2022, THE YEAR OF THE BACK-UP PLAN

Is this the year of your wedding? We’re still adapting to our new normal and learning to live with the C-word, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have the fabulous wedding you’ve hoped and dreamed of. Here’s our top tips to help you plan your COVID-safe celebration!

KEEP IT TIGHT

For years we’ve been inviting the people we feel obligated to invite to our weddings, because that’s what is expected of us. No more!  A silver lining to COVID-19 is these expectations have been turned on their head, giving you the permission you need to just invite your nearest and dearest.

Celebrant, Steph Slater suggests thinking about having a live video stream and just including witnesses – giving you the elopement vibe you might be after, but still providing a way to share it with everyone who wants to feel all the feels with you!

STILL WANT THE WED-FEST?

No probs, we totally get that. Why not stretch it right out? You could hold your ceremony just with immediate family then follow with a progressive reception, which is essentially lots of ‘mini-receptions’ with all of your family and friends. One of Steph Slater’s couples did this – the bride’s family were in Melbourne, the groom’s family were in Perth, they’d met in Newcastle and lived in Adelaide – so they had their progressive reception all around Australia! Best way to get one-on-one time with your guests (and each other), and to get the most value out of your swish wedding attire!

PRIORITIES

Everyone has different priorities for their wedding and it’s more important now than ever to get clear on yours. You might need to pivot or pull the pin at the last minute, but what will make you move to Plan B, C or D? One of my couples would have rescheduled if they couldn’t have a dance floor – they wanted the big celebration and the d-floor was their decision maker. As their vendor, understanding this was so helpful to me, I understood their limits and it helped us work through the rollercoaster ride of restrictions together. For another couple, their decision rested on the ability of the bride’s parents to travel interstate. For others, it might be about wearing masks, or guest numbers. Decide what is important to you and share this with your suppliers so you can work together.

PIVOT!

Be ready. Speak with your suppliers and find out what they will do if they are struck down or put into isolation. The wedding industry has been knocked around badly by the impacts of this virus but it’s brought us together as a community and we have each other’s backs, so that we can have yours when it’s your big day. Teegan Townsend has planned for this to happen and says that, as a member of The Celebrant Society, she has an incredible network of ‘cele-friends’ to call on if she needs back up at the last minute.

None of us want to use the back up plans, but we all feel so much better when we have them. If you’re feeling a bit stressed about it all, get those plans in place.