Well this is a blog post I never thought I'd be writing, but here we are!
This is an uncertain time for a lot of brides. I want to be able to give some advice, my thoughts and hopefully help ease the stress and open up some potential options for all the lovely brides out there, that are facing this very confusing and emotional situation.
I have been sent several questions from my brides and my facebook community, so I have answered them below.
My wedding is soon what do I do?
The reality is that if you are getting married in the next 4 weeks or so, that you may have to look at alternative options. The way I took the conference yesterday (Monday 16th March), was that no unnecessary travel or socialising should take place. With people being advised to no go to restaurants, bars, theatres or cinemas. With this being the governments advice, you may find yourself in a position where guests will either not be able to attend your wedding, or that they will not come out due to the advice.
I know a lot of suppliers are armed and ready to attend your weddings, which is incredible. The support they are giving brides is amazing and really show that the community is alive. But with this new advice, it may mean that guests cannot make it.
You do however have options.
Continue
If the government doesn't force venues to close....... then you can continue as planned. however there will be changes to your original plans. We prepared for a lower number of guests. Speak to your venue and caterer and see if they can accommodate you on this. Waive any minimum numbers in these circumstances?
If you have guests that can't make it, can you have them there virtually? Set up a Zoom call, with all missing guests, so that they are still involved and any loved ones don't miss you say I Do and all the love that you share.
You will likely need to politely ask guests to not attend if they have had symptoms or have been in contact with anyone with symptoms.
Your suppliers will need to take precautionary action to avoid spreading of any germs. For example cleaning down areas. Possibly avoiding anything that is for sharing and upping all hygiene standards.
Postpone
This is down to your venue and suppliers. From my experience I am seeing suppliers rally together and most are willing to postpone with you providing dates are available. If they are unavailable on any new dates a lot have said they will help find alternative options and plenty of industry support groups have been set up for this instance. Speak to your suppliers personally, each of them will deal with this slightly differently. So check how they want to go about postponing and if they will.
The most important people are the venue. Again the government are yet to force venues to close, but with their instructions of no unnecessary travel or socialising, this is classed as out of your control and a government request. I would like to think that postponement should be an option, but you must speak to your own venue to get their information.
Cancel
If you feel that cancelling is your only option, then make sure you have checked through all your contracts. If you choose to cancel and are not forced to cancel, then you are likely to loose all deposits and any monies already paid to suppliers.
I personally think this should be a last resort, so please don't rush into this decision too quickly. Weight up the other options.
Wedding Insurance
When it comes to wedding insurance, you will find that firstly most insurers are not taking on anyone at this current time. You will also find that it is extremely unlikely you are covered for Coivd-19. Most of them will not cover, but do double check with yours.
The only instance where you would be covered, is if the venue is forced to close and therefore you have to cancel or postpone.
Waiting It Out
If you are getting married in 2020, I personally believe it is a waiting game. We do not know what is going to happen. We don't know how long this is going to last. My advice is to start looking into your personal situations more 5 weeks out from your wedding. Check when final payments are due and keep an eye on the latest government advice.
Don't make any actions too early as the circumstances may change and everything may have calmed down in time for your wedding. We can hope!
If you need anymore support on this topic, are generally confused and just need a little support, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me lauren@bluebirdcreative.co.uk
Or join my facebook community of over 500 brides all supporting each other during this time of uncertainty.
Lauren x
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