This is not what you had in mind when you set out to plan your wedding.. a pandemic?! For many brides, you’re faced with a tough decision: do I move my wedding date? And then the big follow up question.. “WHEN is it safe to schedule my wedding?”

I want to give you some “tough encouragement” in this blog post from someone who has planned her own wedding and seen behind the scenes of many others.

Please note: I live in Athens, GA where the case count has been low and the state has reopened. This may not apply to other locations!

MYTH: THERE’S A “SAFER” DATE WE COULD CHOOSE

As I hear couples debating on moving their date, one of the most used statements is “we’re thinking of moving our wedding to a date when things are normal again”…

I have to be 100% honest with you and say.. there is no date where that’s a sure thing. If “normal” in your mind is that 200+ person wedding where everyone is sharing from a buffet line and dancing for hours in close contact, I don’t think you’ll be able to plan for that for the foreseeable future.

Many couples are moving their wedding a YEAR away or more, but imagine if there’s another flare up and you moved your date only to be faced with this same issue again?

So what do we do?!

IF I COULD CHOOSE FOR YOU…

Let me know start by saying, every couple is different. You may be reconsidering your wedding date because important guests wouldn’t be able to make it. That’s a TOTALLY different ball game & I understand completely.

But if you want to move your date in hopes that you won’t have to change the plan you had in mind, I don’t think that’s realistic and I want to help you think through other options!

If I could choose for you, I would go with one of these two options:

#1 – Cut your guest list down to the absolutely ESSENTIAL people and change the style of your wedding day to more intimate! Here’s some ideas on how to do this: FRESH IDEAS FOR THE #CORONABRIDE

#2 – Choose an elopement / small wedding now with a reception party at a later date. (Note: this option is still risky since we can’t really know when a large reception party will be an option again)

THIS MIGHT BE YOUR REAL DREAM WEDDING

Another common phrase I see floating around is that brides are having to give up their “dream wedding”. I want to propose to you that you might actually be GETTING your dream wedding!

When you imagine your dream wedding, some of the details probably had to do with what you’ve seen others do, but the MAIN point was WHO you’re marrying and how you FEEL on your wedding day! Fortunately, nothing and no one can take those choices from you.

Let me tell you a secret about what you’re “giving up” that you’ve seen online for the past 3-5 years… Couples had to PLAN 15 minutes alone after their ceremony just to see each other on their wedding day! Brides & Grooms experienced anxiety similar to “stage fright” when it was time to walk down the aisle.

After cocktail hour and a few hours of open bar, some couples had guests who made a scene or broke items. The Bride & Groom spent the majority of their wedding day and reception answering questions and talking to other people (some of which they will never see again)

This is the NORM that had set in before the pandemic. What’s normal is not always what’s best. This is the time for change and while it’s scary and not what you expected, I believe it’s a really good thing.

Have you had any unique wedding ideas for a small wedding?! Tell me in the comments!