Planning A Wedding in the Midst of the Coronavirus Frenzy.

As a Wedding Planner, mainly planning weddings with guests’ numbers up to 200 it is inevitable that there are many questions and concerns flying around.

Over the last 9 years of running my own business as a Wedding Planner, I have dealt with all types of scenarios from weddings cancelling within 7 days of the wedding date, venues closing down 2 weeks before the wedding date, serious illness on the wedding day through to gale-force winds and snow. What I have never had to deal with is a situation such as the threat of coronavirus and the affect it is having on so many elements of our lives. 

My role is often seen as the life saver, the one to find the solution but in situations like this, the unknown makes it difficult to know what the right answer is.

 A WEDDING PLANNERS GUIDE TO HELPING YOU

So, here are my honest thoughts and words of support to all couples and suppliers alike. It is times like this, we all need to support each other and remember we are all in different situations so it will all affect us in different ways.

Firstly, on a personal note I have been pretty laid back about it all. I currently only have four toilet rolls in the house and about 3 tins of soup and some dried pasta. So, if the UK does go in to lockdown, well let’s just say it will help my weight loss journey I am currently on! On the flip side (my Mum will probably kill me for mentioning this if she’s reading it!) but I do also worry about my Mum who has a diagnosed lung disease so I will always worry for her. I am generally not a pessimistic and thankfully neither is my Mum so I think we will be alright…

There are so many things to think about when planning your wedding day but if it happens to be in the middle of the coronavirus frenzy, you might be wondering what you need to do.

It is so confusing and inevitably causing great uncertainty but first things first, I recommend you speak with your wedding insurance provider to see where you stand with your policy. Remember no matter what the circumstances, your insurance policy will never cover the ‘we are cancelling just in case’ scenario. 

 ADVICE FOR UK WEDDINGS

If your wedding is in the UK, I would suggest speaking with your venue. What plans, if any do they have in place? I am fortunate enough to work with a couple of venues so I have engaged with them to create a plan of action. 

I think the key to remember is whenever there is a problem, there is always a solution to the problem. Whilst it might not be really clear initially, work with your wedding planner, venue and suppliers to work through the solutions. If you don’t have a wedding planner, this is a key time to invest in one. They will help guide you through the industry and find the solutions that you need. 

Over the last few days (mainly through the venues I work with), there have been many couples asking to postpone their big days until next year. As you can imagine, this will put financial pressure on all venues and suppliers. It goes back to the ‘cancelling just in case’ scenario I talked about earlier. Whilst many, subject to availability are willing to postpone events until other dates within the year this is only on the condition that the wedding cannot go ahead as a result of the Coronavirus. Again, I urge you to contact your venue directly to see where you stand.

GUESTS TRAVELLING FROM OVERSEAS

Keep conversations open with your guests. For wedding guests travelling to your wedding from overseas, they may no longer want to travel if it involves getting on a plane. Likewise depending on where they are travelling from, they may not be able to or flights may be cancelled. Respect their decision and be open to a smaller wedding. 

IMAGE CREDIT - FAZACKARLEY PHOTOGRAPHY

THIS WEDDING IS STILL GOING AHEAD

Your wedding date is set and the venue is all booked and ready to go! As with all my up and coming weddings, we are continuing to plan the weddings without any glitches. Whilst there is still so much uncertainty, it is best to plan as smartly as you can. 

For everyone getting married in 2020 who isn’t in an affected area, we can only keep a close eye on any further developments but business as usual for us. 

Whilst I am the calming solution for you, I also want to be realistic and at this time I have thought about the worst-case scenario in the event we need to postpone the wedding or if you or the guests get diagnosed with COVID-19. It is so important you check through all your contracts with your suppliers to see the position in terms of postponing or cancelling your wedding. It is a good idea to have an open conversation with all your suppliers to work out the options available in the event that circumstances do change. It is no different say for example, if I became ill and couldn’t work on your wedding, I know that I have a bank of professional, fully trained wedding planners I can call on. Being part of the UKAWP means we have the support and back up from fully insured and vetted wedding planners. 

You may want to shield the questions and answers from your wedding guests but it is worth mentioning it to them or if you have a website, pop a note on their acknowledging the coronavirus, and letting guests know that you will keep them in the loop if plans need to change.

IMAGE CREDIT - FAZACKARLEY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE

Following basic human hygiene is so important. This means washing our hands and (if you’ve managed to get a supply!) using hand sanitizer every time you shake hands, touch public doors and so on. Avoid touching your face when you’re in public places. You may want to think about introducing some additional soaps and/or hand sanitisers at your venue. This would be a good question to ask your venue and caterers what extra precautions they have in place.

CONSIDER THE ELDERLY AND THOSE NOT ABLE TO TRAVEL

Have you considered doing live streaming at your wedding for the guests that perhaps cannot make it? Even using a simple tool like Facetime will do the job! 

If you don’t have a Wedding Planner on board but feeling overwhelmed by what the full affect can or will be on your wedding day, take some time to break it down. Concentrate on the main elements first – the ones that have the biggest financial implications. Another helpful tip includes getting your stationery printed as normal but leave a date off so you can still use the stationery even if the date does change.

The key is to be flexible and some smaller details and elements of your day may need to change but sometimes its situations like this that will really home in what is important and what you day is all about.

If you have any questions or need some guidance from me, I am more than happy to pick up the phone for a chat. Even if you don’t want to use a wedding planner but could do with 10 minutes of an expert’s time then drop me an email. I am here to help in these uncertain times.

With Love

Susie x