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
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:
The Great Debate: 2020 or 2021? (This post)
What To Expect When Postponing (Next week)
How to Rock a Small Wedding (Coming Soon)
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