You’re engaged!! (I’m doing a little happy dance for you 🥳)

I photograph A LOT of proposals, and I know how exciting this time is. As you get used to the ring on your finger, you’ll probably start thinking about your wedding. Beginning this process is always a bit overwhelming, but we’re also in the middle of a PANDEMIC. So, how does that change things?

If you’re having a mini panic attack considering that question, you’re not alone. Here’s the good news ➡️ There are actually tons of benefits to planning your wedding during this quarantine.

Here’s what normally happens to newly engaged couples:

• One thousand people ask if you’ve set a date, chosen your colors, gone dress shopping, picked your bridesmaids, and gone cake tasting. (Chill Aunt Karen, we’re working on it!)
• You start venue shopping, start building to-do lists, and spending hours on Pinterest gathering ideas.
• The planning starts NOW, because there’s a lot to do!

 

Instead, here’s what’s probably happening:

• Sympathetic comments from friends and family about how this isn’t a “good time” to plan a wedding.
• You’re feeling lost about whether to elope now or wait until 2021 or 2022 to have your wedding.

 

Ugh, I know how stressed you’re probably feeling. I hope this blog gives you a different perspective about your unique situation. Let’s focus on the benefits of being a #CovidBride and list the steps to start planning your wedding.

And yes, this blog will be filled with gifs of Pam & Jim’s wedding in The Office. Because we all know that didn’t go as planned, and it was still amazing.

 

From the start, you can focus on what’s most important.

I know from experience that brides tend to think about the details first. When Matt & I started planning our wedding, I felt we needed to nail down our “style” right away. Looking back, the decorations and colors didn’t matter nearly as much as I thought they would.

Trends and styles change. 4 years later, we’re different people with different tastes, and we probably would have decorated a bit differently. Does that bother me now? Not one bit. Why? Because the decorations aren’t what we enjoyed most or remember most about our wedding.

This is a realization that usually takes months for brides & grooms to recognize. I want to help you understand this sooner and enjoy a collaborative planning process with a truly meaningful experience.

If you want to get married in 2020 or 2021, the reality is that you won’t be able to have a large wedding. You may not be able to have 150 guests, and that’s OK. I’ve photographed weddings recently with 30 guests. I’ve also photographed elopements with no guests at all. And they were all awesome. Read more about planning a small wedding or elopement during Covid-19 >

Being at home more likely means you have more time at home together to have these conversations. Spend that time talking about what matters most.

It IS still possible to have your dream wedding. Once you start talking about your priorities, you may discover you have multiple ideas of a dream wedding. I KNOW that many of these ideas will still be possible.

 

Limited options means the options are limitless

✨ Not having a large guest list means that you can get married on the beach, on a boat, or on a mountaintop!

✨ Not knowing what the future looks like means that you can let go of the reins from the start. Take the weight off your shoulders and enjoy this process.

✨ Planning a more “simple” wedding means that you can get married sooner if you want to! It also means you have permission to wait until 2022 if you want to have a large wedding.

See what I mean?

 

Here’s where to start

If you recently got engaged, know that your timing is actually pretty good! Many couples who started planning in 2018 or 2019 had to completely reschedule or cancel their Spring/Summer/ 2020 wedding.

Luckily, you have the benefit of learning from those awesome couples who faced a horrible situation with absolutely no roadmap in front of them.

Coronavirus also hit vendors really hard, and most are still struggling right now. The entire industry has been turned upside down in the past 5 months. I only tell you this so you know what you’re walking into.

We’re all figuring it out together. I’m here for you, and I want to share some tips based on what I’ve learned this year! Here’s where to start:

• Read the other blogs in my Covid-19 series > (I recommend starting with this one)
• Book your key vendors soon. Because so many 2020 weddings have been rescheduled to 2021, many popular dates are already taken. After you choose a date and venue, be sure to book your photographer and coordinator next. Then work on booking a DJ, florist and caterer. The first vendors you should book are the ones who can only work one wedding per day. Remember that while you’re booking their services, what you’re really reserving is their services on a specific day.
• Consider weekdays and Sundays. It’s more likely that your favorite venue and vendors will be available.
• Read your vendors’ contracts. A “retainer” is usually non-refundable, while a “deposit” can be refunded.
• Be kind to your vendors and don’t reschedule your wedding unless there’s a stay-at-home order in your area and you’re legally unable to do it.
• To obtain a marriage license, visit your county clerk’s office website. Here’s the website for Travis County >

 

 

You CAN do this, and you’re not alone.

There are tons of traditions surrounding weddings… some good and some bad. Now more than ever, you should feel the freedom to pick and choose which work best for you. The rules have gone out the window, and I hope that feels freeing.

2020 has made us all rethink our priorities and lifestyles. So, how do you imagine your wedding day? Don’t visualize the decorations and the table assignments. Instead, consider how and where you want to spend your time together as a couple.

Your marriage will be the most important thing to come from your wedding and to outlast this pandemic.

You’ve got this!!