Planning a Wedding During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Beautiful Day Wedding - Planning a Wedding During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Wedding days are among the most blissful in many lovers’ lives. Currently, COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into their days of joy. From Venue rentals to deco bookings and wedding-gown hiring, everything is falling into disarray. In March 2020, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised on the postponement of gatherings like weddings to reduce and stop the spread of coronavirus. Drawing recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), the US government banned all weddings with an attendance of more than ten people.

If your wedding falls during the pandemic, a wine-soaked pity party is unnecessary. Like most couples, you could wonder what step to take next if the pandemic has affected your day of bliss. Even though you feel out of control and helpless, you could find a plan B and save your big day. If you are wondering how to wade through these uncharted waters, below are tips that could help plan for your wedding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What Should I Do If I Am Planning to Stick with My Original Date?

COVID-19 had instigated a wave of confusion, leaving couples looking to wed in 2020 puzzled. Since the pandemic ensued, governments closed borders, discouraged gatherings, instilled stay-at-home mandates, and ordered non-essential businesses like wedding services to close shops. Irrespective of the happenings, you could choose to proceed with your wedding as planned. However, this cannot happen without particular limitations per state directives.

Comply with The Authorities’ Guidelines

Health bodies like CDC have advised on the ideal preventative measures when planning weddings to avoid the spread of COVID-19. The federal government has also laid down particular regulations that you need to consider when making wedding plans. Your wedding retailer could suggest safety protocols in line with the directives should you decide to proceed with the wedding.

These protocols include:

• Mandatory pre-screening for all guests. Guests found with the virus must stay home

• Asking guests experiencing flu-like symptoms 96 hours before your wedding to remain home

• Installing hand-washing and sanitizing points at the venue entrances and exits

• Downsizing the number of guests to not more than ten per the government directives. You can keep track of the latest regulations and adjust the figure accordingly

• Marking the wedding venue accordingly to keep distance between guests per CDC’s safety precautions

• Implementing a no hugging, kissing, or shaking-hands policy

• Providing stylish masks and gloves that comply with CDC’s standards to guests

• Cleaning, fumigating, and sanitizing restrooms, railings, microphone a day before and after the wedding

Source Goods from Local Sellers

Late deliveries are inevitable if you order goods for your wedding from foreign countries during this pandemic. Many digital marketplaces are focusing on selling essential commodities like foodstuff, sanitizers, and masks. Consider buying goods like veils and hair extensions locally to avoid panicking should deliveries delay.

What Should I Do If I Decide To Cancel My Wedding?

The coronavirus pandemic has set back wedding retailers hundreds of thousands of dollars, and made couples lose a lot of money in canceling fees. You could perhaps have decided to cancel the event after seeking several options to salvage your wedding but to no avail. While over 60% of couples are actively postponing their ceremonies until the pandemic subsides, you could be among the five who are considering cancellations.

Several variables, such as marrying a foreigner or your most essential guests getting locked in another country, could justify your reason for the cancellation. Also, force majeure clauses do not include pandemics like coronavirus; hence, forcing cancellations of events. If you are looking to cancel your wedding, below are tips you could use.

Contact Your Planner and Retailer

Contacting your wedding retailer is the first thing to do when looking to cancel your much-anticipated event. A sooner discussion lowers the losses you could incur. Many vendors have a 50% to 80% non-refundable fee policy if you cancel a wedding scheduled to happen in three months. This means that if you booked your retailer eight months before your event, you should receive your full booking fee. You also have to work with each vendor if you involve several of them, on a case by case basis. After canceling your event, you want to keep in touch with the wedding retailer should you wish to pick another date after the state lifts stay-at-home orders.

Reach Out to Your Guests

You don’t have to set another date for your event immediately after canceling it. With COVID-19 cases soaring every sunrise and the state issuing new guidelines abruptly, it is wise to communicate with your guests and tell them of your cancellation plans. Also, tell them you cannot set a date owing to the unpredictability of the pandemic. Notify your guests early enough through texts, phone calls, or emails for them to process hotel or travel-bookings cancellation fast.

After figuring out new and appropriate dates, notify your guests. However, expect a smaller attendance after the government lifts the gatherings ban. This is because the pandemic could have affected many of them in irreversible ways. Although your wedding could have significant “no shows," you could check on your guests and invite them again on a personal level.

Can I Get A Refund After My Event Cancellation?

Different wedding retailers have different terms and conditions. While some vendors ask for non-refundable retainers, others are during this pandemic introducing more flexible policies. A non-refundable deposit exists because the vendor reserves that date to focus solely on you and turn down other prospects.

Vendors write contracts without pandemics in mind, and they also reserve event spaces for many couples. Therefore, you, among other couples, could throw your vendor in an awkward position if you feel entitled to a refund. Some businesses cannot survive the pandemic after refunding hundreds of thousands of dollars. You could also make new arrangements with your vendor and reschedule for a later date, given that they won't bill you additional booking fees.

What to Do If I Am Waiting to Postpone My Nuptials

Love cannot lose to COVID-19 – it always wins! The CDC advisories are against gatherings of over ten persons in the US, and there are lockdowns in several California counties. Wedding industry experts are now insisting that events scheduled for May, June, and July be postponed. Due to the restrictions and lockdowns, you can reschedule your wedding to a later date.

How Far Should I Postpone My Wedding?

Engage any wedding retailer worth their salt, and they will say that if you had planned for a wedding during this pandemic, it pays to postpone it to a later month. A postponement rather than cancellation saves you money since your retailer could still support you later in 2020. The odds are that your retailer cannot assist you should you pick a date in 2021. This is because they work with many service providers to make your day a success, for example, décor, venues, and dress.

What If I Don’t Have A Wedding Retailer?

The process of wedding postponement is different, especially if you are planning a destination wedding and don't have a retailer. It is advisable to use a retailer you have a good rapport with or with a proven track record. A competent wedding planner also becomes your ears on the ground since they are rooted in the industry while you only know what you see in the media and blogs.

How Do I Postpone My wedding?

A phone call is an ideal method to postpone the wedding if you have already sent out invitation letters to your guests. To observe etiquette, you could also send a regular mail or email. Phone calls relay your message faster, and your guests could rush and cancel their hotel and travel bookings early enough.

Also, if you are looking to send invitations during this pandemic for a wedding you plan to do in the coming two or three months, it is recommended that you include a statement stating possible postponement. You could also hold on for a month before sending invitations to see if the pandemic could subside. Imagine sending invites for an international wedding when the pandemic has forced people to stay home and cancel travel tickets.

Can I Get My Retainer Back?

Getting your deposit back from your vendor could be an uphill task. When speaking to your retailer, you want to avoid the phrase “cancel” and instead suggest postponements but within 2020 not to lose investments you have already made in your wedding event. Your retainer is used to book photographers, deejays, florists, and cake bakers to reserve particular dates.

It pays to be human in this uncharted terrain by holding a level-headed discussion with your retailer and understanding that they’re in business. Ask them to reserve another date, even if you had asked them to book another. Your retailers are handling two commitments for the price of one.

Virtual Ceremony: Saying “I Do” Online

As social distancing orders roll on, there is no end to human creativity to search for means to connect even with restricted physical contact. Virtual weddings are fast becoming fashionable thanks to the “coronavirus culture.” With the state limiting wedding events to ten people, fewer alternatives have forced many couples to go digital. Couples are now using video conferencing platforms like Skype, Google Meet, and Zoom to perform the nuptials they could have canceled or rescheduled until the COVID-19 cases diminish. While the digital route seems unconventional, you could find it easy to accomplish and less stressful than a typical celebration.

How Can I Plan A Virtual Wedding?

Turning from a typical event to an entirely digital ceremony can appear stressful, but it needs little tweaks to your prior plan to make the online wedding a success. Wedding retailers suggest that they could still blend in the classic touches you crave in an online affair. It is possible to don that dazzling white gown and include some wedding reception mainstays into your chat. These include performing the first dance together, cake cutting, and reciting vows aloud.

After researching how to execute your wedding virtually, next is handling the logistics. You will need a marriage license from the County Clerk’s office or Local City Hall in Los Angeles. However, if the institution is closed due to the pandemic, you could hold a symbolic ceremony and obtain the license when offices reopen.

Prepare everyone meant to talk during the event in advance to avoid everyone talking simultaneously. Have your guests acquire good-quality headphones with microphones in them. Also, guests who are not needed to speak should be reminded to mute their microphones. Designing a cue system makes everyone know who is to talk at what time. Other things to consider when planning a virtual wedding are:

• The streaming platform to use. Is it the platform safe? Can it accommodate a large number of guests? Also, you need to notify guests about it to have a good time familiarizing with the user-interface and functionalities

• Solid internet connection. For a successful wedding, you want to have a fast and robust internet installed

How Do I Get My Wedding Retailer Involved?

Your wedding retailer could help with several aspects to make your special day a success. There exist retailers who could offer door-to-door delivery services. For example, the cake baker can arrange for contactless deliveries to you and your guests. The same case goes with the designated florist; they can deliver flowers to your guests’ homes. Wedding vendors are likely to help you in whatever capacity they can.

How Could I Make My Online Wedding Feel Special?

While your big day is not as you had earlier envisioned because of coronavirus, there are many ways you could add spice to it. Together with your spouse-to-be and wedding retailer, you could brainstorm creative touches. For example, if you wish to have a signature cocktail at the wedding reception, you could send a recipe to your guests and prepare the drink before the toast.

The technology could be handy in other ways. For instance, if you are planning for a bridal party dance, you can check out the latest TikTok dance trends. Share ones you find intriguing with your bridal team for them to rehearse beforehand and carve out a part of your reception where you dance together. Spotify is another handy platform, where you can curate a playlist, share with guests, and play it simultaneously during your virtual wedding.

Making drastic changes during the coronavirus pandemic to your wedding ceremony you had planned for months can feel devastating. However, you still could squeeze lovely memories for you and your guests.

How Does Coronavirus Affect My Wedding Insurance?

Apart from looking for ways to reschedule your special day and handle retailer agreements, you could have questions about wedding insurance during the coronavirus pandemic. The truth is, insurers handle wedding insurance cases on a case by case basis. Companies have different processes to handle coronavirus implications.

Also, your contract determines if the insurance policy covers your postponement amid the pandemic. You want to know if your wedding insurance covers cancellations before deciding the ways below.

Will My Wedding Insurance Cover Cancellations and Postponements Due to Coronavirus?

Whether your policy covers you depends on the insurance you chose and the date of purchase. There exist different types of wedding insurance you could choose from, namely:

• General liability. This insurance covers for possible accidents during your wedding like property damage or injuries but cannot cover wedding postponement because of COVID-19.

• Cancellation coverage. With this coverage, you and your spouse are covered for costs incurred if you postpone your event because adverse conditions like a power outage or a tornado prevented the wedding from happening. Also, this coverage includes you or your relatives if you fall ill and cannot attend the event; hence, leading to your wedding postponement.

If you bought cancellation insurance before coronavirus disrupted the industry, you could be covered under the policy. You should also be wary of the buying date because you could be ineligible for compensation if you acquired the coverage during the pandemic. It is best if you talked to your wedding retailer or insurer to know what the contract encompasses.

How Much Money Will My Insurer Reimburse If My Coverage Caters for Postponement?

If the insurance you bought covers your coronavirus postponement, the amount of compensation you receive depends on the money you spent on the wedding planning. Since insurance premiums differ, you need to talk to your insurance broker to know the reimbursement you receive.

Contact a Wedding Retailer Near Me

Your dream to wed could have shattered to pieces due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You want to stay informed before you decide whether to postpone, cancel, or proceed with the wedding on the predetermined date. Keeping tabs with all the uncertain and abrupt occurrences during this time is overwhelming. Therefore, your wedding retailer, vendor, or planner eases the burden and could offer you the latest information and help you make an informed and logical decision.

As experts in the how-to-make-your-wedding-successful department, the Beautiful Day Wedding team is devoted to seeing that you remain stress-free and supported irrespective of the COVID-19 spread. Your wellbeing and safety are a primary priority. Our team is following the guidelines Los Angeles authorities implemented carefully, and we could help with choosing your perfect attire for your wedding. Talk to us today at 213-386-1900, and enjoy our selection of dresses and accessories.