POSTPONING A WEDDING: JESSICA & PETER SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE
/I had no immediate plans to talk about Coronavirus Covid-19 on here, because frankly, I can’t imagine that I want to be reminded of this unsettling time when I am scrolling through my website reviewing the past year. Rather unexpectedly, I had a change of heart. The last seven weeks have bought a strange blend of realism and optimism with a heavy splash of confusion thrown in for good measure.
I could never have foreseen just how 2020 was going to play out. The year started with the painful loss of my Dad. Just as I started to breath a little easier, visualising a different family norm, Covid-19 came and wiped out the plans that I had thoughtfully curated for the year in a bid to bring some positively and security into our household.
It’s been a whirlwind but strangely also feels like the longest 7 weeks of our lives! I refuse to use the term “new normal” as it suggests our current status is permanent and I remain hopeful that this is not the end of life as we know it. Life adjustment, yes. New normal, no.
The event and wedding industries, like many others, have been hit hard. For so many couples, who were due to get married during this pandemic, they are having to postpone or cancel their weddings. I completely understand that whilst we are in the same storm, we are not in the same boat. Every persons situation, priorities and concerns are different. I am invested in every single one of my couples and I endeavour to be as supportive as I can. As it stands, working closely with my couples, I have rescheduled 23 weddings so far!
What I really came here to talk about wasn’t my experiences, but actually provide some insight into how one of my couples have coped with postponing their wedding. Let me hand over to Jessica and Peter to share their experience of postponing their wedding. Their honest words are both inspiring and reassuring.
Big cheery hello to Jessica and Peter
1. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR SITUATION
We had our wedding booked for April 18th, it was a short engagement as we've already been together for 5 years and neither of us wanted to wait any longer to get married! We planned a town hall wedding close to where we spent a lot of our early dates in Islington, with about 80 guests invited. Planning had mostly been stress free and we had everything sorted within about 6 weeks.
2. WHEN DID YOU FIRST START TO THINK THAT YOU MAY POSTPONE?
Probably around late February, but we were still naïvely hopeful that all of this would blow over by April. It wasn't until mid March, with only 4 weeks until the big day, that we informed all of our guests that we were postponing.
3. WHAT MADE THE DECISION CERTAIN FOR YOU IN THE END?
Aside from confirmation from the Town Hall that they would be closed until at least the end of May, we thought about how it was not worth risking anyone's health for our wedding. It's really important to both of us to have our grandparents there, and they would not be able to attend with any social distancing in place.
4. WHO DID YOU CONTACT FIRST TO TALK THROUGH POSTPONING YOUR WEDDING?
We sent emails to all our suppliers on the same day, the key ones being the town hall, reception venue and of course our photographer! We also contacted our wedding insurance to discuss what needed to be done and what conditions had to be met.
5. HOW DID YOUR SUPPLIERS REACT?
I think we've been exceptionally lucky, we had lovely responses from our suppliers and their flexibility and understanding has really taken a weight off our shoulders.
6. WHAT WAS THE REACTION FROM YOUR GUESTS?
We have had really kind responses from our guests, pretty much all of them had already guessed that we would have to postpone, and both of our families have been supportive of our decision.
7. AS A COUPLE WHO HAVE BEEN THERE, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHER COUPLES THINKING OF POSTPONING THEIR WEDDING?
Don't be afraid to reach out to friends and family to support you, and make plans to do something fun together on the date that you originally planned to get married. We got dressed up and had a stay-at-home dinner date.
8. HAVE YOU SET ANOTHER DATE?
We have a date set for June 2021.
9. HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW THAT YOU HAVE POSTPONED?
Now that the original date has come and gone we're feeling a bit more relaxed and pragmatic about it. We would rather be staying safe and healthy. We were both fine on the day itself, which came as a surprise to both of us. We're pleased we didn't feel sad all day or spend it crying. We already have our outfits ready, now it's just a matter of staying safe (and in shape!) until the new big day!
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