A brand new year! A new start! Fresh goals and resolutions ready to go. Now, I don’t think for a second any of us really thought that the clock would strike twelve and we’d all of a sudden wake from the nightmare that was/is covid-19, but it felt hopeful. The vaccine had started rolling out, and optimism began to catch its footing once again.
But these past couple weeks have been a buzz kill. With numbers on the rise, stay at home orders in place in Ontario, ICUs reaching capacity, covid fatigue wearing on us, vaccine hesitancy, vaccine delays and a new strain, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I genuinely don’t think it’s time to start kicking optimism to the curb, but for those of us planning 2021 weddings with the coronavirus pandemic still lingering, it might be time to start thinking strategically in order to avoid heartbreak down the road.

Now here’s the good news…

Love is STILL not cancelled

Just because the pandemic doesn’t want to let us loose just yet, doesn’t mean you can’t move forward with your wedding*. Many couples did get married in 2020, and they were some of the most memorable and joyous events. They may not have been what the couple initially planned, but in most cases that worked in their favour.

We’ve put together some helpful things to think about as you’re preparing for your 2021 wedding. We obviously can’t tell you what to do, but some of these points have helped some of our couples make informed decisions for their weddings.

*unless, of course, the government puts a halt to it altogether. Please abide by the rules.

Priorities

Every couple is different when it comes to the priority for your wedding. It’s important you sit down as a couple and talk over what is MOST important to you for your big day. This will help you shape your next steps.

If it’s most important for you to have Grandma & Grandpa there, or that 200 person guest list, it may be time to start looking at a 2022 date, or a late fall 2021 date. (the sooner you decide, the better, if you’re postponing)

If you just want to get married, gosh darnit, then stick to your guns and accept that you may have to call a few people to uninvite them. Don’t worry, they will understand.

Options

There’s no shortage of options and iterations your wedding can take. We’re firm believers in the sky being the limit, and that if you can think it up, you can make it happen. But just in case this is all a bit overwhelming here are some options to think about:

Elope
- Grab your partner, an officiant, maybe a photographer, and your witnesses and JUST GET MARRIED! A great option especially if you have a particular place in mind that’s special to you to get married. When your guest list is this small it gives you the freedom to really think up your dream scenario, whatever that may be. Not sure what that looks like? Have a peek at an elopement in the south Georgian Bay area.
Minimony
- A small ceremony with your loved ones, up to 10 guests present. This small and intimate wedding was a big hit last year. This is a really great option, especially for weddings happening earlier in the year, as restrictions have tended to lean towards at least 10 people gathered together outside.
Micro Wedding
- We’ve heard of all different numbers of what a micro wedding actually is. Typically it’s 50 wedding guests or less. This is an extremely popular option, especially later in summer when restrictions start to lift. Weddings at this size are wonderful, they allow you to talk to all of your guests, but still feel like a big ole party.
Sequel Wedding
- Whether you elope, or have a minimony or a micro wedding, there is always the option to have your big bash at a later time. Being able to celebrate with all of your family and friends in one spot tends to be of huge importance for many people, and we don’t blame you. This option will allow you to have your cake and eat it too (maybe even twice!)
Postpone
- I know it’s not ideal, but if having your wedding this year would force you to make too many concessions and it’s making you dread your wedding rather than feel excited for it, then this may be the option for you. Keep in mind you’ll want to keep your vendors in the loop on this one and consider talking to them before setting that new date to see what is still available.

Things to consider if you go forward this year:

Guest List x4

If you’ve decided to go ahead in 2021 come hell or high water, it’s time to start thinking about some options. Come up with a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C and maybe even Plan D. (this could be kinda fun!) for your ideal guest list based on the numbers allowed by government restrictions.

Ex:
Plan A = up to 100 guests
Plan B = up to 75 guests
Plan C = up to 50 guests
Plan D = up to 10 guests

Remember, this pandemic is not new. Your loved ones will understand that you’re in a tight spot based on what the government is allowing, and you’re putting their health and safety first. AND! You can always have a giant party at a later date to celebrate your union. We’ll need lots of reasons to celebrate in the next few years.

Safety First

If you do decide to go ahead with your wedding this year PLEASE use caution and follow the rules. Weddings have been super spreaders for covid-19, so take the steps to make sure your wedding isn’t one of those weddings.

Have hand sanitizer readily accessible.
Stick to the guidelines on guest numbers.
Stick to the guidelines on masks.
Choose an outdoor wedding.
Space out your tables and your chairs.

It’s especially important that you follow the rules of your venue and talk to your wedding professionals about their comfort levels on things. Respect their wishes.

Communication

With your wedding professionals, but also with your guests. Be honest with them and be up front about your decisions. The sooner you let them know that you are going ahead with a reduced guest list, the better. This is especially true if they are coming from afar.

Also, be very clear with your guests about your expectations of their behaviour in terms of safety. If you expect all of your guests to wear a mask, tell them.

Things to consider if you postpone:

The Sooner the better

Keep us in the loop! We’ll have a much easier time servicing your needs if we have lots of notice. I know that a couple months may seem like an eternity to you when it comes to work, but for many of us that’s a tight timeline. Many of us book up to 2 years in advance, and most couples prefer prime dates (think May-October, Fridays-Sundays but especially Saturdays). We all want to continue to work with our couples and help them as best we can, but when a new date is set in stone before talking with us, that may be impossible. In most cases, this means your non-refundable retainer will be gone.

Consider talking with your prime wedding pros with a handful of date options and finding one that works for all of you.

2022 is going to book up quickly. It will essentially be a triple cohort year, so the more notice you give the better. This also allows your wedding professionals to potentially re-book the date they originally saved for you which could mean their business survives another year of reduced income.

Be flexible

Consider choosing a non-prime date. November weddings are a ton of fun, so are Thursday weddings (I speak from experience).

This is not just so you can ensure your wedding professionals will be available to take care of you, but also takes into consideration your guests. Many of them will have a surplus of weddings to go to, as it will be a triple cohort year.

It may be more expensive

Chances are your wedding professionals prices have changed since you originally booked them, especially if your wedding was originally planned for 2020. The cost of living goes up, and thus package prices go up. There’s more to it, though, and it will vary vendor by vendor.

Wedding planner Lynzie Kent of Love By Lynzie was interviewed by CBC and had this to say on the topic:

You'll also need to work with your wedding vendors to sort out the cost of rescheduling. Kent recommends rereading your contracts carefully: "It's important to understand what your vendors' policies are around cancellation, date change, postponement, 'force majeure' and financial penalties in relation to any of these topics." Next, talk to each of them to see what's possible. Some may charge an administrative fee for postponements, while others might be able to move your deposit to the new date penalty-free.
Throughout this process, just keep in mind that this is a very challenging period financially for everyone that works in the wedding and events industry. "When you have to have really difficult conversations around contracts and financial losses or penalties, [know that] it's just as difficult for the vendor," says Kent. "Kindness and understanding is going to get you a lot further."

Lynzie Kent from CBC’s article: Wedding planners share their best advice for anyone getting married soon

A CALL FOR UNDERSTANDING

The harsh reality is that all of the businesses that are serving you and your wedding got hit hard, and are still taking punches. Many of those businesses are sole proprietors, or small businesses, often run by women. Wedding work is seasonal work, because we all know that there are very popular times of the year to get married and only so many weekends where this can happen. As wedding pros, we came into this work knowing that our businesses will run on very long timelines, as we booked work 8-, 12-, or sometimes even 18-months in advance and don’t see everything come together until much later. In normal times, wedding small businesses do a lot of planning and put in hard work to sustain themselves -- as businesses, and as people with families -- so that we can get from booking with you to delivering our best for you on your wedding day. Unfortunately, 2020 was the exception that none of us could see, and it was incredibly scary for many people. Wedding small businesses faced the reality that postponements from 2020 to 2021 pushed some of those 8- or 12-month timelines out until nearly two years down the road.

Since wedding work is so seasonal, and works on such unique a timeframe, many wedding small businesses have not and will not qualify for the business loans or grants that have been offered by the government. They have been forced to try and pivot their businesses quickly, if possible, in order to deal with the fact that they have lost anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4 of their income (or more) for an entire year. That’s just not sustainable for anyone, let alone a business you want to be around to service you in another year’s time.

We’re bringing these behind-the-scenes realities of what it’s like to run a wedding business to you, so that you understand that we are also going through an anxious and unpredictable time. The conversations full of uncertainty, grief, and seemingly-impossible decisions that you’re having, we’re also having, sometimes many times in a day. I think that we can all agree that understanding and compassion go a really long way. The times that we live in are no one's fault, and we hope that we can keep trying to navigate our way through the same fog of fear and uncertainty. Let’s make sure we get to the other side together because there’s joy to share and so much to celebrate once we arrive.