Hey everyone! How are you holding up? Lol silly question to ask right now ;) I know, A LOT has happened recently and none of it was expected or planned for. Well, that’s kinda how life goes, right? I think this is such a huge opportunity for us to really learn and grow from though. Everyone is going to be affected by the COVID-19 in some way or another, which means we really are all in this together and if we all help each other then we will all be able to recover and eventually get back to normal. Haha there were a lot of “all’s” in that sentence, but I think this is a good reminder of how connected we really are to one another and how much we rely and need one another! We each have an important role in our society and to keep everything running as normal everyone needs to do their part.
Right now part of my job is to help my May couples in managing what to do for their wedding day. Which as a wedding photographer I always need to be prepared for anything to happen (crazy lighting, horrible weather changing locations, that one drunk groomsman that can’t follow simple directions anymore) so I feel well equipped to give some advise right now :)
First, lets start with the facts and what we do know. As of today, the CDC has recommended that for the next 8 weeks (until May 10th) no events be held with more than 50 people and the federal government has recommended that no events with more than 10 people be held. If you must reschedule your wedding day, or if you’re right on the edge and think you should be safe and reschedule your wedding day, here are my tips for you:
1 - Check in with your vendors about their cancellation and rescheduling policies. More importantly if you’re after May 10th find out what is their deadline for deciding if you need to reschedule.
2 - Prioritize your vendors. Haha okay that probably sounds awful, but if you have to reschedule there is a chance that all of your vendors won’t be available on your new date. Which ones are you willing to schedule around and which are you okay (but sad) having to find a different vendor for.
3 - Sit down with your partner and remind yourselves of the priorities on your wedding day and why you’re getting married! This is a big one :) I know you’ve already spent a year planning this amazing day and you’re so excited for it and the thought of having to change everything is heartbreaking. But, at the end of the day you are marrying the love of your life and you get to celebrate that with your family and friends. Everything else is really just the cherry on top! I’ve lost track of how many weddings I’ve photographed (literally stopped counting years ago after 150) and even on the wedding day that was completely changed by downpours and lightning they still didn’t care and had the best day ever because they were married and that’s all that really mattered.
4 - Friday’s and Sunday’s are great days to get married as well! There are only so many Saturday’s during wedding season, but I promise you I have photographed lots of weddings on Friday or Sunday and I promise you those are great days to get married.
5 - Perhaps you do an intimate ceremony now and plan a bigger party later? I know this seems crazy because you just planned everything for your dream wedding, but sometimes you’re just not able to reschedule but you just don’t want to wait to get married.
6 - Take lots of deep breaths and go outside! Lol, honestly I think everyone should just do this right now. If feel like it’s very easy to get overwhelmed, anxious, and worried with the constant stream of news about COVID-19. Lets not forget that we can and should take a break from it and how it’s affecting our lives. Taking a step back can bring a fresh perspective and help you remember that you are strong and resilient and you can absolutely handle this!
Lots of things are going to happen and change in the next few weeks. We even know that it is going to get worse before it gets better. There are so many unknowns and I know that alone can be scary, but just remember that your mindset does matter! Where you get your news/facts matter. And remaining calm and rational always helps :)
I know people have been posting a lot about how we can help others right now and especially how we can help small and local businesses. Please, please, please don’t just share and repost those things to social media, actually DO them! And again, if we all help each other during this hard time we’ll all get to the good time again!