Just overnight, what was shaping up to be one of the most beautiful days of your life is now looking like an impossible dream. COVID-19 has taken us all by surprise and has affected the entire wedding industry. We are still trying to come to terms with how this impacts us all. No matter where you find yourself on your wedding planning journey, we’re here to help and support you as you adjust your plans and try to re-prioritize everything. We also want to reassure you and remind you that once this is all over, you will get to tie the knot under better circumstances and it will be that much more meaningful and beautiful!

In the meantime, you’ve probably asked yourself, what can I do during this pandemic to get the ball rolling and not leave things to the very last minute? Read on to find out how you can get a head start on your wedding planning journey.

Step 1: Choose Your Wedding Date
If you haven’t already, it’s time to determine on which day you’d like to get married. Once that’s settled, be flexible (we all know the importance of that now!) and select a few alternative dates. Keep in mind that weekend bookings will most likely be harder to get – this is already challenging during normal circumstances, especially Saturdays. Most couples have had to postpone their weddings to 2021 therefore having alternative weekday dates in mind can help.

Step 2: Hire a Wedding Planner
Now more than ever, wedding planners are no longer a luxury. We have helped our 2020 couples navigate through this pandemic by discussing contingency plans, negotiation contracts and rescheduling and truthfully, couples are realizing that wedding planners are a necessity to ensure that their wedding planning goes without a hiccup. Our couples have been so grateful for the support as we were able to assist them and guide through the whole process. We will leave you with this: business relationships matter. Leverage matters. Experience matters. We can’t imagine one scenario where we didn’t have more negotiating power and experience than our clients, it’s as simple as that. 

Step 3: Research, Research, Research
Do your research on your wedding style and vision. From the design, to the logistics and how you want things to run, this is a great time to really sit down with your ideas and visualize your wedding. Look into venues and vendors that fit your needs, vision and style. Also, make note of what your priorities are (is ambiance the most important thing? what about food? do you want a cookie cutter design or something unique and customized?) and where you’re willing to compromise and what are some deal breakers for you. 

Step 4: Financial Planning
Budget planning and management is a service we offer and probably by far the most critical component of wedding planning. Full disclosure: it’s what we probably enjoy the least, but spend the most time doing and for good reason! It might seem like a no-brainer at first but sometimes couples don’t realize that before making a significant financial investment, they need to really evaluate and pin down their financial comfort level, any restraints they may have now (or down the line) and expenses to be anticipated so there’s no surprises. We have worked with budgets ranging from 30K to over 300K+ and the unique constant for all of those weddings has been our approach. This step is critical before any vendors are selected or contracts signed – we can’t stress this enough! This is a great time to re-evaluate your finances and do some number crunching. You can also read our post on Planning a Wedding on a Budget here. 

We hope that this helps you get started on your wedding planning journey and that you set yourself up for a successful wedding in the near future. If you require help, don’t be shy and get in touch with us! In the events that we’re not the perfect fit for you, we’ll happily direct you to another planner. 

We want to remind you that you are not alone in this, we are in this together and understand how difficult it is to navigate through all of this decision making. Stay positive and keep in mind, you will still get to tie the knot under better days with your loved ones around you, who will still want to see you say ‘I do’ wether it’s in 2 months or 12!

Sending you all love! ❤️✨