Hi fellow Covid Brides out there!
I can imagine that this was not the time you had dreamed of; planning your wedding through a Pandemic. And I can imagine that you are tired of hearing “Well at least you will have a great story to tell your grandchildren” (because honestly I am tired of hearing that too)! I want you to know something very important.
You. Are. So. Strong.
You. Can. Do. This.
It. Will. Be. YOUR. Special. Day.
I know there are a million questions flying through your brain every hour of every day. Will we have to postpone? Will our guests feel comfortable coming? How is catering going to work? Should we ditch our favors? I know because I went through it and I am still going through it.
My husband and I planned our wedding for April 26th, 2020 at a gorgeous outdoor garden venue in Dripping Springs with as many flowers a girl could dream of. Obviously, that plan did not happen. Through many failed plans and tears, we got married on our original date at a friend’s house. Only a few of our friends came and our parents were unable to attend because of the stay at home order. My Granddad did the ceremony over a Zoom video call from 4 hours away and my bridesmaids and I made our own bouquets and boutonnieres. I saved my wedding dress since my father and brother were not there to walk me down the aisle. We postponed what we are now calling our Wedding Celebration Day at our venue for April of next year.
Even though this day sounded sad and we gave up so much, it was honestly the best day. We had our family and closest friends coming together to help us get married amidst a pandemic. It meant the world to us that our friends helped us with all of the details and our families coordinated the Zoom call for everyone to watch. We still got to have our special day and we will celebrate with more our friends and family next year which we are so looking forward to! Our wedding day was filled with many encouraging texts and phone calls from our loved ones. I still got to marry my best friend and my Granddad still got to officiate. We became husband and wife and at the end of the day that was the most important thing.
With all of this to say, here are my top 10 tips as a Covid Bride and Wedding Planner for planning your wedding through Covid!
1. Pick the MOST important aspects of your wedding day and stick to those
For my husband, John, and I it was that we got married and that we were not alone on our wedding day. One of the aspects that I wanted was to carry my favorite flowers since I rarely get to have peonies (they are expensive!!). I also had a blast with my bridesmaids making the bouquets! Whether it is that you get to wear your wedding dress, that your photographer is there to capture the moment, or you have some of your favorite people there to celebrate with you, stick to your most important aspects of your wedding day and it will still be your special day!
2. Less people does not mean less of a celebration
Your wedding day is a day to celebrate from near or far away! You will have more room on the dance floor to dance, you can have longer conversations with all of your guests, and you will have more time to take pictures with everyone who was able to come! You will get to celebrate more closely with each person who came to celebrate with you!
3. You do not have to eliminate favors
I keep seeing on social media that all my brides out there are ditching their wedding favors and it makes me sad. Girl you spent time on those, especially if they were DIY favors (I made homemade candles and you bet I am still going to give them out!). Instead of having a favor table where everyone goes to get their favor, have them sitting at the tables with their plate setting or even in place of their place setting. The planner or decorator can wear gloves while they are placing each one on the tables so your guests can still enjoy them!
4. Have your cake and eat it too!
I have also heard of brides not having their wedding cake anymore which is also very sad. My advice on this is having a cake for you and your Groom to cut and get that cute picture you have dreamed of since you were six. For your guests, get prewrapped cookies that you can also place at each place setting so your guests can still enjoy a yummy treat with you!
5. Give your guests a way to show how they feel
Now this is GENIOUS!!! I came across this idea recently and I am LOVING it for Covid weddings right now! Each guest receives a bracelet option when they go to the cocktail hour or the reception. Each bracelet color has a different meaning. Blue means they are comfortable with hugs and talking, pink means they are uncomfortable with hugs but are ok with talking, and green means they want to stay away from people. This is a friendly way for all of your guests to let others know what they are comfortable with!
6. If you can’t travel for your honeymoon, save the money for your one year anniversary!
My husband and I had our tickets booked for Cancun but travel was out of the question when we got married. Instead, we are saving this vacation for our one year anniversary! You can even take any money you saved from catering costs and upgrade your hotel suite, where you are traveling to, or even extend your trip for your one year anniversary!
7. Have your showers now, don’t delay them if you can help it!
I had to delay my bridal shower which was really sad. Now it’s a little funny because my husband and I are needing some of the things we got off our registry but we haven’t received the gifts yet haha! Even if the shower is a virtual shower, still try to have it because its fun, you will feel more like a celebrated bride, and you won’t be waiting for gifts off your registry!
8. (This one is for Maid of Honors and Bridesmaids or friends!) Video messages from people who cannot attend will make their wedding day super special!
If you know that the Bride’s grandparents can’t attend, or a really close friend can’t come, then secretly reach out to that family or friend and ask them to send in a video of them giving the Bride and Groom their love and celebrating with them to surprise them at the reception! It will be something they won’t expect but will feel very cared for after trying to plan their wedding amidst all the craziness!
9. Put savings back into your wedding!
With cheaper catering costs because of a lower guest count, you will be able to save more money from your wedding day! You can either save that money or you can put it back into your wedding by adding that extra hour of photography you wanted, hiring a videographer, getting more florals, taking bridal portraits beforehand, or even getting better prints of your wedding pictures after the wedding! Definitely take advantage of the money you are saving!
10. Above all, remember that your family and friends want to celebrate with you and it is YOUR special day!
I can guarantee you that when I look back on my wedding day I wasn’t sad. I felt really excited and joyful that I was able to get married during a pandemic and that God had opened those doors for my husband and I. You will have your special day and everyone who is supposed to be there will be. You will still have people to celebrate with you. You will still be getting married and it will be an incredibly joyful day. All of your family and friends want you to have the best wedding day. Just because your wedding may not happen the way you thought it would does not make it any less of your wedding day nor does it make you any less married! My husband and I decided lets get married now and celebrate later which is always an option for you too!
I wish each and every one of you brides out there the most special and joyful wedding day you can have! I know that day will be wonderful and I know you will all overcome the hardships of Covid. Have fun and enjoy being engaged, you will never get this time back. Enjoy that anticipation to being married and find the sweet moments each day with your soon-to-be hubbys!
Lots of love!
Katelyn Madden
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