It’s been a crazy few months for sure living through a global pandemic. Worrying about our health, families and jobs has been difficult to deal with and if you’ve been unlucky enough to have your wedding plans disrupted too our heart goes out to you. Whether you’ve had to postpone or downsize your day we know how stressful and disappointing it must be and with the rules and regulations continually in flux, how can you deal with the uncertainty?
Consider all your options – With things changing all the time, it’s important to tackle uncertainty head on and consider all your options. Although you may feel like burying your head in the sand and hoping for the best, this can cause more stress and financial penalties later down the line. So be brave and although it may not be what you wanted for your day, realistically consider all options. For example, would you be willing to go ahead if guest numbers were drastically limited? Or would you postpone? And what would the financial implications of postponing? Is that something you could take on? And it’s maybe you have to completely change your idea about what your day will be. Would you consider a two-part wedding? A small ceremony and a celebration later when things are more certain. The more you have considered all your options and the more flexible and open minded you can be in your approach the more chance you have of still having the day you want without the stress.
Plan for Social Distancing – I think the one thing we can absolutely guarantee is going to be around for a while is social distancing, so think about how you will make this work sooner rather than later, so you can deal with any challenges that may potentially arise. The first place to start is your venue. They will likely already have guidance in place. By having a conversation with them early, you can understand how workable your current guest list is and ensure that you can safely go ahead. It also gives you time to tackle any adjustments you need head on such as seating plans, toilet arrangements and how to navigate your drinks reception.
Accept and Expect that things can and will change in the coming weeks and months. Plan for the things you can control and try to let go of the things you can’t. The way you can take control to take some of the stress away may look very different from person to person. You may decide the stress is too much and you want to postpone to a day much further out to give you that sense of control or maybe going the opposite way and deciding you will go ahead even if it’s just the two of you might be the way the works for you. Either way think ahead and make your plans but be open minded about the possibility of change.
Keep Communications Open – whether it’s your suppliers or your guests, keep them updated with any potential changes and maybe involve them in the decision-making process too. Whether it’s consulting elderly relatives about how they feel to alerting your florist that you only need half the amount of table centres. By involving people within the decision-making process, you can work together to find the best way forward for everyone involved. Whether it’s making a cancelation or cutting down your guest list, as long as you are open and honest in your communications, people will understand.
Focus on the ‘why’ behind your wedding – There is no taking away from what a difficult time this is for couples planning their special day. You have a vision in your head of what you wanted your day to be and the time leading up to it should be fun and exciting not wracked with nerves. We know there will be lots of tears and disappointments for sure. But while your day may not be ideally as you planned, focusing on the reason your doing it in the first place and what your marriage will mean to you as a couple, helps to put some of the challenges of organising the day into perspective.
Take a break from social media – finally this is one of our top tips. It’s so easy to get caught up with the speculative stories and the scientists predictions on the news, we can tie ourselves in knots about ‘what ifs’ when most of the time no one can really know for sure what the future holds and how that might impact your special day. So make your plans and then switch off the news and hold off checking the wedding forums and use that time to do something nice as a couple and reconnect with each other.
