PLANNER

Chloe Cook Events Chloe Cook Events is a celebration planning firm based in Houston, Texas. This down-toearth, outside-of-the-box group of creatives specializes in international destination weddings and elopements. With hundreds of weddings and events under their belts, the planners at Chloe Cook Events have a great deal of experience with troubleshooting event logistics and planning. For more information, go to: chloecookevents.com, Instagram @chloecookevents, Facebook: Chloe Cook Events

Photography courtesy of Christin McQueen, RH Photo Arts, Second Shots Photography

Everything is closed. My wedding is in three weeks in Cabo. What am I supposed to do?

Don’t panic. Things happen. The first and most important step is to immediately contact your wedding vendors. Communication is everything in a crisis like COVID-19. If you’re not working with a professional planner, assign vendors to your bridesmaids so they can assist with calls and emails. It may seem overwhelming, but with help from your bride tribe, you can knock it out in no time. Most destinations import their fresh florals, but as long as your flowers haven’t been ordered yet, you should be good. If you have to postpone your wedding to a later date, ask your officiant if he or she is still willing to marry you on your official date with just the two of you. Many venues are offering intimate ceremonies with altar setups at no charge. That’s pretty sweet!

When should I make the call to postpone my destination wedding?

During this season, the planners at Chloe Cook Events are suggesting decisions be made about four weeks before scheduled events. It’s important to keep your vendors in the loop of potential changes. Now is a good time to begin brainstorming future dates and asking for vendor availability. Create a spreadsheet with your top three future date choices and note vendor availability for each date. Review your contracts. Ask vendors that aren’t available about future credits and transfers or possible refunds. Be kind in your communication, as we are collectively going through this crisis. On a positive note, most airlines are offering flexible booking and flight change options.

My wedding is later this year. I’m so overwhelmed because I can’t reach my vendors in Barbados, and I’m not sure my wedding dress will arrive in time because it’s being designed in China. What can I do?

The response time is usually slow with destination vendors. It’s important to be patient, as they probably have brides for the current season who are rescheduling. Yes, you are a priority, but bear with the vendors. They will get back to you as soon as time allows. Many hotel employees are furloughed, so those vendors are extremely shortstaffed.

Check with your bridal salon to ease your mind about your wedding dress. In all likelihood, they’ve been in constant contact with your designer. Remain calm. Your time is coming, and great destination vendors will exceed your expectations. Hang in there!