If your wedding was due to take place this year there’s no doubt you’ve had a change of plans, or at the very least are contemplating a wedding Plan B!
If your wedding is set for early 2021, you might also be wondering if your big day could look different as a result of COVID-19. Will your guests need to maintain social distance? Will you need to have sanitation points? Are your numbers going to be severely limited?
Whether your wedding date is near or far, you likely have a whole lot of corona-virus related queries. Here at Wedding Journal we wanted to answer some of your questions and hopefully ease some of your worries, so we reached out to some of Ireland’s top industry experts.
While the Coronavirus pandemic is unchartered territory for all of us, they’ve done their best to provide some idea about what weddings might look like over the next while.
How far in the future should I postpone? Is there a safe period?
“We are advising our clients with guests of 50-100 to postpone until summer 2021 and guests numbers of 100-200 plus until 2022,” says Zubair Arshed from wedding planning service Marigold Events. “Although we’re hopeful in Ireland and the resilience our people have shown, unless there is a new development, we will be sticking to this advice to ensure the safety of our happy couples.”
How do I tell our guests we’re postponing?
“Before you do anything, talk to your suppliers and venue and get a clear picture of your options. With enough notice, loved ones will always put you first,” Zubair advises. “Be clear and complete in your communication – location, time, dates, arrangements and most importantly keep it personal, whatever that means for you. Always start with health and finish with happiness. Once you decide on a new date you can send out invites as normal.”
How do I go about rebooking my vendors? Where do I begin?
“The first thing we recommend is choosing your important vendors for example décor, transport, caterers, music,” says Zubair. “These are the main vendors who will typically have longer held bookings. A quick call or email will help you get a better idea of which dates work for them collectively. After this, you can begin focusing on other vendors such as the photographer, videographer, entertainment, childcare etc.”
What if I’m unable to rebook all of my vendors on my new date?
“We would suggest that you jot down which vendors you would really like to rebook and focus on these. There may be a little bit of compromising to make dates work for everyone but it will be worth it in the end. Organise your other vendors in terms of importance and start looking into other vendors who offer the same or slightly different product or service.”
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What about our budget? How can I limit the amount of money we lose?
“You’ll find suppliers to be understanding and empathetic with most offering you the same the price as what they originally quoted you,” says Zubair. “However, reducing a few extra ‘nice to have’ items will also make the process a lot less stressful.”
What about my venue? Will there be restrictions in place?
You can expect things to look a little differently for some time. There are new restrictions coming into place for weddings, civil ceremonies and funerals in the North of Ireland, which will be limited to 25 people from Monday with no receptions permitted, it is understood. Starting on September 19th Dublin will be in Level 3 for three weeks, with the rest of Ireland in Level 2. Level 2 means weddings are allowed with up to 50 people in attendance, while Level 3 means weddings are allowed with up to 25 guests.
There should be hand sanitiser in place for your guests, any queuing, like for the buffet for example, must adhere to social distancing, and at dinner there should be no shared items at the table. All of this is subject to change, but as always we’ll continue to update you asap.
I’ve moved my wedding to a different season. Do I need to rethink my colours?
“Moving your wedding from one year or season to another opens up a whole new set of options for colour palettes and styles,” says the design team at Frog Prince Weddings.
“Bridesmaid dresses are often chosen with a colour or season in mind and can be hard to transition to a new season and too expensive to change. We advise clients to create a new colour palette by keeping your original base colour and introducing different accent colours that can be worked throughout your wedding florals, centrepieces, and table settings through candles, napkins etc.”
“An example of this would be if your wedding was due to take place during the summer months, and your colour palette is light and bright with beautiful blush bridesmaids dresses. If you’re moving over to a winter wedding, transition this blush colour by adding some deeper berry tones like marsala, burgundy or plum,” the team explains. “Blushes and berries really complement each other, and a pop of marsala throughout your styling will suit the style of the cooler seasons.”
What about finding my wedding dress? What are boutiques doing?
The good news, many are opening again! “Finding your dream dress is still just as magical as it was prior to lockdown,” says Kate Speers, Owner Ivory & Pearl Bridal Boutique. “We now have sanitising stations as you enter, your bridal consultant is wearing a visor and we are steaming dresses in between appointments.” Take note: The number of people who can accompany you into a boutique may be limited.
I’ve ordered bridal wear. Should I expect delays on my bridal gown and bridesmaids’ dresses?
“Most of our designers are back into production with no delays,” says Kate. “I would recommend checking with the boutique you bought from, however, designers all over the world are working extra hard to get every bride’s dress to them on time.”
How can I store my wedding dress for my new date?
“Our designers recommend storing your wedding dress in a cool (between 15-25 Degrees Celsius), dry (not humid), dark environment in a fabric bag that can breathe,” Kate advises. “You can hang your wedding dress from the ribbon hanging loops (found at the armpit) or you can also store your dress in a special box, bought from companies such as The Empty Box Company with special acid free tissue paper.”
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