Help and Advice Booking Weddings During Covid-19, What Do We Do Next?
So, here we go again! ‘WHAT ON EARTH DO WE ABOUT OUR WEDDING’?
At the end of 2020 we all hoped things would settle down and weddings booked for 2021 would be going ahead. Alas this is not so and many of my clients are now postponing once again and those that are still booked are no doubt very anxious about the likeliness of it being able to go ahead, and if it does, with how many guests? I do not have a crystal ball and the one thing we have all learned during this COVID-19 pandemic is how quickly things can change. I have listed below some tips and suggestions that may be of use and help you make any future decisions and plans for your wedding.
Will the numbers allowed at weddings increase after March?
Who knows!!! As things stand the government are due to review the guidelines in March, before this lockdown the rules were a total of 15 guests, this included the marital couple but did not include the suppliers such as wedding photographers etc. Weddings could only take place in COVID-19 secure settings and a sit-down meal for those guests was permitted. As things stand, and this is only my best guess, hopefully by mid-summer we will be back up to 30 and possibly as many as 50 by late summer early autumn, as I said this is only my best guess! I so hope I am wrong, and the numbers are greater than this, but I cannot see it!
What do we do next?
If you and your partner are in a state of anxiety over wedding plans, try not to worry, you are not the only ones. Sadly, this has affected tens of thousands of couples in the UK all wanting to have their dream wedding surrounded by all their friends, family and loved ones.
Having had nearly a year of dealing with the rescheduling of weddings let me try and help with some advice.
1. Speak to your venue, try to see how the land lies about moving your date. Be prepared for them to be busy, they may be isolating, furloughed, or closed and so unable to respond immediately! They may also advice, which is commonplace, that they can only deal with postponements for couples whose weddings are in the next 3 months. This is because of the ever-changing guidelines but does not help with your already heightened anxiety.
2. If you can get new dates from your venue please do not book any until you have spoken to your main suppliers such as the photographer, caterers, make up, hair etc. Check when they are available and if they are making any additional charges, I am not, but others might!
3. You may also want to consider a weekday. Venues are getting terribly busy with the back log of the last year and all those waiting to get married during the pandemic that have not yet booked but are now feeling confident enough to make the jump. A Saturday in August is a busy booking at the best of time and the next couple of years will be even more so. Why not try for a Thursday or Friday, you will find the venues are a whole lot cheaper. A month ago, I would have said 2021 was destined to be a busy year but that is no longer the case and 2022 is filling up quickly with both new and postponed bookings so don’t be too late to book.
There is a comprehensive blog of mine on your rights in relation to bookings during covid-19
Why not have a micro wedding?
I have done a few so called micro weddings. Some due to COVID-19 and some through choice even before COVID-19 came along. They are surprisingly great days. Couples invite the people that matter to them, no distant aunts, and uncles who you have not seen for years. No hangers on that you most probably will not even speak to on the day, yet you are forking out lots of money for them to be there out of loyalty. Cosy, intimate, special, and meaningful to name but a few good reasons to keep it small. There are lots of options open to you, they may not all be perfect but currently things are not perfect! Go with what you want and not what your parents or other advisors think is the right way to do it!
Lastly
Please do not try to sidestep the government guidelines on weddings, looking for loopholes or blatantly disregarding them. To do so is putting you, your guests, and the suppliers at risk. Moreover, there is the financial side of the fines, insurance that is not valid and for your suppliers their credibility when suddenly up pop the pictures on social media and the police come knocking on your door!
I hope this helps, it is only my thoughts and views and should not be taken as definitive, I am just trying to help.
If you are in need of more help or would like to book or have a chat please contact me.