How to adjust your wedding plans during a pandemic and still make the most of it!

If you are one of the many brides who is planning to marry in the next several months, it’s likely that you will have to make some adjustments to your original plan. And though it is not ideal to get married during a worldwide pandemic, Love is Love and it will conquer all. 

Right now, this pandemic has everything up in the air, from the date you can get married, to whether the groomsmen's suits will be ready, to how many guests can come. Here are a few things to keep in mind while adjusting your wedding plans that will still allow you to make the most of your upcoming nuptials.

1. Know the current lockdowns and social distancing policies in your state and the estimate on how long they will be in place. Stay flexible and keep up to date, as things are changing daily! 
2. When deciding whether you should reschedule your wedding or to downsize, consider the number of guests on your list that will have to travel to attend your wedding. The travel industry is being majorly impacted, with many flights getting grounded and canceled which will prevent some of your out-of-town guests from attending your celebration. 
3. If you have elderly or immunocompromised loved ones such as parents and grandparents on your guest list, remember that these people are at a higher risk of contracting coronavirus and having serious complications. 
4. Budget! What you thought was a reasonable wedding budget 12 months ago, may no longer be the case. This pandemic has forced many engaged couples to re-evaluate their priorities due to unexpected layoffs or the fear of perhaps losing their jobs permanently. If your budget is being affected, certain aspects you once thought were non-negotiable may need to become less important. One obvious way to save money is to limit the guest list which also happens to be a very fitting solution during these times. 

Downsizing your wedding guest list.

The general consensus in our area of Southern New England where we have been hit pretty hard, is that late summer weddings will be limited to less than 50 people. So, if you have decided to go ahead with your summer wedding with a downsized guest list of 50, one of the most difficult tasks will be figuring out how to cut your wedding guest list. Downsizing it—say from 250 people to just 50—may seem impossible. However, it is absolutely doable—and if you handle the situation tactfully, you won’t hurt any feelings in the process. 

Instead of worrying about who you should cut from your wedding guest list, think about who must be included. Start with your parents and immediate families, then your wedding party members (plus spouses and significant others!) Now, how many spots are left? If you are able to accommodate your closest relatives and friends, add them. Build on this initial list, adding loved ones until you hit the max number of guests you can accommodate. If you and your partner are having trouble making decisions, ask your parents or siblings for help. 

Many times, its acceptable to invite more guests than they’re able to accommodate, expecting that some of the guests will RSVP no. But if there is a strict guest limit like this, it’s best to stick to that number of invites as well. Remember you have revamped your guest list to include the closest people in your lives, meaning it is more likely that all invited guests will attend.

Once you have decided who makes the final cut, you will need to share the news with your previously invited guests. If possible, we recommend reaching out to your guests by phone or perhaps e-mail. If calling all your guests feels overwhelming, ask your parents and in-laws to help out. Be honest and polite, while simply telling them the situation. Everyone knows of the “new normal” the pandemic has brought upon us, so everyone should . 

One way to include as many guests as you like is to livestream your ceremony or host a Virtual Wedding. Ask a  friend to help set it up and then share all of the details and links to everyone you want to be a part of the celebrations! If livestreaming isn’t your thing, you could take advantage of your wedding hashtag. Ask your invited guests to share photos and videos on social media so that loved ones can follow along with the event as it happens. 

Remember that although it may be a new date or a new plan, it’s still the same love. In the end, it is all about marrying the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with. This is a huge day in your life no matter the size of your wedding celebration. Someday when you look back you will be able to say your wedding was part of history because this Pandemic is definitely going to be one for the history books.