A COVID Wedding: Planning a Wedding Around the Coronavirus
Feeling overwhelmed by wedding planning during COVID-19 is understandable. The global virus is affecting all of us. Those planning their wedding for 2020 and 2021 are now faced with additional, unique challenges. While we may not have a magic wand to make this disappear (we wish we did), we are here to help you navigate those new challenges and take some of the stress off your wedding planning.
Above all else, right now, at this exact moment, we want you to take a breath. The quarantine and social distancing may be unprecedented, but you're not going through this alone. Know that everyone understands. Your family, friends, and even your vendors all understand. (Quite frankly, if someone doesn't understand, they may not deserve to be a part of your big day). It is your duty to yourself and your guests to adjust your plans to keep everyone safe. (Check out the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website for more on how to protect yourself and your family if you haven't). It's ok to feel like you're grieving right now, especially over your original plans. Which brings us to our first piece of advicce.
Change the date of your wedding
If your wedding date is between May and October 2020, consider postponing your wedding. We don't know when this will be over. For now, we do know gatherings of more than 10 people (soon 50) are postponed in many states, including Illinois. Moreover, your guests may not be able to incur the cost of attending a wedding (think attire, hair, nails, a gift) because of the financial strife caused by the novel virus.To give you and your guests time to get back to normal, we suggest pushing back your date by at least 2 seasons. This lets you know we are out of the woods with the COVID situation and gives guests (and yourself) the opportunity to recover from any financial distress caused by COVID-19.
Once you've come to terms with having to move the date of your wedding, you need to do the following:
Talk to your partner. Pick 4 dates you'd like to have instead of your original date.
Next, talk to your wedding party and the 5 guests you couldn't have your wedding without about which of your secondary dates will work for them.
Once you've narrowed it down to 2 to 3 dates, get ahold of your vendors starting with your venue and ceremony site. These are the two most essential pieces to coordinate-even if we weren't in a global pandemic. Discuss which new dates they can accommodate. If you haven't yet selected a venue, look for 360 tours to give yourself an idea of the venues that interest you. You can check out our 360 tour here.
If your venue is no longer able to host your event, Rockford Radisson Hotel and Conference Center may be able to help. Give us a call at (815) 226-2100. Just ask for Dawn.
Consider sending "Swap the Date's." You know, like "Save the Date's" but swapping. Minted has many inexpensive options and usually offers 15% off or more. They are also offering free wedding websites with some purchases!
Secure Other Vendors
Your vendors will work with you. The florist, the makeup artist, the hairstylist. They all want to work with you. If you cancel, your vendors are not obligated to give you back your deposit. Rather than canceling their services, postponing lets you keep the vendors and prevents you from losing money. If you're still looking for local vendors or need to find new vendors, we have a Local Vendors List available for free.
If you have yet to pick some vendors, you're not out of luck! Vendors may still be available to chat over the phone or via email if you do have questions, especially local, small businesses. You can start making connections with now and lock in pricing. You'll get more time to consider what you would like and to get expert advice from vendors.
The Day of the Wedding
Remember to enjoy the day. You've gone through this unprecedented thing that most other brides won't ever have to go through. You've made it. Take the time to live in the moment on your big day. Know that any small stressor that day is no match for the bride who planned her wedding while the rest of the world was closed.
Radisson Hotel and Conference Center is Rockford’s premier wedding venue. With seating for 400 people in our conference center and over 140 newly renovated hotel rooms, Radisson is the perfect space for your event no matter how big or small. Want to schedule a tour or book hotel rooms? Click here to contact us!