Wedding Planning Chronicles: Coronavirus' Impact on Weddings

Wedding planning advice from a photographer planning her own wedding

Today's topic: Weddings in the age of COVID-19

We all know that weddings are a big part of what I do. They are one of my true passions and my bread-and-butter. As this news has progressed it’s hard for me to not think about all of my wedding clients for the upcoming year. Obviously I am worried about the economic impact of people having to cancel or postpone on the wedding vendor community, but I feel like I have an even closer connection to what my clients are feeling now more than ever before because I have my OWN wedding coming up in June.

When I first began to get the flood of text messages and emails asking me if we were going to cancel our wedding, at first, I just wanted to shut down. I didn’t know the answers - I didn’t know how to nor did I want to respond to people. My second thought was, just like I tell my clients, we’re going to take this day by day. In these uncertain times, that’s all we can do. I see no reason that we should make these decisions now and I myself will not be doing that until I am forced to. Anything can change every day and we cannot predict how this is going to play out. I fully intend to photograph every wedding I have booked and I fully intend to still have my own. My fiancé insists we will still have a wedding even if it’s just us and the vendors, LOL, including a margarita fountain, a sprawling ranch, and a ton of tamales.

My best advice is to keep proceeding as planned. If you must adjust please postpone/reschedule and don’t outright cancel! Things can be adjusted. I would also recommend that you embrace your feelings at this time. While the health of the world is obviously the most important thing, it’s no small thing to have to deal with the possibility of having to reschedule/ postpone your wedding. If you’re feeling that it’s selfish to be thinking about your own wedding at a time like this, please allow yourself to feel just exactly how you were feeling. It’s OK to feel saddened by this. Let those feelings flow in and embrace them, then let them flow out of you and direct your energy toward something positive. This may end up being your greatest test as a couple. In the end, all that will really matter is your love for one another.