So much has changed.
So much is different.
So many couples are so freaking out as they watch their carefully crafted 2020 wedding plans—and even their rescheduled wedding plans—thrown into question by the corona virus.
So it seemed like a good idea to check in with the award-winning certified wedding planner Lexi Schafer, founder of Events By Lexi, on what brides and grooms should be doing right now to help turn a potential wedding nightmare into a happy ending.
Why Lexi? I’m a wedding photographer, and I’ve seen her work up close and personal: She is always an island of calm, preparation, and grace–even in the most stressful moments. And she’s successfully dealt with almost every conceivable wedding crisis over the 10+ years she’s been planning weddings.
Who better to turn to for advice at a time like this?
So I called her up recently to ask: For all the 2020 brides and grooms feeling overwhelmed by all the wedding details they now have to reconsider, what are the first 3 things they need to do?
1. Don’t Freak Out—Reach Out.
Lexi says the most important thing to do is talk to the people who are most important to you, then the people who are most important to your wedding.
“Start having conversations with family about a rescheduled date, then reach out to your venue,”
Identifying dates when must-have family members can attend—especially family from out of town—can help narrow down options so that when you contact your venue, you have some concrete dates as options.
Speaking of venues, Lexi says, they should at the top of your vendor call list.
She recommends first checking the cancellation/postponement policies of your venue, your photographer, your DJ, your caterer—anyone you have a signed contract with.
She notes that all the vendors she’s worked with since the outbreak have been “very accommodating” of the extraordinary circumstances—especially if your new target wedding date is within 12 months of your previously scheduled date.
Don’t freak out just because your wedding plans run into the unexpected, whether it’s an outbreak of social distancing or an outbreak of rain at your outdoor wedding JUST AS YOU START TO WALK DOWN THE AISLE. Like it did right here when I took this uncropped image. Note: Nobody’s freaking out.
2. Save the (New) Date.
“Let guests know as fast as possible” what your new date is once you’ve nailed it down with family and key vendors, Lexi says.
Direct people to your wedding website for updates, send out new invitations, and prioritize guests who will be traveling the farthest. International flights, for example, can be tough to change, so the more notice you can give people, the better.
3. Split the Difference.
Married to your wedding date? You don’t need to reschedule the wedding itself.
“If the date itself is important to you for legal or personal reasons, you can still have the ceremony and just have the party later,” Lexi says. Of course, check the current orders and recommendations of your state and local governments, but generally, so long as you have a bona fide officiant (and in some areas a witness), where there’s a will, there’s a way.
And weren’t you looking for an excuse to have a blowout party anyway once we’re all on the other side of all this social distancing?
I know I’ll be throwing a post-corona party. But if you decide to bring Corona beer, do me a favor and cover up the label.
