Things to consider while planning your wedding during COVID-19.
Without a doubt, planning a wedding during COVID-19 is a different ball game. There will be additional tasks that you will not have ever imagined doing before the pandemic. Around the globe, brides are stressed about whether to have a wedding sometime soon or postpone it to the next year. It is a difficult decision. COVID wedding planning requires more time and energy, and you will probably end up paying a bit extra for hygiene set up. To help our brides, we have prepared a list of essential things to consider while planning their weddings during this unprecedented time. Hopefully, it will make planning a wedding less stressful and save you some money.
But first, we encourage all brides-to-be to try to stay positive and take everything with humour. It is good that you can still celebrate with your family. What matters is that you met your better half and are ready to start a new chapter in your life. Stay safe, stay healthy, and Stay Positive!
Should I cancel my wedding? Should I postpone my wedding? Should I have my wedding after COVID?
We have been living in the pandemic for almost nine months now. Some of our brides had to postpone their weddings more than once. Some of them cancelled grand celebrations and organized small backyard celebrations with immediate family and close friends. Some brides are still hoping to throw a party of their dreams and are waiting for this crazy time to pass. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to what you should do if you plan to get married in 2020 or 2021. You should ask yourself several questions and be honest with your fiancé. Those questions can be:
We noticed that a lot of brides-to-be do not consider the available options beforehand. In the end, they can be upset and may be disappointed. Be smart and stay organized!
Check local guidelines before choosing your wedding date and do any wedding planning.
Be aware of local and national guidelines!
If you just started planning your wedding or postponed it, it is crucial to understand the local government’s guidelines. Yes, the situation is rapidly changing. Of course, it is tough to predict what will happen in a month or a year. We recommend checking your local authorities’ guidelines before planning your wedding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Toronto Brides, here is the link (https://bit.ly/39E60db) to the COVID-19 Checklist for Planning a Wedding published by Toronto Public Health. It is very informative and covers many essential areas of how you safely throw a COVID wedding right now.
The Work Health Organization also has a brief overview of small public gatherings (https://bit.ly/2VBpCqh). It will be quite useful when you need to negotiate with your vendors or brief your guests beforehand. At the end of the day, you want to have a fun wedding and keep everyone safe.
Hiring a wedding planner can be the best money spent navigating this ever-changing landscape of wedding planning.
If you are planning a wedding during the pandemic, carry on and continue reading…
The average length of engagement is 15 months. It is usually enough to plan a wedding without any stress and fuss. However, COVID-19 has changed the timeline of planning a wedding. For example, we had seen cases when clients have decided to organize their wedding within a month. If your budget allows, we strongly recommend thinking about hiring a professional wedding planner, venue coordinator or at least a day-of coordinator. Wedding planners with good reviews will offer their incredible experience in wedding planning and their expertise when it comes to the COVID rules and restrictions. They will also assist you in developing your COVID-19 wedding protocol. Plus, they can help reinforce the safety rules during your wedding so that your guests behave, feel confident, and have fun. On top of that, wedding planning professionals will work close by with all your vendors and plan for contingencies. It will take the stress off your shoulders and help you to stay positive and happy!
Bridal industry worldwide is suffering tremendously. Try to support your local businesses.
Instead of cancelling your event, look at alternate dates or venues. Work with your vendors to find the best possible solutions. We noticed that some brides get so stressed that they take their anger and frustration on wedding vendors. Remember that most wedding vendors are small businesses that are trying to survive. You should work together with your florist, caterer, DJs etc. and support each other. Stay Kind!
Also, consider giving your vendor a positive review on Google or Facebook. It will help them to get attention and possibly get more business in the future.
Other ways to support local small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic are:
Wedding Dress Shopping has not stopped during COVID-19. It has dramatically changed, and you need to adapt to a new normal.
Regardless of any change in plans for your wedding day, every bride-to-be wants to feel beautiful on her special day. Without a doubt, wedding dress shopping during a pandemic has significantly changed. Most importantly, however, you can still shop for a wedding dress and have a memorable, fun experience. First off, many bridal salons offer virtual appointments. Taking advantage of virtual consultations will help you narrow down your dream wedding dress options and decide what bridal stores to target for in-person visits. Agree that it is not a good time for you to browse randomly in bridal stores and expose yourself to the risk of getting COVID.
Plan to book an in-person appointment in advance because bridal stores limit the number of consultations they take in one day. They need to disinfect space between brides and hot steam dresses so that you can enjoy safe wedding dress shopping during the pandemic. We strongly recommend that you become familiar with a store’s COVID-19 protocol and only book an appointment if you feel confident in a store’s policy. Please review our protocol here.
Last but not least, a lot of bridal boutiques are offering COVID-19 programs and discounts. You can check our sample sale wedding dresses. We always add new styles to the sample sale section. Most of those styles are dresses from our current bridal collection and were taken off production lines due to fabric shortages that occurred as a result of the pandemic.
Without a doubt, times are unpredictable! We strongly recommend considering wedding insurance.
Let’s say you have to postpone your wedding in the future, having wedding insurance could be a good investment. Just remember that you cannot get insurance retroactively. If you cancel or postpone, you will have to renegotiate with your vendors, and insurance will help if any of your vendor contracts have not been written in your favour. It is essential to take your time and obtain a type of policy that will work in your specific situation. The Knot has a great article, ‘Everything to Know About Wedding Insurance During COVID-19’ (https://bit.ly/39D3HqL) that covers all questions you need to ask before setting an appointment with your broker and determine which kinds of coverage are most helpful right now.
Zoom will have to become your best friend during the COVID wedding planning! Find out how to throw a fun engagement or bachelor party online.
Are you thinking of throwing a virtual bridal party or engagement party?
Physical distancing has probably ruined your plans for pre-wedding celebrations in person. You do not need to cancel any of your pre-wedding celebrations; having these events online can be entertaining and memorable. And, when restrictions are lifted, you will be able to party with your family and friends again. Cheers to that!
Meanwhile, with events via Zoom or other video conferencing services, you can feel celebrated. We are sure that members of your bridal party will love to help in the organization. There are so many ideas online, from a relaxing spa night to a group karaoke and dance party. You can also research “virtual games” on the internet; there is a multitude of options available.
Quarantining together for a long time can be hard on your relationship. Keep your sparkle and the romance alive by strengthening the foundation of your future marriage during this challenging time.
Love will indeed always find a way!
Many to-be-weds are experiencing challenges in their relationship while planning their wedding during COVID-19. We have a few suggestions on how to power through ‘stay at home most of the time with one person’ and grow stronger together. First of all, if you have to postpone your wedding, celebrate your original date and make it unforgettable. Secondly, make planning your wedding fun and try not to to fight over small things. Furthermore, do not forget to continue dating. Besides watching Netflix together, you can organize a romantic dinner or a spa night. Do small things for your partner daily. It will help make them special and remind them how much you appreciate them while navigating this difficult time.
Take care of each other, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay positive!
XOXO,
Papilio Team
