If you haven’t heard of COVID-19 by now, you’ve been living under a rock. And we suggest you get back under that rock, quickly! Stay safe, stay inside!
But for real, the pandemic is a serious thing. And it’s looking like the lockdown is here to stay for a while. That means, if you have a wedding coming up in the next few months, it might be wisest to reschedule your festivities. We understand that this is a difficult choice that raises all kinds of logistical problems, so we’ve compiled some tips to help you navigate this!
We’re All in the Same Boat – Remember: everyone is going through this together. Most of your vendors will be more than happy to reschedule your event. Don’t feel like you’re inconveniencing them or that rescheduling is somehow your fault. It’s not like everything is normal and you’re calling up the venue to say, “My astrologer told me I have to move the wedding by a week so the moon is right. Is there anyone willing to switch?” This is a global issue. They’ll understand.
Consider a Different Day of the Week – Saturday is the most popular day for weddings. As such, the remaining Saturdays in the second half of the year might already be booked. Consider having your ceremony on a Friday or a Sunday. If the best your venue can offer you is a 1pm Thursday slot sandwiched between a bat mitzvah and a funeral, maybe book with a different place.
Avoid the Fancy Numbers – People like to have a fun, memorable wedding anniversary date, such as 10/10, 09/09, 08/08, etc. Dates like these will get booked up fast. You’ll probably have better luck with less symmetrical dates. May we recommend the humble 8/14, or the quiet, dignified 12/10?
You Might Have to Reschedule for 2021 – The experts are projecting the virus will die down in the summer before, like your least favorite sitcom, coming back in the autumn. So if you can’t reschedule your wedding for summer 2020, be prepared to move it to next year. It sounds far away, but a year passes before you know it. This would also give you extra time to prepare and your guests extra time to make it fit their schedule, especially if you have a lot of loved ones coming from out of town. (Unexpected bonus: you can get a jump on booking 2/1/21, or any of the other fun dates.)
Embrace Your Free Time – With your wedding pushed back and with social isolation measures being observed, you’ll probably have a lot of free time on your hands. This crisis is stressful for everyone, so if you’re in a comfortable position during this, count yourself lucky and try to enjoy your free time with your spouse-to-be. Watch romantic movies together (Our Movie Recommendations), come up with new meals to cook, take walks in secluded places, set up a makeshift boxing gym in the garage, read obscure, thick volumes of nineteenth century Russian philosophy to each other; finger paint, make funny TikToks, download Duolingo and start learning Arabic, print out a picture of the beach and hang it up in your living room. Just really take this time to have fun with each other!
Remember your grandma, talking about how every year for Christmas in the 1930s, she’d just get a pair of jeans and an orange if she was lucky? That will be you one day. “Back in my day, there was a good 6 months where you couldn’t play Pokemon Go because of the pandemic!” These are crazy times, but you and your relationship will come out stronger on the other side!