund / additional invoice for the difference or will they do this at the original cost?
Will you receive a new contract for the new date/agreement?
Worse case scenario, if the Corona Virus is still active on your re-booked date, are you able to reschedule to yet another date (again, will there be a cost?)(we hope this will not be the case but, you need to be prepared and ask these questions.
If you have not booked your wedding, can you do it from home? Absolutely! Lots of venues are now offering virtual show-rounds which means you can view a venue from the comfort of your home. Of course, it is not the same as seeing the venue ‘in the flesh’ but… it will give you a good idea of the layout and will also give you an opportunity to speak to the staff who work at the venue trust me, they will appreciate the opportunity to showcase their venue to you at this time.
Image by Tai’s Captures
The same applies for all suppliers related to your wedding, a high majority of wedding suppliers are self- employed and will welcome the opportunity to speak with you over video chat about your big day (or text if video chat just isn’t your thing). They can then send you some quotes so you can get your teeth into something whilst we’re in isolation. Don’t let this time dampen your mood or use it as a reason to back-off with the planning - now is the time to hype it up!
Or maybe you’ll be looking to organise a quickie wedding as soon as this is all over, in which case, I’ll be ready and waiting for your call to help you with this.
Keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram as I am hosting an Instagram LIVE with some top wedding industry professionals who will be offering their expertise and advice on what to look out for when booking for their specialism. This is super handy and can help you avoid having to call a number of different suppliers, wasting valuable time and money. I also have a real-life Bride coming on to talk about her experience with postponing their wedding so make sure you follow me on Instagram for further updates!
Now we must come together, to stay apart.
Contact Hayley
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