I know this is a stressful time for everyone in the world now, we are all worried about our loved ones and of course ourselves but if you have a wedding or big event planned for spring and summer you have an extra layer of stress.
I have spoken to lots of my clients and also my colleagues in the wedding and events industry so I thought I would put pen to paper and give you some advice to help you get things sorted.
FIRST THING FIRST SPEAK TO YOUR VENUE
This is most likely the most expensive part of your celebration. I would think that they are the most likely the ones organising the cancellations and postponements so you need to speak with them straight away.
If you are organising your wedding then this is complicated by the fact that it typically comes in 3 parts. If you are having your wedding at a hotel then its probably there that you will be holding all 3 parts of the wedding.
The ceremony, including the registrar
The reception venue
The caterer
If you are having a church or register office wedding then you need to check that the registrars availability as well as the hotel.
If you are having your wedding in a hall or other non-specific venue then you need to check that your caterer will be available too.
PHEW that’s a lot to coordinate
If you have a wedding planner then this is the time to really work together
Speak to your main suppliers
Suppliers such as your photographer, make-up artist, florist, venue decorator and entertainment are the big ones to get in place, as they are the ones you probably spent a huge amount of time making decisions on before booking!
Try and keep them posted about discussions around dates, the more information you have about availability the better.
You will have spent an awful amount of time choosing your wedding dress as this is one of the most important aspects of the wedding but it’s probably one of the easiest ones to rearrange.
Speak to your Bridal Gown supplier as most will ask you to collect your dress when you arranged to do so as they won’t have the space to keep everyone’s gown and then arrange another time to go and have any alterations required nearer to your rearranged time
Men’s suits, however, are often hired specific dates, so make sure you re-organise the booking dates.
Many Brides to Be choose flowers based on specific criteria mainly seasonality if you are getting married now at a different time of year then this will most likely change. Discuss this with your florist and if your colour scheme changes then keep your venue decorator updated as that will also need to change,
Organise your other suppliers
The suppliers who I think of as the details – decorations, magicians, cars etc may seem less important, but they are what makes your day personal, so have a discussion around dates – good suppliers are trying to be as flexible as possible.
Let everyone know the new date!
It is important to let everyone know the new dates. Of course, you can try and contact everyone remotely, however, if people are anything like me, they will be inundated with messages, emails and all sorts of other communications so they are easy to miss. Currently, the post office is still running a full service, so consider sending cards out.
I can recommend Leanne at Keetley Creative for some great designs that don’t cost the earth.www.keetleycreativeweddings.co.uk
What have you not booked yet?
Now might be a good time to look at some of the things you would have liked for your special day that maybe was just out of reach as we all have a budget to work too.
Now that you have a few extra months or even an extra year, think about what other things you might want to book, maybe a magician, ice-cream stand, wedding albums, etc. As with a lot of the events industry, wedding suppliers have been hit extremely hard by the coronavirus, so if you can add something to your wedding whilst helping out an awesome supplier, it’s a double win!
Supplier Checklist
Make sure you have spoken to all your suppliers! Here is a handy checklist. You may not have booked some of these, and some of them will be covered by the same supplier.
Ceremony Venue
Registrar
Reception Venue
Caterers
Wedding Planner
Photographer
Hair
Makeup Artist (MUA)
Venue Decorator
Balloon Artist
Florist
DJ
Band
Choir
Master of Ceremonies
Rings
Wedding Dress
Bridesmaid Dresses
Suits
Magician
Car
Stationery
Lights
Photobooth
Ice-Cream Stall
Changed the Date cards
I hope this has helped and if you need any help with alternative suppliers please get in touch as I have 28 years experience so I know lots and lots of suppliers and a recommendation is always better than a random Facebook business!
