Wedding Planning During the Corona Virus Outbreak. What you need to know!

So you fell in love, got engaged, and everything was looking peachy. Right? And then Corona Virus hit, and it probably really dented your spirits. It probably threw you into a state of panic. The thought of wedding planning during the corona virus outbreak probably seems daunting, and terrifying, maybe even pointless. This is not a post designed to downplay the current situation. Things are bad, times are tough, for everyone. But as a people, as a race, we always manage to bounce back. And if we know one thing, it is this. When we get hit by a storm, you can do one of two things. First option is to sit at home (assuming we are in a forced lockdown/self-isolation) and despair, imagining what could have been, waiting for it to all be over. Second option (and the option I choose) is to recognise the situation for what it is, come up with a plan and start working on it so that when this is all over, and the dust settles, you are ready to go, right where you left off.

Wedding planning during the corona virus saga is going to be tough. So what I wanted to do, was to run over what this all means to you, how you can still continue planning your wedding, and the ins and outs of navigating this potentially once in a lifetime situation.

You won’t be able to book a date…potentially

So let’s get this one out of the way, because it is the most important. You are going to struggle to book a date right now. Why is that? Well because we honestly do not know when this will all be over. A responsible venue will not take your money and book you in for a date in 3 months when they do not know if we will be operating at that time. Obviously the further out you push your date, the more likely they are to take your booking, for example, if you were looking at a date in 2022 they may be happy to take that booking, but still, some may not, because we just don’t know what tomorrow brings. We never thought this would ever happen when news first broke of the COVID-19 outbreak, so we have to be prepared for the unexpected.

However, just because you cannot book a date, this doesn’t mean you can’t think about it. Get an idea of when you would like to get married. Do you want a Winter, or a summer wedding? Did you want a weekend, or were you after something a bit more low key during the mid week? When this is all said and done, at least now you can go to a venue and you already know what dates you are interested in!

Speaking of going to your venue, which venue are you interested in? Don’t let the corona virus outbreak stop you from planning your wedding venue out! Get online, start having a look at some venues you like. Hit up Instagram, check out some hashtags and see what gets your interest. I have a guide to my top wedding venues in Newcastle, Hunter Valley and the Central Coast, so definitely feel free to check that out to get a better idea of which venue, or venues you want to approach in the future.

You won’t be able to book any other vendors…definitely

I assume it goes without saying, but I will say it anyway…you cannot book another vendor without having a date which is required to secure a booking. It just won’t work because we have no way of assuring when you do pick a date, that we will be available for it. But again, in similar fashion to the above, you can start to think about who you might be interested in, so that when normalcy returns, you have a list of who you need to have a discussion with.

In fact, you can start the discussion now! Why wait? Hit up your vendor, in this case let’s say a Celebrant and open that communication. Get to know if you like their vibe, what they are about, chat with them on the phone. That way, when the time comes that we can all start going about our lives again, you are ready to pull the trigger and get someone booked in. Check here for a list of my absolute favourite vendors in the Newcastle, Hunter Valley and Central Coast area (these guys and girls are fucking legends and will absolutely help you own your day).

So what can you do in the mean time? How can you get the ball rolling? Simple, just start skyping, face timing, zoom calling with vendors you like. This way you stick to the social isolation guidelines, but you also get to speak to potential vendors, ask question and get to know them. Again, this brings you closer to knowing what and who you want once we return to normal circumstances.

Time to consider something different?

So obviously weddings are impact, that we get. At this point any wedding over 100 people is looking pretty unstable, and that is likely to change in the coming days. But, if you’ve listened to me in the past, you would know that there is another way. If you always wanted a small wedding, something a bit more intimate, then this is your chance. Currently there are no bans on small gatherings of say, up to 10 people. So why not consider eloping? If you aren’t sure what an elopement is, or how they work, check out this article here to get a better idea.

To keep it super short and sweet, an elopement is just you and your partner, maybe a couple family/friends, a celebrant and usually a photographer to document. This can happen at a local beach, or in a far away destination. However, for the purpose of this article, currently we are on level 4 travel bans, so let’s assume somewhere within driving distance. This could be our local area, Blue Mountains, Forster, Seal Rocks, Barrington etc etc. The cool thing about elopements is you are not bound by a venues restrictions, so you won’t have to worry about them. They are almost always outdoors, and outdoors gatherings seem to be of less concern (health wise) than indoors gatherings. Finally, they require much less planning as you don’t need to worry about coordinating the logistics of gettin 150 people together on the same day, and then of course organising the vendors to cater to that event.

Elopements are not for everyone, and some people may be more than willing to hold out and wait for things to return to normal, and then have a traditional wedding, but a small percentage of you reading this may see this as a viable, amazing solution to the current global situation. If you have any questions, please just get in touch with me and we can chat.

Take this time to organise your deposits

Let me caveat this by saying, if you aren’t impacted by Corona Virus in the sense that you are able to continue regular work, you should consider using this time to really kick into saving for your wedding deposits. Probably the most common thing I hear from couples is, “OMG the amount of money we need for deposits is killing us, it’s all coming at once”. So why not get ahead of this curve? I won’t lie, if you want to get things rolling really fast and don’t want to lose more time than you have already been forced to lose, that initial period is going to hit your wallet hard as you put down a deposit on the venue, photographer, celebrant, HMUA etc etc. So anticipate it, don’t get caught off guard.

Think about it, we are socially isolating. No mass gatherings, no concerts, no group dinners, no parties. There is no need to be spending much money during these times, because let’s face it. You are going to be siting at home in your pajamas playing Monopoly or watching Friends for the 28th time during this social isolation period.

So if you are able to work as per normal (and I understand for some of you that isn’t possible, so this point you can skip over), just save. Know that you are going to want to put down lots of deposits as soon as things go back to normal and bank for it. Trust me, it will alleviate a lot of stress and pressure, and will also help you get the ball rolling on planning and booking your wedding once this all calms down.

Well that’s it for me, for now. Unfortunately this is an ever changing, ever developing situation, so what is written here today (March 18th) may well be outdated and irrelevant tomorrow. Make sure you pay attention to what government bodies are saying, stop believing all the shit we get fed on Social Media, and stay safe. I will update this article as much as I can as I become privy to newer information, but if you are ever unsure about something to do with wedding planning, my number and email address can be found here, so do not hesitate to reach out and chat with me. I am here to help.