Corona Virus & Your 2020 Wedding
Original Post Date: March 13, 2020
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Update: March 19, 2020
Hey everyone,
I thought I would post an update to my clients as lots of things have changed since my original post.
As I had suggested, it was definitely a good idea for anyone with a wedding before April 5th 2020 to postpone / cancel their wedding as you probably heard by now that all events that exceed 50 people were Government ordered to not happen. So as of right now and until March 30th you physically cannot have a large group event. Yesterday, the Government made further changes and has now actually STOPPED ISSUING MARRIAGE LICENSES. This means that, unless you already applied for a license, you cannot even get one now!
As a reminder, marriage licenses you apply for at your local town office and they are valid for 30-90 days only before your wedding date. If you do not have a license, you will not be able to get legally married. So this is new!
I have many clients with May, June, July etc. 2020 weddings asking me what they should do. Here is what i'm telling them >>>
JUST WAIT! We should know more by April 5th as to what this summer is going to look like. I'll be honest with you, if we look at what other provinces are currently doing; things ARE NOT LOOKING GOOD.
You may have heard that other Canadian provinces have already cancelled the school year. I would imagine that group gatherings and public facilities will follow but its hard to say. So once again, JUST WAIT. Let's check back after April 5th if not not sooner and I'm sure we will have a better idea.
What Are Other People Doing? >>>
I will tell you that I had one client scheduled for March 27th at The Globe & Mail Centre, Toronto. They have already postponed their wedding tentatively to August. Crossing fingers that will work out.
I had another client for April 5th who had a lot of people coming from out of province. That wedding they are looking to maybe do a small intimate wedding instead at their home with 40 people or less TBA. They are working out the details of that now. Based on the Government recommendations, even this is not advisable.
I am going to be doing an Instagram "Ask Me Questions" session today to open up the floor to anyone who has any questions re: their wedding in general as well as the plans with everything going on. I will also Facebook it. So please continue to follow and reach out! Ask me anything! Happy to help!
~ Connie
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Original Post Date: March 13, 2020
Well... I never thought I would be writing a blog post on this topic, but as 2 of my clients have already cancelled their weddings, I think it's important to discuss this very important topic.
Is Corona wrecking havoc on your special day???? How can it not!
To Cancel or Not To Cancel......That is the question!
Things To Consider......
Guests Who Are Travelling
Do you have many guests coming from out of town for your special day? If so, they may no longer be able to attend! Flights are being cancelled, boarders are being closed and ticket availability and cost in general is insane. If you were expecting out of towners for your special day, they will likely no longer be making it! Even if they physically CAN travel, they risk being quarantined or stuck in another country. Who knows what will happen in the coming weeks. Check in with your travelling guests and see where they are at.
Overall Attendance
People are just not going ANYWHERE for the next 3 weeks. Especially places with large groups of people. How are you going to feel if your guest count dwindles? How will this affect your minimum number guarantees with your venue? You put a lot of time, money and effort into your planning. I'm sure you want your loved ones there.
Vendor Staffing & Supply Availability
With children home from school means people are also staying home from work. My concern is that wedding vendors will be scarce for staffing and even possibly resources and materials with people shopping like the world is over. How will this affect the service levels you receive on your special day? Are your vendors confident in still being able to provide you adequate service and supply?
ok....So.... What Should We Do?
That is an answer only you two as a couple can make. Take what I've mentioned above into consideration and weight out your options. Discuss the topic as a couple and with your family. Do a check in with your guests and see where everyone is at.
Some Things To Check On....
Will Your Venue Offer A FREE Re-BOOK?
Most of the venues i'm dealing with have been kind enough to offer a courtesy re-book for clients. The date availability may be scarce and you may have to be flexible in terms of dates, days of the week or even possibly moving the wedding to next year as we enter the busy wedding season and many dates are taken. But it might be worth the wait to have your dream day with all your loved ones at a future date.
Vendor Re Book Policy
Same with your vendors! Double check what their policies are in terms of re booking with them for a new date if you choose to go that route. A good vendor will honour a free date reschedule if they can make it work. I'm offering this to my clients. Luckily I also have 4 associates, so between all of us i'm sure we can make any new dates work!
Another Idea - Still Make The Marriage Legal On Your Planned Date!
You do have the option to work with your officiant (or another officiant who will do it, like me :) to still make your original wedding date "legal". Doing a quickie ceremony / elopement on the original date may be something nice for the 2 of you with your witness to still carry on with and then just do another ceremony and the official reception at the new date once you sort it out. This is a great option for couples who REALLY wanted their original date as their anniversary. I'm happy to help any couples over the next 3 weeks who may want this service.
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Best of luck to all my March - April 2020 Wedding Clients. I'm sorry this happened on your special day. I trust that this information helps with your important decision making over the next day.
Connie Butera
Event Planner & Officiant
Perfectly Planned Parties by Connie Butera
416.885.9709
connie@conniebutera.com