I am so incredibly sorry to all the couples out there whose wedding is being impacted by the coronavirus. I know this has to be so hard when the wedding you have been planning for months is now being completely changed, postponed, or even cancelled.

I wanted to put together something that will hopefully give you ideas for a Plan B or even Plan C for your wedding! Because even with everything going on you do still have options. I think the hardest part right now is that we don’t know what will happen next or how long this will go on. We aren’t sure when the shelter in place will be lifted or when large groups will be able to congregate safely. And thats scary.

My goal during this time is to work with my couples and any other couples who want were planning to get married to find the solution that works best for them. So lets take a look a some of the options that are out there!

Please don’t cancel

Right now small businesses that make up a lot of the wedding industry are suffering. No new bookings are coming in and the certainty of whether they will have work in the next few months is up in the air. When weddings get cancelled, it makes it hard for the vendors you were so eager to work with to survive this time. While I know it is incredibly disheartening to not be able to go through your day as you envisioned, postponing it allows you to still make it happen! And I know your vendors want to be a part of that.

Talk to your vendors

I have been individually working with our couples to find the best solution for them. I truly believe every wedding is different and oftentimes requires a different collection. So my goal is to work with our couples and any couples who are looking to get married in the future to make sure we do what is best for them. You don’t have to reschedule or rethink your wedding plans alone! This may just be a time to get creative. There are so many ways to celebrate a wedding and those affected by the pandemic may get to have a lot of little celebrations of their love over the next year. Your vendors are professionals. They may have ideas you didn't think of!

Weddings for the upcoming months are changing so we have to change with them. I am working on creating new collections for our couples for these smaller weddings. Ask your other vendors if they are doing the same.

Reschedule

If you have decided to reschedule your wedding to a later date this year or next year, make sure to consult your vendors. In the wedding industry, vendors book out at least a year in advance so many Saturday weddings may not be available. Working with your vendors to make sure they are all available possibly even choosing a Friday or Sunday to get married allows them to still be a part of it and help bring your initial vision to life! The important thing is that you verify the availability of your vendors BEFORE choosing a date. You chose them and were excited to work with them for a reason, make sure they can still be there for you on your wedding.

Video Call Wedding

In the event that you still want to keep your initial anniversary date (even if you don’t have the proper paperwork or an officiant) you can have a video call wedding. Get dressed up and have a little ceremony in your living room while friends and family join in. Have someone screenshot and edit the photos from the call so you have photos to look back on. You can even record your video call. Then later when you can go in to get your marriage license or have someone marry you so you are legally married. If you already have your marriage license and are able to have your officiant and a witness come to your home while still doing a video call wedding then that is another option.

We have had friends who have gotten married at a courthouse on one day and then had their ceremony on another and choose to celebrate that second day as their anniversary.

Have an intimate ceremony now so you can party with everyone later!

Once the shelter in place is lifted, if you want to still get married on your date then lets plan an intimate wedding! We will provide our photo and video services, even help you live stream your wedding to your Facebook so friends and family can watch it. Or we capture your entire ceremony so you can share that video with loved ones later on. Choosing to do an intimate ceremony will allow you to still get married and keep your initial anniversary date and get some awesome photos and videos. Then you can plan for a big party with everyone you love at a later date!

Some of my absolute favorite days within the last year have been small intimate weddings! These were days that truly just focused on the couple and doing whatever the heck they wanted to do to celebrate. Traditions that didn’t feel right were thrown out but the smiles never stopped. Sorry its cheesy but oh so true.

City Hall Wedding

Elizabeth and Mike had a surprise wedding at City Hall in Chicago with their moms on their 10 year Anniversary. They got married on a Monday, rented a limo, and drove all over the city to celebrate. They threw a party right before Christmas with their family and friends so they could join in on the celebration.

A big plus for City Hall and Courthouse weddings (see the next wedding) is that you can get married during the week. I know this may not seem like a plus but it is more likely that your photographer/videographer, florist, hair and make up artists are still available. If you go this route, see what options your venue has for a party later on in the year or next year.

Courthouse Wedding

Phil and Jacciah were married at the Geneva Courthouse one cold November Friday. They both had custom wedding outfits to make their day even more special. Their immediate families joined them during the ceremony and then we explored Geneva afterwards, even stopping for some hot chocolate in between photos!

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Nontraditional Backdrops

Michelle and Tim wanted a super laid back nontraditional wedding so they got married at a brewery! It was such an amazing night. We took photos amongst the fermenting tanks of beer. They had a pizza truck outside that served the most delicious pizza. And they got to hang out and drink with their loved ones the rest of the night!

Now this nontraditional backdrop doesn’t have to be in a brewery, it could be a coffee shop like BrewPoint , in your backyard or in a forest preserve. Some of these options may be best for even smaller groups which may be what the CDC will recommend for some of the summer.

Split the Day in Two

Mollie and Adam had 2 wedding days. Their first wedding was a very intimate ceremony with their parents and siblings at a small church. We captured getting ready moments, the ceremony, couples photos and family formals all within 2 hours. They said it was the best decision they ever made having this small ceremony in June. Then later in September, they had a full wedding day! They got to take photos with their bridal party, have another ceremony, and party at their reception.

I mentioned this above in the City Hall portion but if you decide to have a small wedding ceremony so you can get married consider still throwing your party at your venue later on. This could be a full day like Mollie and Adam did or a small ceremony with a big reception. Or you could skip the second ceremony and just have a big party starting with your entrance as husband and wife! The options for splitting your day in two are endless. And because I truly believe there aren’t any rules when planning a wedding you can celebrate however you want!

Here is a another example of splitting your day in two! You might recognize Liz and Ray because they were the last wedding we were able to shoot before quarantine. They were able to get married in Liz’s parents’ warehouse with a small group of family and friends and plan on throwing a party later this year. We were with them for about 4 and half hours and were still able to capture getting ready moments, their first look, bridal party shots, family formals, couple portraits, the ceremony, and details of the space.

Car Parade

If you plan to get married but have to keep it small , one of our couples has been thinking about doing a car parade! Guests who cannot be in the ceremony space but still want to be there with you can drive by after your ceremony. You two can hangout and wave at your loved ones as they drive by and honk. I know this is not ideal but it is a fun way to still include people. And this is just one solution! If you did the car parade now that doens’t mean later on you can’t have a big party with everyone.

You Are Not Alone

You are not alone. Everyone right now is mourning the loss of something. It doesn’t make it any less hard but take solace in knowing that. Talk with your vendors, your friends and family and think about ways that you can still make you plans happen. It may not look like that you originally thought but that is okay. We are all adjusting and will continue to adjust as this new normal progresses.