Planning a wedding is a huge undertaking under normal circumstances. Now not only do you need to overcome all the normal challenges but you also need to factor in government gathering restrictions. I was a Covid bride and if you take anything away from this post its that my hope for you is that you always remember that no matter what happens your wedding day is about YOU and your LOVE and at the end of the day the only thing that matters is that you got married and you get to spend your life with your partner.

Buuuuut I also know you aren’t here for the mushy stuff, so here’s some VERY practical advice.

1. Clearly understand you vendors policies on:

1. Cancellation
   1. Are you getting money back?
   2. Are you responsible for payment in full or just a deposit?
2. Rescheduling
   1. Is there an additional fee?
   2. Can you just transfer from one date to another?
   3. What if they aren’t available for a new date?
3. Change of guest count
   1. Are they flexible?
   2. How far in advance will they need to know if your amount of guests is changing?
4. Plan for A,B and C

If 2020 taught us anything it’s that we don’t know what’s going to happen. So the best way to ease your mind (in my opinion) is to plan for the unexpected.

Now, you are probably wondering… how…?

Okay, so planning for 3 sizes of wedding is the most practical option: tiny, medium, large.

In my opinion I think it’s least stressful to maintain the same location for ALL options – however I’m aware that might not be a possibility. Sooo that’s why knowing your venue’s policy on cancellation, rescheduling and change of guest count is ESSENTIAL.

• Create 3 different guest lists (Less than 10 people, 10-50 people and over 50 list)
• To minimize uncomfy feelings if you have to have the “you can no longer come to my wedding” conversation, make your wedding invitations have a caveat stating this for you. So if an email comes their way uninviting them to the wedding they know it’s a possibility and they are prepared.
  • People on your tiny (10 or less) list:
    • You are invited to the wedding of _____ and ______ at the location at ___time.
  • People on your 10+ list:
    • You are invited to wedding of _____ and _______ at the location of ______ at ___time. At this time we are planning for our ideal wedding size and we would love to be a part of it if government restrictions allow. However, please be watching your email as we approach our wedding date if we are unable to include all of our loved ones physically on our wedding day.
      • This politely and causally states… you might be uninvited if we have to and it’s not personal.

3. Prepare your wedding to be as Covid Safe as possible:

• Buy masks to provide to your guests (costco or amazon are awesome for bulk purchases)
• Provide hand sanitizer
• Be prepared NOT to have a buffet style meal
• Create seating arrangements for both the ceremony & reception – keep households together and try seating cohort bubbles together
• Be prepared to have more tables than you typically would have to ensure proper spacing

These aren’t necessarily going to solve ALL your problems but its a place to start to keep your stress level low and your feelings of “I’ve got this” high!

Happy Wedding Planning!