The global COVID-19 pandemic is messing with wedding plans all around the world. If you have your wedding booked for 2020, you are faced with unique challenges – but you don’t face them alone. South Pacific Bridal specialise in taking the stress out of wedding planning so you can have the wedding of your dreams.
Planning a wedding can be tricky enough without a pandemic being thrown into the mix! So many hours, dreams and decisions have gone into your plans. It’s perfectly normal to feel disappointed and that your wedding now feels out of your control. Voice your concerns, ask for support from your partner, family and your Wedding Planner. Looking at the situation from a more positive perspective, you may now have a lot of time on your hands to spend thinking about the little details. So get lost on Pinterest, read online magazines and enjoy some time dreaming about the wedding you will be able to have.
Your SPB wedding team is very experienced. Although I don’t have a magic wand, I do have some good advice to help you through this crazy time. Here are answers to some of the questions I’m being asked at the moment that might be helpful to you:
What Does the 5 Person Restriction Mean?
Wedding ceremonies are now restricted to a total of 5 people for the immediate future. That’s you and your partner, your registered wedding celebrant and two witnesses. Your witnesses need to be over the age of 18 years in order to be able to formally witness your wedding and for it to be a legal ceremony. No, you can’t slip in a couple of your kids or both sets of parents. Your SPB support team (Planner/Coordinator or both) will still be there to assist with your bridal entrance, play music and make sure everything goes according to plan. We will remain socially distanced before, during and after the ceremony by remaining outside.
Should I Postpone My May, June or July 2020 Wedding?
If you’re planning a wedding in May, June or July this year, now is the time to choose a backup date, or take steps to postpone your wedding. Restrictions are changing daily. If you are a local couple, you have a reasonable chance of being able to go ahead with your wedding, but most likely with reduced guest numbers. Interstate and overseas couples especially should look at alternative dates. Most couples with a wedding planned in May, June or July are choosing an alternate date from September onwards. Consider a November wedding – yes, it’s a little warmer, but it’s the best time of year if you want a clear blue sky and vivid blue ocean in your wedding photos. The colours are truly spectacular, and it’s before the rainy season begins so you have a great chance of having a picture perfect wedding day. Having some flexibility about the day of the week you are married on will also make it easier to get the same fabulous suppliers that you have already chosen.
For couples with weddings from August 2020 onwards, there’s no need to worry about postponing just yet. Relax and continue to plan for your existing wedding date, and review the situation about 6 weeks prior to your wedding.
What’s involved in postponing my wedding?
Making the decision to postpone your wedding is a big one. This might come down to practical considerations – like not being able to get to Cairns for your wedding if you don’t live locally, or knowing your important guests will not be able to get here, or may no longer be able to afford to attend. SPB are offering to postpone your wedding without any financial penalty. This means we will transfer over your payments to a new date without charging any postponement fees. If you are one of my lovely couples, I do all the tricky work for you – coordinating dates with your reception venue, and notifying and rebooking all suppliers. Officially postponing means signing a new contract for the new date. We can confirm the postponement once we’ve received the new signed contract.
Before you set a new date, check with:
- Your partner (of course)
- Your Wedding Planner
- Your parents & closest guests
- Your ceremony & reception venues
- Your suppliers
If you have a Wedding Planner, they will take care of the last two for you.
Should I Postpone or Cancel?
If it’s not possible to get married on your original date, postponing will be your best choice financially. Check the contract(s) you signed when you booked your wedding and vendors – there will be a cancellation clause in there that will apply. Remember that many wedding vendors are small businesses that are being greatly affected by COVID-19. Everyone wants you to still be able to have the wedding you’ve dreamt about. If postponing is the only way to achieve this, then this is a good choice for you to make. SPB has asked its suppliers to postpone without penalty, and honour the rates of the original booking. So if you’ve booked a package that includes suppliers, you don’t have to be concerned about price increases.
How do I Notify Guests
If you decide to postpone, you will need to notify your guests. A change of date e-card is a great way to achieve this. And you probably have quite a bit of time on your hands at the moment to design one! Etsy also has some fabulous ones, especially if you have a sense of humour. If you’re not very creative an email will also do the trick – but putting the new date in writing will help avoid confusion with your guests.
Don’t Look Back
Once you’ve made the decision to postpone, don’t look back. Embrace the change, hold those you love a little closer and look forward to a dream wedding and a wonderful celebration. It will be all the sweeter for this crazy experience, and we can’t wait to share it with you- www.spb.com.au
