My fiance and I finally set our wedding date. We hadn’t gotten very far in the planning process when news of the pandemic hit. With our late summer wedding now only five months away, it doesn’t leave much time to plan (though I think its doable). In light of what’s going on in the world, however, it feels weird to plan a wedding right now.
On one hand, wedding planning is a pleasant distraction from the overload of information (and misinformation) about the Coronavirus that’s dominating the news. A wedding is also a happy event, a celebration of love, and something to look forward to in a time when fear and anxiety is high. On the other hand, it sometimes feels selfish and maybe trivial to plan a wedding during a global outbreak. Afterall, aren’t there more important things to worry about than finding “the” dress or booking a DJ?
So many couples have had to postpone or cancel their weddings due to stay at home orders, venues closing amidst bans of group gatherings, and to promote social distancing. As the uncertainty looms, it’s challenging to make plans not knowing what the future holds and how my wedding may be impacted. At the same time, I can’t postpone planning if an August wedding is to happen.
Putting Things Into Perspective
That said, I’m going to continue to plan with the hope that things will be better by August. This pandemic puts things into perspective though. It reminds me that the marriage is more important than the wedding itself. It helps me prioritize what’s important and let go of wanting everything to be perfect or caring too much about what others think. I’m also open to reevaluating our guest list and how many people we invite as a way of cutting expenses. It’s also a good idea to be flexible, have a contingency plan and reevaluate the situation in May.
For now, I will do what I can. I’ll continue to research online, read vendor reviews, request quotes and refer to Pinterest for inspiration and ideas. I can also work on our wedding website and maybe start a registry.
I’m hopeful for an August wedding — even if that means getting married and postponing the reception (or having a more intimate gathering). Whatever happens, I trust it will all work out.
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