5 Tips for Planning Your Wedding Amidst Covid

It is a strange time to be planning your wedding right now. Each province is entering its own re-opening phases and while we remain hopeful and optimistic, couples continue to contend with ongoing limitations, including travel bans, gathering restrictions and local business closures. It seems more difficult than ever to understand HOW to plan a wedding in 2021.  Here are some recommendations for couples planning to get hitched this summer.

Be open minded and flexible

While it’s true that planning a wedding during a pandemic puts quite a few road blocks in the way, it’s important to keep perspective and remain calm. There are many things that you can’t control so try to remain open to change and try to have a Plan B in case you can’t have the big day you’d dreamed of. Communicate with your wedding vendors and take time to understand the options presented to you – expect things to get creative! 

Also, it is so important to understand that despite all planning, vaccination rates and precautions in place, some guests just won’t feel comfortable attending.  For those guests confirmed to attend your special day, let them know you are will keep them informed and reassure you are adhering to all COVID guidelines as established by Provincial officials.

While it’s true that planning a wedding during a pandemic puts quite a few road blocks in the way, it’s important to keep perspective and remain calm.

Stay Outside

Tent weddings are more popular than ever!  With the sides of the tent panels removed, (canopy only) not only will guests feel more comfortable outside, but outdoor gathering numbers have been consistently higher than indoor numbers since the start of the pandemic, so there is a greater chance you could have more guests in attendance.  We recommend couples start reaching out to tent rental companies sooner than later due to high demand.

We also recommend to think about ways to space guests out during ceremony, cocktails and dinner, especially those from different households or social bubbles. All seating should be assigned for ceremony and dinner and you should take measures to avoid high traffic areas like bars and opt for bar markers prompting guests to remain apart in line OR offer table side bar service, (think restaurant style) to avoid bar lineups altogether.

Clean and Tidy

It is so important to plan for extra sanitization measures at your wedding.  To help couples, there are companies offering on site personnel to help sanitize commonly used / high traffic spaces throughout the wedding – think your welcome table, podium, microphone and washrooms. 

We strongly recommend plated service (no family style or buffet) and avoid self-serve ANYTHING – sweets tables, coffee stations etc.  Instead, elevate the guest experience and create individual plates instead of the communal spreads you may be used to.

It is so important to plan for extra sanitization measures at your wedding.

Scale Back

For weddings taking place in the next 6 months, gathering maximums continue to be limited and are constantly subject to additional restrictions, so the smaller the gathering numbers at your wedding, the better. 

These small weddings continue to be so gorgeous, FUN and sentimental and by keeping it small you are choosing to celebrate with those closest to you in the most special way. It also helps keep the cost down and might mean you can afford the best of everything – a six course menu and top shelf liquor, perhaps?

Hire A Professional Team of Vendors and TRUST them

In our opinion, the BEST thing you can do right now is hire reputable vendors to help you manage the burden of planning during a pandemic. Focus on quality event professionals with rave reviews who work full time in the world of weddings and events.   Repeat after us - now is NOT the time to cut corners and hire an amateur.  You need peace of mind to know you have hired wedding vendors who have designed, planned and executed weddings during this pandemic.

Once you have assembled your wedding dream team, TRUST them.  Let them brainstorm and share their knowledge and insights with you.  Sometimes wedding vendors offer design ideas and out of the box thinking that you haven’t seen or heard of before – please trust their vision without needing to see ‘exactly’ what it will look like, (sometimes this doesn’t exist in the real world – yet)! When your vendors email you, please respond within 1-2 business days since much of the planning is time sensitive. When your vendors recommend you make a decision to move forward or move locations, please take that recommendation seriously and don’t wait until the last minute.  Listen to their advice and adhere to recommended timelines.

Focus on quality event professionals with rave reviews who work full time in the world of weddings and events.   Repeat after us - now is NOT the time to cut corners and hire an amateur.

Continue to lean on your vendors as you need to and communicate openly. Professional vendors have been through COVID wedding planning over the last year and continue to adapt to changing circumstances with a lens of optimism and positivity.  We are here to help clients have a beautiful wedding day regardless of the circumstances.  

There is no better time than now, in a pandemic, to hire a wedding planner! A wedding planner not only saves couples time, money and unnecessary stress, but it is our job to work through these restrictions, conduct risk planning assessments and troubleshoot for our clients.  We manage these tough conversations and problem solve with clients every day with lots of prior knowledge and experience about all things weddings!

Interested in working with me? Drop me an email alli@allimae.com

Thanks to Aimee de la Lande Photography for the images featured in this blog and Goldfinch Registry for the opportunity to share on your new platform as well. If you don’t already follow them on social, please check them out!