What to Know If You're Planning a Wedding During the Coronavirus Pandemic

There’s a lot to think about whenplanning your big day—no matter where your wedding date falls on the calendar. But if it happens to be in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, you might be wondering what you should do—if anything—to prepare and plan for the potential that your wedding may be affected.

现在,无论你是计划一个婚礼me orabroad, there are countless moving parts surroundingCOVID-19-and，因为这种情况下是液体，这是什么意思为您的婚礼，具体取决于你的婚礼日期，客人数，地点和参与旅游的程度。

然而，在这一点上，它是安全地说，在2020年任何婚礼看起来不同，无论是允许的，现在规模较小的发生或者你在以后的梦想。“事实是，冠状病毒扰乱了婚庆行业，”是计划乔安Gregoli说Elegant Occasions by JoAnn Gregoli。

为了帮助你，你应该准备什么做和帮助，如果你这样做，不幸的是，不得不改变计划，我们与整个行业的专家，包括旅行顾问和婚礼策划说话，给你在COVID-19是怎么细看影响婚礼策划，现在，乐动体育软件如何来准备在未来几个月。他们的整体advice？做好准备，遵循新闻紧密结合，并与供应商和客人保持一个开放的对话。“另外，如果可以的话，预定计划者，使他们能够帮助您浏览这个疯狂的行业，并提供了选择，” Gregoli建议。“Whenever there is a problem, there is always a solution to the problem.”

And, no matter your situation, it's important to keep your eye on the end goal. "As always, take care of yourself. Honestly, it’s OK to cry. It’s OK to be angry or to feel a wide range of emotions," says Alison Laesser-Keck ofAlison Bryan Destinations。“我们想告诉我们的客户一件事是，它不是的问题if, just a matter ofwhen。你一天会到来，相信我们，当我们说这将是最令人惊奇的事情。当我们都可以走到一起，庆祝，将有没有别的喜欢它。”

下面，你需要知道关于冠状病毒和婚礼策划的基础上，与时乐动体育软件where you're saying "I do."

"If you are slated to marry this May or June and even into July, we strongly recommend you have a discussion with your family and closest friends about the effects of COVID-19 on them and travel and safety for the wedding," says Aleah Valley ofValley & Company Events。"We have moved all of our summer events to this fall or winter as we anticipate in our state, Washington, gatherings of over 50 won't be allowed until August."

In addition to moving weddings through July, Valley says she and her partner, Nick, are advising all of their 2020 couples to talk to their families and vendor teams early to develop a Plan B. "Even if a state allows gathering, think about how many guests can travel or wouldn't be comfortable traveling," she says. "This question has helped several of our couples calmly move their dates out—they want as many guests as possible to be able to celebrate with them safely."

Laesser-凯克和她的伙伴，布莱恩，同样的感觉，并让客人在旅行对他们正式搬迁8月份的目的地婚礼的情况。他们还开发八月举行婚礼，其中大部分的客人是当地人，以及为整个9月的婚礼B计划备份的日期。“不是每个场馆将允许你这样做，但如果场地将，您应该跳就可以了！如果等待时间过长，你可能无法在2021年结婚，因为很多场馆都已经预订和需求如此之高，”她说。

Eva Clark ofEva Clark Eventsis doing the same—though, she notes that the amount of flexibility can depend on your venue. "Many venues, especially ones that also act as food and beverage, are not allowing any changes now, but are open to evaluating one-to-two months out based on where things stand at the time," she says.

Whether you're forced to postpone or decide to out of precaution, it's important to remember that youdohave options, and your team—and family, friends, and us!—will be there to guide you through the process of postponing your event. "As planners, we want this to happen for you. You deserve to celebrate," says Valley. "Let’s just shift the date to make that happen."

To help you navigate that process, see our complete step-by-step guide to postponing a weddinghere。Want the short version? Get started with the below.

1. 聘请一个计划：“如果你没有一个策划，争取专家的帮助下一些单对单的咨询，”克拉克建议。“许多规划者提供了这样的一个一个点菜的基础上，有些人会提供它自己内心的善良的。”
2. 查看您的合同：While Clark says to start with this step as a couple—to understand your options and investment—she doesn't mean to lead with paperwork when discussing with vendors. "Don't lead with them when it comes to negotiating a postponement or cancelation with your venue and vendors," she says. "Vendors are far more likely to work with you on a postponement than a cancelation. Start the conversation softly and avoid obtuse language."
3. Decide on a New Date:这一步包含两个layers-speaking with your immediate family and VIP guests and your vendors. "Work your way down from the most expensive vendor to the least in search of your new date," Clark advises. "I recommend focusing on a season, versus a day or month, in order to garner the best results." Also, before confirming the new date, she recommends having 80 to 100 percent of your vendors confirmed. Why? "If you are able to get all but your hair and makeup artist on board, it is probably best to lose that $500 deposit and reserve the date that you want the most," she says.
4. Expect Extra Fees:准备支付额外费用或失去你的投资的一部分。“随着这一流行病继续影响我们的经济，场地和供应商的各个方面将有可能成为他们的政策更严格的，”克拉克说。
5. 迅速行动:It's no secret that time is of the essence right now. "Be prepared to move quickly," she says. "Other clients are your competition here as so many are in the same boat. This requires flexibility and optimism!"

哦，如果你决定要推迟到2021，Laesser-凯克补充说，“尽快进行任何重要的决定，你可以再取一个不错的长期规划吧！”

当考虑合适的时机正式拨打电话，Laesser-凯克承认，有很多的变数要牢记。“每一个情况是不同的，但一般来说，允许少得多的压力的过程中，我们建议该决定近似做出三到五个月了，”她说，这意味着，如果你的婚礼在整个夏季计划，这是可能在计划你最感兴趣的推迟。

While that timing may be ideal, it also may not be possible for you depending on the flexibility of your vendors. For example, while Clark was able to reschedule her spring weddings to prime dates in 2021, she recognizes that the circumstances—for couples, vendors, and the world—have now changed. "Some of my couples have been able to postpone without losing much of their investment, while others are kind of stuck in a holding pattern based on how far their wedding is," she says. "Some of my peers feel that we won't return to 'normal events' until summer 2021.None of us have a crystal ball, so the next steps are rock-hard to navigate."

In order to make the decision that is best for you, your wedding, and the safety of all of your guests, consider taking the below steps.

1. Consult With Your Team:First, Valley encourages couples to speak with your entire creative team in the same swoop—your wedding planner, the venue, catering team, musicians, video and photography team, basically anyone involved in the day. "Get a pulse on a potential back-up plan and have alternate dates in place sooner in case regulations or your outlook shifts," she says. "The goal is to have all of your loved ones safely attend your big day so everyone can celebrate you. Try to think about changing a date as just that—picking up your wedding and simply moving it to a date that feels good for everyone involved so everyone can safely celebrate."
2. 认识你的优先次序："When we postpone a wedding, we are first and foremost determining if the venue and hotels can accommodate the new date, and after that, we’re reaching out to all vendors simultaneously to see if they can do the same," Laesser-Keck says. "Chances are slim that your entire plan and team will be able to be carried over without any changes, and you’ll have to consider any extra fees that may be associated when determining whether to postpone later in 2020 or move to 2021, but in general you’re aiming for the least amount of changes and financial impact as possible."
3. Determine Non-Negotiatables:Speak with your partner and consider what your non-negotiables are, and how they will influence your ultimate decision.例如，你是否愿意从舞厅的婚礼用250人缩减到后院的婚礼用50位客人？你还好吗具有不能够拥抱你的客人或跳舞接近他们？是不是当务之急是任何老人参加你的婚礼，比如你奶奶？
4. Consider Your Guests: "Where your guests are traveling from is definitely a huge factor," says Laesser-Keck. "Just like the availability of your venue, if your guests have made travel plans, you need to think about how much time they’ll need to make adjustments." If your guests are primarily local, she says you can likely make your final decision closer to three months out but says it's important to keep in mind that invitations should really be sent at three months to allow for an RSVP deadline of eight weeks before the wedding date. "We always recommend eight weeks to allow for seamless production (availability of décor, the printing of day-of materials, sourcing of welcome gifts, et cetera)," she says.

Whether your wedding is affected by COVID-19 is really up in the air right now, depending on when and where it's planned. "For weddings in fall, we all have a little more time, but keep in mind that it all depends on whether or not guests are traveling for your wedding, as well as your venue’s availability to accommodate a postponement," adds Laesser-Keck.

Right now, it's important to stay informed and make educated decisions as more (reliable) news becomes available. "It's a waiting game right now," she says. “Things are changing day by day and week by week. Don’t do anything drastic before you have a chance to be properly informed.” At this time, our experts say they are a few weeks away from making the final decisions aboutfall weddings。"Right now is this weird time where wedding plans are either moving lightning fast or we’re all incapable of making any decisions whatsoever," Laesser-Keck admits.“你能做的最好的事情就是创建一个选项的路线图，以便一旦更多信息进来，就可以做出快速和明智的决定。”

为了做出决定在时机成熟时，继续前进，必须进行认真的讨论与您的团队决定采取行动的前进的最佳方案。它不会伤害到知道你的选择可以是如果现行法规扩展到包括你的婚礼日期，所以你的策划者说，如果你有一个，如果没有，打电话给你的场地，看看你的选择可能是什么。

1. Talk to Your Venue:"If you’ve booked a popular wedding venue that does 52 weddings a year, you might not be able to get in any sooner than a year out if you wait too long to decide—unless of course, you choose another day of the week," says Laesser-Keck. "With that said, some venues won’t even discuss postponement with you too far in advance because they have to allow spring 2020 weddings to postpone first." Moral of the story? Talk to your venue and be transparent about what your concerns are so that you have a support system and can be ready to make the leap when the time is right.
2. 讲与供应商：“Sometimes it’s best to get it out of your system and think of the worst scenarios so you can prepare and come up with a game plan,” says Daniela VillaRamos, officiant and owner of黄飞鸿誓言in Brooklyn, New York. “Ask vendors about solutions should you need to postpone your event if you and/or your partner get diagnosed with COVID-19.” If you’ve already签合同with wedding vendors (we hope you did!), it’s smart to go ahead and have a sit-down discussion with your wedding vendors, such as your photographer. “Sit down and revisit their contract to what might happen if they need to cancel or postpone their wedding,” advisesMichael T Davis，一个婚礼摄影师在宾夕法尼亚州中部。“你应该对自己的焦虑与所有对消毒的话题，什么厂商都在做，以保持自己和他们的婚礼/宾客安全厂商的透明和诚实的对话。”
3. 请河套大家：为避免给家庭成员和参加婚礼的客人，Marlie R. Vodofsky，店主不断领域的问题Marlie Renee Designs, in Jersey City, New Jersey, suggests proactively adding a blurb to yourwedding websiteacknowledging the coronavirus, and letting guests know you will keep them in the loop should any plans change. “You can also go as far as adding a link to the疾病预防控制中心website在“旅行和住宿”你的婚礼网站的部分，让客人可以快速访问了最新和准确的信息，以及，”她补充道。
4. 是你的客人的体贴：为了这一点，Laesser - 凯克强调它要占你的客人的健康，时间和资金在这个时候是多么重要。“真的是你的客人的体贴，尽量给自己一个期限作出决定，允许其舒适和安心，”她建议。“正如在婚礼的那一天，你想让他们感受的照顾，所以给他们额外的时间来进行调整或取消他们的行程将不胜感激。”

由于旅行限制，并与国外目的地婚礼相关的行程量，谷说，有一个备份计划是必要的情侣，他们的家庭，他们的创意团队。“我们不知道什么时候国际航班将被再次允许的，虽然我们很快就希望的，时间会证明一切，”她说。“我们希望我们的创意合作伙伴和朋友在欧洲和其他国际目的地会出大流行强大和准备庆祝，但我们只是不知道这是什么时间表，看起来像现在。”

Gregoli says those in this boat basically have two choices: "You should considerpostponing the weddingor moving the destination entirely," she says.

1. Postponing in Your Original Destination:“对于我们的客户，他们已经要求你的任何区域结婚限制旅行在2020年，我们正与我们的供应商的交易在那里，如果他们有可能潜在地推迟，” Laesser - 凯克，谁是目前规划中的几个说婚礼在意大利。“我们已经通过在这一点上几个‘自然灾害’，而我们知道，如果一个场地无法履行其合同，你是，你可以改变可能的场地确定在那里，但你想尝试一下，看看是否销售商，你正在招聘会开到更改日期或位置（根据自己的情况而定），如果危机形势需要它。”当重新安排一个目的地婚礼，你还必须考虑在客人住宿的变化，所以Laesser - 凯克建议问自己：“你有没有签订合同的酒店，如果是这样，他们就会让你推迟所有的房间到另一个日期？What other events are happening in the area you’re getting married that weekend? Will the rates stay the same?"
2. 选择一个新的国内地点："To be prepared, consider an amazing domestic location as a back-up for a weekend or week-long wedding getaway in the U.S.," Valley suggests. "The majestic islands in Washington State are breathtaking, San Diego’s beaches are incredible, Napa Valley is filled with rolling hills and grapevines, upstate New York is so pastoral and serene, and New England in the fall is just stunning—all beautiful locations that could be a spectacular substitute to your original ideas." Also on her list? "A location that means something to you both, or to your families that you maybe didn’t think of before, like the lake house you were engaged at or the mountains where you grew up hiking with your family, or the coast where you vacation with your friends each summer," she says. While having a domestic wedding might look different, you can still roll with the same vision for having an extended weekend and get your guests excited. Valley adds, "It might open up more guests who weren’t able to make the international trip before."

Whether you’re bookinghoneymoon travelor asking guests to travel for the big day, weddings involve some degree of travel. Knowing this, it’s important to understand travel options for both you and your guests in the coming months.

• Understand Cancellation Policies:First and foremost, anyone with travel arrangements should check the疾病预防控制中心’s andWHO’s websites daily and ask their own doctor for recommendations, advises Lesley Cohen, a luxury travel advisor atSmartFlyer。除此之外，她建议，她的客户他们的日历取消期限做决定的点时，他们可能会失去存款（或更多），而不是使立即作出决定的时候，可能不需要它，可能没有任何区别经济。“如果你想改变与潜在的豁免或灵活的政策，让他们移动日期而无需额外的成本或酒店合作伙伴巡航检查，”她建议。
• Consider CFAR Insurance:如果你的蜜月或旅乐动足球视频游计划超出了春天，她强烈建议有计划向前发展。“书的地方，你想要去的，但如果你担心预订灵活取消政策，并考虑取消以任何理由旅游保险，”她说。Laesser-凯克同意。“如果你还是很担心，得到恒虚警保险，”她说。“跟着你的感觉！”

Whether your wedding is set for later this year in the U.S. or you're planning to host a more intimate affair at home in the meantime, it's likely that it will look different as a result of COVID-19. "All considered, I am now telling all my clients that if you proceed with your 2020 wedding, you must be prepared to adjust your expectations," explains Clark. "In other words, in addition to a reduced guest count, you will likely need to implement safety precautions such as thermometer scans, masks, sanitizing stations, and, possibly, waivers for guests to sign.让客人知道你是采取这些预防措施，在你的婚礼网站，会给他们一些信心。即便如此，知道有些只是不会参加。”

In addition to the above advice, we recommend taking the following measures when saying "I do" at this time.

1. Follow CDC Guidelines:If you have your date and venue set, pay attention to what the experts (CDC) are saying and heeding their advice, suggests Trip Wheeler, president ofSB Value, a company that buys food for caterers, concessionaires, and culinary professionals. “Pay close attention to what venues are allowed to do and how they can make sure their guests are safe,” he says. “Yes, it’s your wedding, the most important day in your life, but the last thing you want in your celebration is to make a lot of people sick.”
2. Expect a Smaller Guest Count:It’s important to be aware of your guests’ travel plans, and understand if some宾客choose not to attend the wedding or any pre-wedding event. “Guest counts may drop due to the fear of flying,” Gregoli says. “I would recommend that you lower some of your guest counts, as you may not get as many people as you thought in the first place.”
3. Consider F&B Minimums:According to Heather Jones, the catering sales director of温特葡萄园, in Livermore, California, couples are having a more difficult time meeting their food and beverage minimum due to lower guest counts. “Couples have guests that are unable to obtain visas to travel, air flights canceled or domestic guests that are concerned about traveling,” she says. "If you’re booking a venue or catering for an upcoming wedding or event, make sure you understand their policies. “When can you cancel, what are the fees, and do you have options to make up any missing food and beverage minimums?” she says. Additionally, if you've had to change your date, Clark recommends taking this account before signing any new documentation. "When you sign your contract addendums (or new contracts) see if your venue/caterer is willing to lower their food and beverage minimum for your event," she advises. "This will help protect your investment should you face a drop in the guest count even after a postponement."
4. Keep Guests Informed:For anyone who has already sent out invitations, Laesser-Keck recommends sending guests a quick note and updating your website with any new information, or a simply a message that lets guests know you're monitoring the situation. If you haven’t gone to print on invitations, and if you can, she recommends asking your stationer about the option of paying for rush printing so you can hold off on printing until the very last second. "Make sure you’re designing your invitations with a line item that requests your guests’ email addresses and make sure to direct them to a website for any updated information," she advises. "Being able to easily be in touch with your guests right now is key!" Another tip? "We’re also recommending modifying designs with less time-consuming print material methods—flat printing versus letterpress as an example—and doing online RSVPs, whenever possible, for ease and reliability," she says.
5. 设计有什么可用的：The current climate可以hinder your florist’s ability to deliver fresh flowers, depending on where they are sourced. “Ourflowersare shipped primarily from portions of the world that are not currently experiencing the coronavirus outbreak, like Holland, Ecuador, and South America, but we do not know what the next few months will bring,” says Christy "CeCe" Todd ofCeCe Designs and Eventsin Birmingham, Alabama. That said, many of the hardgoods that florists use for décor, such as vases and silk flowers for large installations, are likely to be impacted by the virus, she notes. So, if you’re already working with a floral designer, consider discussing backup plans and select adesignthat does not require the purchase of new products to produce the desired look for your special day.
6. 来源本地商品：When sourcing favors and items for welcome bags, consider working with what's available to you—and supporting small businesses!“I would suggest looking for local wonderful favors that are produced here,” Gregoli says.
7. Practice Extra Hygiene:“For now, we’re following the CDC guidelines of basic human hygiene, which means washing our hands and/or using hand sanitizer every time we shake hands, touch elevator buttons, open a door, jump on the train, etc. and avoiding touching our faces especially when we’re in public places,” says VillaRamos. Jones reiterates this point. "We're taking extra precaution to ask that staff members showing signs of illness stay home and to place hand sanitizers at entrances to buffets, food stations, and rooms," she says.
8. 考虑一个虚拟婚礼：对于年长的客人或那些谁选择不旅行，戴维斯建议考虑你的婚礼的直播流。“以现在的技术，它通过去住是很容易设置的东西了在社交媒体账户，”他说。为了帮助，一些国家甚至提出Zoom weddings legal。Check out our ultimate guide to throwing a virtual wedding below.

无论你是在等待礼服，打算开始着装搜索，或者需要寻找一种新的风格多亏了婚礼日期的变化（你好冬季新娘！），你的搜索可能会看在这个时候不同。尽管如此，这并不意味着你没有选择！

据美国新娘和舞会行业协会，80％的婚纱are manufactured in China, as well as other overseas destinations. For this reason, salons who are awaiting the shipment of such dresses are backed up, says Gregoli. Local salons, however, whose designers are mostly based in the U.S., are not experiencing such delays. Alison Kent, bridal manager of春甜婚纱店in Holland, Michigan, says that the designers her team has been working with are being very communicative with ship times and updates.“They’re prioritizing brides that have weddings coming up, which is hugely helpful, however, ship dates are being pushed back to about 20 weeks instead of 14—and that’s changing weekly,” she says. If you’re just beginning to shop, consider one of the below options. “If the gowns are disrupted and you cannot get them in time, consider buying off the rack gowns with everyone possibly picking a different type of dress,” Gregoli adds. Kent also recommends calling your local bridal salon to see what they have.“有一个真正的‘we're，所有功能于本在一起’的心态，所以我们要确保所有的新娘都照顾和可以穿漂亮的衣服，如果不是自己的梦想的礼服，”她说。

Thanks to stay-at-home orders, you're likely not able to have the traditional salon experience. That said, many bridal brands and retailers have adapted their practices so you don't have to wait to find the one. Below, your options.

• 做一个虚拟试穿：Many bridal brands and designers have begun using Zoom and Facetime to connect face-to-face with brides and to create anat-homebridal salon experience through services like virtual appointments and one-on-one styling sessions conducted over video. If you want to physically touch and try on your dress before making the big decision, some brands even offer programs that ship wedding gown and bridesmaid dress samples straight to your door. See a list of brands offering virtual sessionshere。
• Shop Online:Online shopping is still safe at this time! Check out the best sites to shop for a wedding dresshere。
• Order Ahead:If you're looking to order abridal gown and/or伴娘礼服from a traditional salon or retailor, Gregoli suggests doubling the lead time on purchasing gowns. If the averagerecommended lead timeis 8 to 12 weeks prior to the wedding, consider doing so between 16 and 24 weeks ahead of time.

如果你刚开始潜入规划，是很自然的有一百万“假设”关于未来的问题。虽然这一切是不确定的，我们希望这个消息不会削弱你或附带的兴奋带走乐动体育软件。“是真的,很兴奋!”Valley advises. "This is the moment you’ve been waiting for, and while the landscape of the world might look different right now, your loved ones are going to be so excited to hug and celebrate you when your wedding comes." For this reason, we say take note of the above, and consider the below as you (hopefully) continue to plan in the wake of coronavirus.

1. Get Started Now: "Honestly, don’t even consider 2020 unless you’re already locked in and have professionals helping you through this. We really don’t think it’s worth taking on that uncertainty and amount of stress," advises Laesser-Keck. "If you’re set on 2021, and particularly spring 2021, you’ll definitely need to move fast! There’s competition from 2020 couples who are postponing, so we’re seeing dates and venues starting to go quickly."
2. Hire Your Vendor Team: "Your creative vendors are all itching to create and celebrate couples," Valley admits. "Share the good news and focus on things you can actively plan right now: choosing the right date, hiring your creative team, daydreaming how your story will look and feel, listening to music for your playlist, and dreaming up fun cocktails to serve."
3. 做一个梦想板：谷建议创建一个Pinterest的板是更现实生活面向：“一，专注于食品造型你喜欢，漂亮的鸡尾酒，花自然，建筑，和风景看出，”她描述。“使用这个现实生活的灵感，开发理想的设计方案为你的大日子，并与您的团队开发共享。”
4. 按照对社会化媒体正帐户：在这种不确定性的时候，谷还建议以下账户（如@brides！）有帮助的规划技巧。“这么多的顶级规划师，花卉设计师，服装商店和场馆使其分享快乐和积极的规划技巧使命，”她说。
5. 变通：“This will be a year when flexibility is key, not only with date and location but also guest count," admits Laesser-Keck. "We’ll basically be combining two seasons into one, and I know every other venue and vendor out there will be doing the same, so giving yourself as many options as possible is really important."

要结束，谷分享所有的计划最后一条建议或受到当前危机的冠状病毒。“婚礼的目的是为了庆祝夫妇和他们的爱情故事与他们的亲人和家庭。我们鼓励夫妻提前计划开足马力，不断得到启发，并寻求灵感，也分享他们的故事，”她说。“只要我们都能够收集到，你知道你的婚礼将是宴请和庆祝想疯了！做好准备，在那一刻，让你的计划中的地方有最好的婚礼永远！”

当前爆发的冠状病毒(COVID-19)been declared a pandemic by The World Health Organization. As the situation remains fluid, we’ll be sharing tips and stories from industry experts and couples who are experiencing cancellations to give you the most up to date advice on how this can impact your wedding.