Juniper
COVID -19 WEDDING GUIDE
This guide is advice for the couples who are planning their 2020 wedding and are unsure how to navigate through the uncertainty of COVID-19. We’ve gathered ideas, tips and steps to help you with your planning and decision making.
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- The Juniper Team COVID-19 WEDDING GUIDE
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Postponement s & Cancellations
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edding planning on a good day is overwhelming, we can’t begin to imagine doing it with the added layer of a global pandemic. The difficult decisions you will make over the next few weeks, months and year will affect the day you spent so long planning. We feel you on that note! As frustration sets in, we realize that there are a few options couples have; to postpone the date or cancel altogether. We have broken down the differences between postponements and cancellations and the top things to think about when deciding what to do about your wedding date. Postponements In order to move the current date to a new one, we recommend starting with the following steps.
1 Check in with your wedding planner to confirm what dates they have available 2 Contact your venue to confirm what dates they still have open in 2020 and 2021 3 Talk to your important people and see what dates work best for them People such as immediate family and your bridal party 4 Check with all other vendors, we recommend sending each vendor a questionnaire to get the full picture of their availability, we have included our version of this on the next page of this guide 5 Consider what season the new date falls within and ensure you make appropriate changes and decisions on decor, florals, bridal dresses, food and other parts of the day with seasonality in mind
Cancellations So you have come full circle and the idea of postponing the date is just not in the cards at this time. The next best thing would be to cancel your nuptuals altogether. A few things to take into account when making this tough decision are; vendor contracts and loss of deposits. Most vendors will have fine print in their contracts for times like this. Some vendors may charge a cancellation fee. This means if the couple cancels, they may have to remit a fee to break the contract or alternatively the vendor may not return the inital deposit, resulting in loss of the deposit. In some cases, venues may require you to sell the orginal contract. Alternatively venues may wave the cancellation fee if authoritative figures deem large gatherings banned. We recommend that you contact all your vendors and get the full picture of how much money will be lost upon cancelling and all of their terms and conditions to do so.
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additional costs or require you to sell the contracts, whereas postponements may be free of addtional fees or fees may be waived during the pandemic.
Working with Vendors
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our wedding planning may have been done prior to the pandemic and in that case, you are managing vendors and making decisions with them in mind. This can be chaos, given the nature of the situation and trying to coordinate with all vendors may be difficult. We have put together a vendor questionnaire, that we think would be helpful to couples having to coordinate with multiple vendors. A few things to keep in mind when reaching out to vendors and figuring out your rights during this complicated time is to read the fine print of all contracts prior to connecting. Once you have taken this first step, we then recommend knowing first if you are planning to cancel or postpone. Cancellations may incurr
Vendor Questionnaire 1
What is your postonement or cancellation policy during COVID-19?
2
Do you have a re-scheduling or cancellation fee?
3
What dates do you have available in 2020 or 2021?
4
Do you book weddings on Fridays or Sundays?
5
Will there be any changes to the seasonality of my booking?
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Postponements may mean a bit more work to try and find dates that work for everyone you have booked with. To help with this, we recommend looking at off days of the week such as; Fridays and Sundays to hold your wedding, as Saturdays in 2020 and 2021 may already be booked with vendors. Lastly, its important to think about the seasonality of the items you have booked, you may have to be flexible when swtiching seasons to what is available during that time of year in terms of flowers and food. Be sure to use items that are in season, if you are swtiching seasons to keep your costs down. Take your time with vendors and get the full picture prior to deciding whether to postpone or cancel.
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Elopements, Micro Weddings &
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Virtual Weddings
omething we have learned throughout all of this is that sometimes traditional methods may not work. If you have decided to move forward with your nuptuals either on the same date or are considering alternative ideas for postponements, we have some unique ideas that might be for you!
With traditional weddings costing upwards of $30,000 in Canada, couples are looking for ways to save money. The idea of doing a well curated wedding with all the details, but on a smaller scale is one way of cutting costs. These intimate affairs are the perfect way to host close family and friends, without the budget bloat.
Elopements You have the time and you might just be eager to tie the knot. Elopements may just be the thing you need in this moment. In order to do the thing, you’ll need a few things in place.
Virtual Weddings Living in a connected world means it’s easier than ever to host a virtual wedding. Take this time in quarantine to plan the wedding of your dreams, virtually. Your first step in planning is to decide which platform you will use, we recommend Zoom, it’s free for up to 100 participants. Next step is to coordinate with vendors and have deliveries made to your house. Think of hiring your local florist, baker, photographer and caterer. Next, inform your guests via virtual invitations such as Paperless Post, email or a Facebook group. Ask for RSVPs, take photos with the guests and send thank you cards, following the wedding. Finally, be sure to leave more than enough time to get ready, setup and do a test run, prior to the wedding, to ensure all tech glitches have been resolved. On the day of the wedding, get dressed up, live in the moment and celebrate like you would at a traditional wedding.
First, find yourself an officiant who can connect with you virtually or will come to your house and hold the wedding for you (please note the importance of social distancing, so this may not be an option). Make sure you have the rings, vows, outfit and possibly some decor or florals, depending on what you prefer. If florals are your thing, contact your local florist or head out to the grocery store to obtain some. Put together something special in your house and invite just a few immediate family members or close friends (we recommend less than 10 people), to join in on the day. Micro Weddings The upward trend of smaller social gatherings and less costly weddings might lead you to choose to host a micro wedding. The micro wedding can be defined as a gathering with 50 guests or less. Don’t confuse micro weddings with elopements. The micro wedding contains the same elements of a traditional wedding; the venue, ceremony, photographer, cake and decor, however it is all done on a smaller scale. Typically couples are choosing luxury details that become much more affordable, due to the smaller wedding size.
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Communication
D
uring this unprecedented time, communication surrounding wedding plans is so important. Be mindful to communicate with family, friends, vendors and guests. Book virtual meetings with vendors using services like Zoom, during this time. Talk with vendors about contract details, postponing or cancelling your wedding and requirements in order to do so. With many businesses shutting down or supplies being scarce at the businesses that are open, we recommend using virtual communications in order to connect with people. If you do have the luxury of paper communication, we recommend working with a communications expert to design ‘change of plans’ or ‘adjusting the plans’ cards that mimic that of a ‘save the date’ card.
Virtual Invitations 1 Paperless Post |www.paperlesspost.com
2 Minted | www.minted.com
3 Evite | www.evite.com
Connect with guests by sending ‘Change of Plans’ or ‘Adjusting the Plans’ Cards COVID-19 WEDDING GUIDE
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Covid -19 Wedding Planning CHECKLIST
Do your research with vendor contracts and learn more about your options
Choose between postponement vs. cancelling
Consider elopements, micro weddings or virtual weddings to continue celebrating your day
Book your new date with your vendors or alternatively cancel your date with your vendors
Communicate the changes with your guests
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