HELP! THE YEAR COVID-19 TOOK OVER THE WORLD - PART 2 

Does anyone else feel like there is so much going on in the world right now, you just don’t even know where to start in life moving forward? With 3 insane situations hitting us all at once: a global pandemic, the start of a possible recession, and daily protests it can be hard to know what to do or say.  

While we are in no way experts in pandemics, we are watching the news like everyone else and seeing yet another spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths.  (Just today, July 1, 2020, Dane County has rolled back gathering sizes.) For those who have made the hard decision to postpone your 2020 wedding into 2021, or if you are contemplating pushing your wedding back we have compiled some thoughts on how things will likely play out with your wedding vendors. 

All the photos in this blog post are from Mackenzie and Dan’s Aug. 2019 wedding. All photos are by the awesome: Anda Marie Photography

All the photos in this blog post are from Mackenzie and Dan’s Aug. 2019 wedding. All photos are by the awesome: Anda Marie Photography


Postponing Your 2020 Wedding: What Should You Expect From Your Wedding Vendors? 

If you’ve decided that it’s best to postpone your 2020 wedding to 2021, you’re probably finding out that it’s not an easy process. It can be overwhelming, not only emotionally, but the logistics of moving can be intricate and way more detailed than you expected. 

Having spent over a decade planning Madison weddings, we’re here to give you our best advice on where to start with your wedding vendors.

Check Your Contracts

You have to start with the basics and see what each vendor has in their contract about rescheduling. That being said, who could have known we would be dealing with a full-scale pandemic this year? 

While most vendors have carefully written contracts vetted by lawyers, there may be situations that just don’t apply.  Take notes on what you don’t understand and call or email your vendors to clarify.

Your Vendors May be Dealing with Summer Clients Right Now

When the realization came that weddings were going to change this summer in Madison, vendors were flooded with calls and emails, and very few of us had any idea what was to come.

Add to that, your vendors may be dealing with laying off staff, filing for unemployment, and having kids at home that are not in school. If your wedding is later in the year, we’re all still in a bit of a holding pattern. Many vendors are currently dealing with clients who are still planning on having a wedding this year and helping them redesign their wedding to fit state guidelines.

If you have definitely decided that you want to postpone until next year, then let your vendors know as soon as possible so you can pick dates that work for everyone. Then, be patient as they put out the fires for summer clients now.

Be prepared to sign a new contract or a change order

Most vendors we have been working with are NOT charging a change fee for clients moving into 2021 however, there may be some that do.  For those not charging a fee, they ARE requiring couples to sign an amended contract. (This protects you and them!)  

Nearly all wedding vendors are adding a few new clauses to their contracts, such as if product costs go up for than X percent between now and the wedding pricing adjustments will be made.  (Example if there are issues importing flowers because of pandemic restriction, new flowers may need to be selected or the costs of the flowers may be higher.) 

Many professionals will have clauses for masks, health restrictions, and general protection for themselves and their staff. A year ago if you told me that we would be contemplating guests or vendors wearing masks to a wedding, I would have thought you were crazy. Now, this is a very real debate!

Support Your Vendors Through 2020

This is a tough time to be a wedding vendor. Imagine if suddenly your entire income for the year was cut in half, or even more. And imagine there was no system in place to provide unemployment for you. That’s precisely what many are dealing with.

If you can support them in any other way, every little bit helps. Buy cookies from your cake baker. Order birthday flowers from your florist. Schedule an engagement session with your photographer.  They will love you for it, and provide you with an even more outstanding wedding experience when your day comes!

If you have a wedding planner, they can help you through many of these scenarios, and also help coordinate with your vendors. This is when you really want to lean on the experts to make sure nothing is overlooked. 

If you need more specific advice on how to postpone your 2020 wedding into 2021, we would be happy to schedule a no-obligation consultation to see if we can help you. Just get in contact and let’s chat more about what you need help with.

HELP! THE YEAR COVID-19 TOOK OVER THE WORLD

This is a seriously crazy time in our world’s history! The level of stress it is causing for all the wonderful couples that are planning a 2020 wedding is off the charts. This week we are kicking off a series of blog posts helping guide couples through the decision making process.  First up is:

The Great Debate: Moving the Wedding You Want in 2020 to 2021, Hard Decisions and Smart Choices 

All the photos in this blog post are from Mackenzie and Dan’s Aug. 2019 wedding. All photos are by the awesome: Errin Hiltbrand Photography

All the photos in this blog post are from Mackenzie and Dan’s Aug. 2019 wedding. All photos are by the awesome: Errin Hiltbrand Photography

As our state prepares to turn the dial slowly to open the economy, wedding couples with summer and even early fall weddings are having to make some heartbreaking decisions about their wedding. Do they postpone to later in the year or extend to 2021 to keep their wedding plans intact?

There is no easy answer. We don't know what the trajectory of the virus will take and what restrictions will linger on. But there is one thing for certain; weddings will look very different for the foreseeable future, so talking about what we know to be true gives us a little foothold on sanity.

Four Reasons you Might Consider Moving Your Wisconsin Wedding to 2021

If you don’t do well with unknowns, or are going to stress everyday right up to the wedding over the ever changing pandemic guideline, moving it to 2021 is probably the safest bet.  

Weddings are stressful even under the best of circumstances, but you add in a global pandemic and you have just added a layer of stress that may just throw a sane person over the edge.  While we ALWAYS think a wedding planner is a great asset in planning your dream day, now it might mean the difference between success and failure. Throughout the last few months we have been helping both our couples and even other couples plot out the best course for their dream day.  The first thing we talk about with each couple is how they are feeling about things and what their major concerns are for the wedding and really for life right now. The fact is some people deal with stress better than others.  You need to look hard at how you deal with stress and if it is worth it to be glued to the news daily wondering what new changes are coming that will negatively impact your wedding.

If you have your heart set on a large 300 person wedding, we would recommend postponing to 2021. 

This is not always a popular answer, and we do realize it comes with a lot of emotional strain in the short term and it may have a cost associated with changing the date. However, as time moves on, the likelihood of large gatherings in late summer 2020 is decreasing.  From everything we are hearing, we are likely not going to be allowed to have gatherings of more than 50 people for the rest of 2020.  Can you envision a wedding with only 50 of your friends and family? If you can…let’s do this! Smaller weddings can be fabulous!  (We have planned weddings for as small as 12 people!)

The fact is though, it is much more likely that you will be able to have a wedding with a higher guest count next year when there is more information on containment and possibly a vaccine available for the virus. Or at the very least, let’s at least hope there we have all developed some sort of herd immunity. The first thing that we would recommend is talking with your families on who are your MUST HAVE people you want at the wedding.  Keep in mind bigger is not always better. Think about how amazing you could make a 50 person wedding with your current budget!

If you, your family, and/or wedding guests will be traveling into Wisconsin for the wedding, you may need to move the wedding into 2021.

While planes are still flying, scheduled flights have been severely cut because people are reluctant to travel. Also, think about where you guests are coming in from.  If you have quests that are out of the country, there may still be some travel restrictions in place throughout the rest of the year.  

What are the potential health challenges your key guests might have?

Let’s set aside the general issues with COVID-19 for this scenario.  What we’re referring to is: do you have elderly grandparents that you really want at the wedding, or does a member of your immediate family have a pre-existing condition that makes this current virus even more serious? Examples: Did your mom just finish chemotherapy for a cancer diagnosis? Is your grandfather diabetic? If you have any of these scenarios you may want to think about postponing into 2021. 

The hardest part is that we have no answers and no guidelines. 

So yes, there is a chance you could postpone your August or September wedding, and then sanctions are lifted, and your 200-guest wedding could go on. But there is also the real possibility that your guests won’t feel safe to travel or to be in a large group setting, and your guest attendance would not be what you hoped it would be.

All our information is very fluid and changes daily.  We know this all may come off as very Debbie Downer, however we feel like it’s our job to make sure couples are making the best choices for them.  

Here is where we go back to our best advice, talk with your vendors.  Back in 2008, during the recession, many of us weathered a similar storm, and we can give you our best advice, our gut feelings, and advice on best practices based on our experiences and the kind of wedding you want.

For example, a wedding at a private residence is going to have different rules and restrictions than a brick and mortar venue. However, it could also come at a much higher cost with permits, having to bring things into the location for the wedding and sanitation restrictions.

There are a lot of moving parts, and all of them need to be considered. If you don’t have a wedding planner and want to chat more about your options for 2020 vs. 2021, get in touch.  We’re happy to lend an ear, a shoulder, and a helping hand. Additionally, we will be tackling several other topics surrounding planning a wedding during a world wide pandemic. These are just a few of the topics we plan to cover: 

  1. The Great Debate: 2020 or 2021? (This post)

  2. What To Expect When Postponing (Next week)

  3. How to Rock a Small Wedding (Coming Soon)

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Neutral Territory

Trend Tuesday

Bridal Guide Online perfectly captures our love for all things neutral - "From charcoal to blue-greys, or grey-browns, a neutral color palette is perfect for the bride who wants to achieve a classic, sophisticated feel that won’t seem dated or look too trendy in years to come." Neutral color schemes exude a sense of peace and tranquility. When blending whites, ivories, beiges, or any other neutral, don't be afraid of texture. Texture can play a large role against an otherwise mundane backdrop. Incorporate lace, linen, and cotton - mix textures together. Remember the old adage stating to never combine white and ivory? Well we say, do it!

photo credit: elegantweddinginvites.com

Oscar's Recap

Wow! What an Oscars! There’s so much to say, but we’re here to weigh in on some of our favorite fashion from the night.

Best Dressed: Emma Stone in Givenchy, Winner Best Actress for La La Land
Why We Love It: As fellow redheads, we already have a soft spot for this dynamic actress. The gold beads contrasted enough with her creamy skin, giving her a warmer skin tone and bringing out the accent tones in her hair. We love the blend of styles between a ‘20’s flapper gown with vampy ‘40’s waves and that classic red lip. Seems like that golden glow was a good luck charm for this Oscar winner! We could totally see this gown translated for a NYE style wedding.



Best Dressed: Viola Davis in Armani Prive, Winner Best Supporting Actress for Fences
Why We Love It: Red is such a beautiful, rich color against Viola’s gorgeous dark skin. The style lines are ultra flattering for her curvy figure, and we love the positive negative balance of the peek-a-boo shoulders and demure open back. Styling her hair in a short do combined with the style lines along her bust, shoulder angles, and halter neckline framed the focus onto her face and that gorgeous winning smile!


Sexiest Gowns: Jennifer Anniston and Halle Berry; Presenters; both wearing Versace
Why We Love It: Hot Hot Hot! These ladies know how to pull off a balance of covered and revealed, glam and casual with natural hair and blingy gowns. They both embodied ease, sophistication, and sex appeal. We were not surprised to find out that Versace designed both of their gowns.

 

Most Desired to be as a Wedding Gown: Auli’l Cravalho in Rubin Singer, Best Original Song Nominee Performer for Moana
Why We Love It: Love the balance of white and silver, matte and shiny, as it radiates texture in both fabric and dimension. It is a gorgeous play on a classic silhouette. We could easily see a bride walking down the aisle in this gorgeous gown! Also – wow, her voice!

 

Best Late Night Look: Vanessa Hudgens in Kristian Aadnevik at the Elton John AIDs Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party
Why We Love It: Vanessa Hudgens describes it best... “bridal lingerie, but like… what Aphrodite would wear.” Yes. That’s exactly it! We’d totally want this for our honeymoon!


Best Dressed for the Men: Tarell Alvin McCraney, Winner for Best Adapted Screenplay for Moonlight, and Dev Patel, Presenter
Why We Love It: Tarell Alvin McCraney looked radiant in his cream and ivory tuxedo. The tone on tone was sharp, sophisticated, and fresh! Paired with those sockless loafers, he looked chic and comfortable.


Dev Patel presented in a classic white tuxedo with a black bowtie and black slacks – this combination reminds us of the original ‘Sabrina' with his classic rich sophistication and confident manliness. Always a winner in our book! This can be easily replicated for a classic groom look as well!

Fashion Friday

To Veil or Not to Veil

The tradition behind a bridal veil dates back to ancient Greek and Romans’ fear of evil spirits. The veil was a form of disguise, not only for the demons, but also for the bride’s partner. The tulle fabric would shield the bride’s face from her future spouse; as superstition believed, it was bad luck to see one another prior to the wedding ceremony.

Eventually, the meaning behind a veil began to take on a religious tradition. Veils symbolized modesty and chastity similar to that of a white gown. While veils can still serve a religious purpose today, veils are now seen as a bridal icon.

In many cases, trying on a veil for the first time is the moment that transforms you into a bride. It completes the transformation and acts as a personal style statement. From traditional cathedral veils for a royal feel, to caged veils for a more period feel, the most important part of a veil is how it makes you feel. It’s important not to compete with your dress, but compliment it. Don’t cover up the drama of a gown.

Consider reasons why a veil may not be the perfect fit for you. Is your wedding outdoors? Veils can be very unruly with wind, especially at beach weddings.  Beware of sticky lip-gloss – tulle is not necessarily its best friend. In that case, there are other alternatives to veils such as flower crowns, tiaras, jeweled barrettes, headbands, etc. Maybe you don’t want any hair accessories to take away from your gown? Whatever the reason, the question of whether to veil or not to veil is your decision and yours alone.


Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco exchanging rings during their wedding in 1956 (Brides.com). This picture shows the impact a veil can make.