Coronavirus COVID-19 + Your Wedding – Now what?
Your wedding day is quickly approaching, and this COVID-19 coronavirus wants to steal the show. Now what?
I’ve sent an email to all of my current couples with advice on how coronavirus COVID-19 could potentially affect their wedding day, but I want to share this with you in case you’re in the same boat.
My purpose here is to provide you with some information that allows you to feel a sense of calm in this chaotic time.
I believe I can speak for most photographers here when I say that our main goal is to fulfill our contracted services and give you the beautiful wedding photos you absolutely deserve. As of now, we 100% plan to do so as planned. We’re keeping up to date with new developments on a daily basis and monitoring how this may impact your wedding.
Like most businesses, I’ve created new procedures such as sanitizing my gear daily. This is in addition of course to practicing appropriate hygiene routines, and social distancing for my own health and well being.
So what are the first steps you should take to best attempt to keep your day on track?
If you haven’t yet, consider hiring a wedding planner to help you plan what may be coming – this is a complicated, multi-faceted issue. The more people you have helping you out, the better. I suggest reaching out to your venue to discuss additional precautions they’re taking in terms of sanitation, social distancing, etc, if they haven’t already notified you. If you are even considering changing any plans, please contact your vendors ASAP to discuss options. The sooner you involve us, the better chance we’ll have to create a solution.
As of now, try to stay positive and reasonable in terms of cancelling and rescheduling. Serious reasons to postpone or cancel your wedding may include guests travelling that need to fly in order to attend, guests with weak immune systems, or weddings with a large number of guests (if your state has put any restrictions in place on event sizes).
In the case of coronavirus travel bans and limits on gathering/event sizes, you do have a few options to create your dream wedding!
OPTION 1: Hold your event as scheduled.
If guests are coming from out of town and relying on airline travel, or have a weakened immune system and need to stay home, don’t forget we live in this digital age. Livestreaming your wedding is honestly a great alternative. Grandma Ruth can sit in the comfort of her home, but still witness you walking down the aisle. This is easy to set up, and can even be done on a phone or iPad through apps like Facebook, FaceTime, or Zoom. If event sizes become restricted by your state, you can cut down on guest count. Of course this might not be ideal and may be difficult to break the news, but these are NOT ideal circumstances.
OPTION 2: Reschedule for another date.
This option may be a bit difficult to swing, but wedding vendors are working together to do everything we can for our couples in the midst of this coronavirus. Check with your most important/favorite vendors first to see if there’s another day you can make work in the future when things become a bit more clear. This may mean rescheduling to a weekday, or Friday or Sunday if available.
OPTION 3: Elope.
Choosing to elope on your same scheduled day is another option. This is great if you’re super set on your date, especially if event size restrictions are put in place. There’s many great reasons you should elope, but this is logical one. You may be able to have some of your vendors (ie. photographer, florist, officiant) perhaps on a smaller scale, in another location. You can always plan another celebration when things have calmed down a bit. Who doesn’t want two days to celebrate?
If you’re confused on whether you need to consider alternative options due to coronavirus, or where to begin, reach out to your wedding vendors.
So what should you do at home to help? First, please stay calm. Yes, the virus is very new and we don’t know much about it, but this is not a time to panic. Then, stay informed with trustworthy and unbiased news sources. Follow recommendations from the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO), practice social distancing, avoid large crowds/events, and be mindful of the immunocompromised and at-risk elderly.
Most importantly, wash your hands + do not touch your face!!!! Do this especially after going out in public spaces or to work. Sanitize your cell phone regularly.
Even if you have a great immune system and can recover from the coronavirus easily, this is the time to take care of our vulnerable populations by decreasing its spreading.
