What a crazy couple of weeks, right?? I never thought I’d write tips for wedding planning during a pandemic, but this is our reality, and your wedding planning should not be put on hold!

Actually, all of your new free time is a good opportunity to tackle more meaningful, productive, and fun wedding planning than you usually could!

Let’s dig in to the 3 wedding planning steps to take while in quarantine. ⬇️⬇️

1. Hire your vendors

I always tell couples that after you hire most of your vendors, you can relax for a while and coast through being engaged. It’s a huge step. Researching and hiring vendors can be time consuming, but I’m guessing you have a lot of extra time on your hands right now.

It’s also a big step, because having vendors will make your wedding a reality and help you imagine what it will look and feel like!

 

Vendors that are easy to hire while in quarantine:

• Coordinator
• Photographer
• Florist
• DJ
• Hair & Makeup artist
• Videographer
• Calligrapher/ stationary designer
• Officiant
• Bartender
• Photo Booth

 

It’s totally possible (and normal) to book these vendors without meeting in person! Look through their websites, photo galleries, and social media. Email them to ask allllll of your questions. Schedule a phone or Facetime call with them. How awesome would it be to leave this quarantine with nearly ALL of your vendors booked?? 💪🏆🏅👏

If you’re worried about paying several retainer fees during shaking financial times, ask each of them how you can adjust the payment schedule. Everyone’s being flexible right now. Instead of a large retainer payment at the beginning and a large payment at the end, ask about monthly or quarterly payments instead.

The support-small-businesses movement has been huge for the past couple weeks, and that’s awesome. Your vendors are small businesses, but sometimes without a storefront and employees. That means that every single “cha-ching moment”  they have is that much more important to their wellbeing and ability to pay the bills.

 

Other ways to support your vendors during this time:

• Follow them on social media and engage with their posts (this is free!)
• Leave a great review on Facebook or The Knot (this is free!)
• Purchase a gift card or credit
• Book a photo session for later / book a makeup trail for later / buy something from their online shop

 

This could be an entirely separate blog post, but here are some ways to start looking for vendors:

• The Knot – stick to the first couple pages of each vendor category. Don’t stress yourself out by looking through all 1,304,585 pages.
• Instagram Hashtags – Search hashtags like #AustinWeddingPhotographer #AustinBride #ATXWedding #KeepAustinWed #AustinEngagementPhotos
• Your venue’s social media’s accounts  – Venues usually tag the photographer in photos they post!
• Your friends’ social media accounts – First hand experience and recommendations from people you trust is a goldmine!

 

2. Have conversations about the look & feel of your wedding

This is such a simple concept, but it’s so often overlooked by brides & grooms! Sit down together and have conversations about what your wedding will look and feel like. You have the time, after all!

Ask yourself these questions to get started:

• What colors do you imagine being in the flowers, wedding party clothes, invitations, and on table cloths? (Bright colors, dark colors, lots of colors, one color, many shades of one color, etc.)
• What do you want the guests to DO at your reception? (Dance a lot, eat a lot, use a photo booth, smoke cigars, eat pie, play games, stand outside in big groups, sit on couches in small groups, etc.)
• What part of the day are you looking forward to the most? (Your vows, your first look, great food, time alone by yourselves, partying with your friends, fun dance floor props, photos with your grandparents, etc.)
• Do you want to spend most of the day inside or outside? (Mostly inside because of the weather, mostly outside with a backup plan for the weather, half and half, etc.)

 

3. Consider Eloping

If you were planning to get married in 2020 or 2021, consider eloping! This significantly cuts down your task list in all categories. Instead of hiring a bunch of vendors, you may only need an officiant, a photographer, and possibly a planner or travel agent.

Are you someone who’s never imagined what it would be like to have a small wedding or elopement? Start picturing it…

• Where would you do it?
• If you could only invite 20 people, who would they be? What about 5 people? Read more about narrowing down your guest list >
• If Coronavirus made having a large wedding impossible, would you be open to eloping? Or would you rather wait another 6 months (or longer) to be married?

There are really no wrong answers. It comes down to asking yourselves: What is most important to us? For some couples, that is having their friends and family there. They want to have a big party to celebrate their marriage. Having lots of people there is #1 at the top of their priority list.

Or maybe your ceremony and getting married to each other is at the top of your priority list. If the things you’re looking forward to the most are saying your vows and spending time together (even if it’s just the two of you), than eloping could be a good option.

If you’re not sure which one of those examples sounds like you, or you think you fall somewhere in the middle, now is the time to talk about it. As uncomfortable as it is, run through a few scenarios together. Even if your wedding is December, talk about what you would do if you weren’t allowed to have the large wedding you’ve been planning.

Tips for planning an elopement or small wedding during Covid-19 >

Recently, I’ve also seen couples decide to elope on their original date and plan a larger wedding reception later on. You can still rent a venue, wear your wedding dress, and have a cake at the reception. There are a lot of ways you could do it!

More about elopement/destination wedding photography >

 

I know this isn’t ideal

When you got engaged, I know you didn’t factor a global pandemic into your plans. This isn’t ideal. I’ve been working with most of my Spring 2020 couples to reschedule their weddings in some way or another. Being forced to cancel plans and postpone your wedding is heartbreaking.

Know that your vendors are there for you. If you don’t have any vendors yet, now more than ever, it’s vital to have wedding professionals on your side. No one knows how the rest of this year will go down, but having experts to help you problem-solve is so helpful. We’re in this together.

Use this time to dream up your wedding, think through the possibilities, and stay optimistic! 😊

 

 

More on the blog

Blog: 3 Questions Brides Ask When Hiring Their Wedding Photographer >

Blog: 3 Ways to Make Your Wedding Your Own Style >

Scroll through my Pinterest! >