Wedding Planning During Covid!
How to plan your wedding during Covid?! As if you didn’t have enough to think about with wedding planning alone, throw a global pandemic into the mix and wedding planning takes on a whole new level! So, why are we putting this blog out there now, almost a year since Covid reached our shores here in New Zealand? Because despite what many of us thought throughout 2020, Covid doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon, and it could potentially impact travel and other aspects for some time to come – maybe even years? Read on to find out more about how to plan your wedding during Covid.
Here in New Zealand, we are so lucky to have the freedom we do, while many other countries around the world are still experiencing strict lockdowns. It’s easy to forget how much Covid is affecting many countries. It’s totally normal and ok to be worried about how Covid could affect your wedding.
To plan or not to plan?
Deciding whether to plan your wedding during these times is obviously a very personal decision. There are no right or wrong answers, and different factors will affect different people, for example: significant family or friends overseas. The decision to have a wedding without important people in your life can be a difficult one. Our best advice is to stick to your gut and do what feels right for you and your partner.
If you do decide to go ahead without special loved one’s present, there are some great ways to incorporate those people who couldn’t make it. From live streaming your ceremony, to a video conference for speeches and cardboard cut outs of your guests – we’ve seen all of these and they are such a warm and caring way of ensuring missing loved ones can be somewhat part of your day.
Be flexible & prepared
While we are continuing to go about our lives with a lot of freedom, Covid is still around and it doesn’t look to be leaving the world in any great hurry. If you are wedding planning, you may need to consider that in the event of a community outbreak, travel restrictions may be in place that could affect you or your guests, limits on guest numbers at larger events could be back in place or other restrictions may be brought in. Flexibility is key here, and being able to adapt to the changing environment is crucial.
While it is impossible to prepare for the unknown, you can have some factors in the back of your mind while planning so you can still have your dream wedding during Covid.
We know from last year that larger events were capped at some levels. Having an idea of how you would adjust your wedding to meet these restrictions will go some way towards avoiding a postponement. Smaller weddings were on the rise pre-Covid and we are continuing to see a growth in smaller, more intimate weddings. Check out our blog on small weddings here.
Knowledge is power!
Our biggest recommendation is that you talk to your vendors! Most will be more than familiar with restrictions or issues that could affect your wedding during Covid. Ask them about their Covid policies with regards to lockdowns, deposits, full payments etc. You need to be fully armed with all the information before booking your vendors. Most vendors will have Covid policies and will have no problem sharing this information with you. Ensuring you are fully aware will make for things much smoother down the line if you need to change anything.
What happens if you need to postpone?
Be open and honest with your vendors. Get in touch and have a frank conversation about your situation. We all understand the pressures Covid is placing on a lot of people. Some vendors may have different cancellation/postponement policies. Be prepared that you may lose some money or deposits. It has been a tough time for the weddings/events industry and many vendors are struggling massively. Bottom line, communicate, be reasonable and understanding with all your vendors, they will do the same to you.
Remember this is a super exciting time so don’t let Covid overshadow it!
Finally, despite all that is happening around the world with Covid, this is such an exciting time for you and your partner. So, revel in it, be excited and enjoy the process! Keep in mind flexibility is key but book your vendors and keep making your plans! The wedding industry is mostly made up of plenty of small businesses who felt the effects of lockdown immensely, so we appreciate all the bookings we have coming in now so much!
Hopefully with these tips, you can see it is possible to plan your wedding during Covid, you may just need to adjust things a bit. It’s not always easy or straightforward, but there are ways to ensure you can still have an amazing day during these Covid times. I’d love to hear how you are going with your wedding planning, drop me a comment below with any questions you have also! You can find the wedding information for Waipuna here.