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Planning a Wedding During Covid-19

Steph Allison • 19 May 2020

Planning With Uncertainty

I feel for my clients who had weddings planned for this year so much. All of the hopes and dreams shattered by one virus. One thing I've learnt is that the worst feeling is to not be able to control what's happening to you. To just wait for someone else to decide the fate of your wedding adds to the stress.

I advised all of my clients to take back control of their day and postpone it on their own terms, even before the Lockdown came into place. This allowed them to get in early with suppliers and book in their ideal dates for 2021.

The truth is though, as a wedding industry we don't know when weddings will be allowed to go ahead and what permitted weddings will look like. As the US is going ahead with re-opening some states we can see their guidelines which look like reduced numbers, guests spaced out on tables and no buffets. We may be allowed ceremonies with 5 guests again or receptions with less than 50 but will they be safe or fun?

Do you want a socially distanced, restricted wedding and how will that even work? Weddings are days of kissing, hugging, congratulating, squeezing onto the top table, holding hands, cramming together for group shots, drunkenly throwing your arms around old friends, passing around cake and buying rounds.

Most weddings also have a small army of suppliers involved. Many of my weddings have had 20 suppliers involved, each with their own teams of staff. Take a look below and we've reached 50 people before even inviting anyone,

Hair & Makeup 2-3
Band 4-5
Catering 30
Venue Staff 2-3
Planner 1-2
Photographer 1-2
Bar team 5
DJ 1
Florist 1-3
Cake 1
Transport 2-3
Musicians 2

My advice for couples wanting to plan their weddings for now is decide what's really important to you both. If you just want to be legally married asap, then plan that for later this year, or next year as a small legal or religious ceremony with just your immediate family or BFFs. You can then plan a full scale celebration later on, when you know what's permitted. This also allows you to have a full non-legal ceremony later with a celebrant and you can then have this anywhere from a woodland to a field.

If you're happy to have a longer engagement then use this time wisely to research your dream venue and suppliers. Many venues are doing virtual tours and suppliers can consult by skype or zoom. Get your dream time lined up and then when the Government permit it, you can find a date that works for everyone and get it all booked.

It's ok to feel sad and disappointed but your day will come...and it will be all the more awesome because you'll have all of your favourite people in one room and now we'll never take that for granted again. 

A SWEET & PRETTY WEDDING BLOG

Why Choose a Marquee Wedding

10 May 2019
Some people are a little scared and overwhelmed by the thought of planning a marquee. It's true there are lots more things to consider than just choosing a venue where the furniture, loos and catering are all provided. However, will that kind of wedding truly reflect you as a couple? Will you get to hand pick the food, the décor, the chairs, the lighting? The answer is of course, a resounding no. Here's 6 reasons why you should choose a marquee wedding. Choice of Venue Many of my clients have private land at family homes to host their marquee. However, there's lots of beautiful venues in the South West where you can plan a flexible wedding. Choice of Catering With marquee weddings you're not restricted to set caterers so you can choose whatever food you want from fine dining to afternoon tea, hog roasts and festival style food trucks. This can no only save you money but allow you to hand pick what your guests eat. Choice of Furniture Many venues you look around have drawbacks and often it's the bad carpets and awful conference style chairs that let them down. With a marquee you can choose from a beautiful range of stylish furniture from wooden cross back chairs to fully styled lounge areas. No ugly chair covers and sashes for you my friend! Choice of Lighting Marquees lend themselves to beautiful lighting which elevates the whole look of the wedding. Festoon lights, fairy lights, huge chandeliers, uplighters, starlight ceilings, the choice is endless. Choice of Drinks Now this is a biggie! With a marquee you can either hire a bar company to organise everything for you or you can supply your own alcohol, potentially saving you a small fortune. Many venues offer set daytime drinks packages at round £2-3000 per 100 guests. You could easily buy enough booze for the day and a full evening bar for this and still have lots of spare bottles left over for a special occasion. Choice of Décor A marquee is literally a blank canvas. The height of the roof means there's so much opportunity for amazing hanging foliage, floral chandeliers, huge crystal chandeliers, lanterns and more. You can choose your flooring, table style, linen, dance floors and flowers. Everything is bespoke and can 100% reflect you as a couple. If you want a romantic, rural marquee wedding in the South West, contact Steph now to find out more about Sweet & Prett's marquee wedding planning services.
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