Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely heard about the current public health crisis pandemic called the Coronavirus aka COVID-19. You’ve heard all the preventative measures you can take to protect your health, seen the travel alerts, and most likely had a stay at home order mandated by your state. The effects of this outbreak is disrupting ALL aspects of our daily lives- including mass gatherings, which is now affecting weddings all across the country.

If you have a wedding upcoming in the near future, truth be told, you are feeling super overwhelmed by this global pandemic. Trust me, I know it’s scary. As a small business owner, I am having my share of emotional rollercoasters. But know this- you’re not alone. The global coronavirus pandemic is affecting us all and couples with weddings in 2020 are now being faced with unique challenges that are totally unprecedented and totally unforeseen to the wedding industry world.

My mission at Boswick Photography is to be by your side during this chaos and help take the stress out of all of this. I will be by your side so you can create a celebration worthy of your love. It might not be on the date you planned a year ago, but it WILL happen and be totally AMAZING. Your special day will be here and every second of it will be even more rewarding- because, you overcame these hard times, together as a couple.

I want to offer some expert wedding planning advice for navigating this complicated, stressful and trying times. But, before we start, I am going to have you take a deep breath (whew, that felt good!) and okay, now we can dive in.

Having a 2020 wedding — what do you need to know right now?

If you are having a wedding upcoming in 2020, postponing is the safest and recommended choice mandated by the CDC and US government. At this point in time, many states still have bans on mass gatherings. Even if allowing gatherings, there are MANY restrictions which could put a damper on your wedding day dreams.

If you have to postpone and switch to a new date, it’s totally okay to feel hurt, upset, let down, defeated, overwhelmed and an entire mix of emotions. Please know that it is TOTALLY OKAY to grieve your original wedding plans in the event that you must postpone and move your wedding to a new date. So many hours and dreams went into the day you thought would be happening in the next couple of months. After letting the natural emotions hit, feel the love of all around you. This is a great time to lean on your family and your partner as you make difficult decisions about what to do next. Your people are with you during this hard time and people come together stronger during rough times. Your vendors are with you too, as we go in this uncharted territory together.

POSTPONE, Don’t Cancel

In the wedding industry, we are fully aware of this horrible situation. I personally am working hand in hand with each of my couples with upcoming weddings in how to proceed. I am allowing your retainer payments to fully transfer to your newly selected date. I want to help you pick your new wedding date and be there for you. TRUST and WORK with your vendors, we are experienced and willing to help you find your new perfect date.

How do you choose a new date for our wedding?

Here are the first people you should check in with before setting a new wedding date:

Your venue
Your key vendors (read below to learn about key vendors)
Your partner (duh!)
Your immediate family members
Your wedding party

It’s important to get in touch with your vendors as soon as possible. If you are hoping to keep a 2020 date, you may need to be open to another day of the week as many vendors have filled up their Saturdays for the year. This would include Friday and Sunday wedding dates. Remember, 2020 was a very popular year to get married due to its number pattern and most vendors have a fully booked 2020 season. I am urging my couples to consider choosing a different weekend date to make it happen. Make sure your KEY vendors have dates that all line up - key vendors would include: the venue, your photographer, videographer, wedding planner.

Confirm with your key vendors that they are open for the new date.

Please reach out to these key vendors and make sure they are able to work with you on your newly selected date. I have been giving my couples a spreadsheet with all of my open dates to choose from and being 100% flexible with helping them select their new date.

As a small business owner, I care deeply about all of my couples. Understand that small business owners are doing everything they possibly can to make all of this as stress free as possible. We are all in this together.

Steps in securing your new date

Okay, you made the decision to postpone for the safety and health of your family and guests.
Decide who your key vendors are. Basically these are the vendors that 100% HAVE to be with you on your new date. These includes vendors you worked hard on selecting such as : your venue, your photographer, your videographer, your wedding planner.
Make sure your key vendors are ALL open on a same date.
Transfer your key vendors to your new date.
New postponed date is set. Contact all family and friends ASAP about the wedding date change.
Deep breath- remember your founding reason of why you are getting married- to spend forever with the love of your life. Its going to be amazing when it gets here.

You picked your new date.

Okay, you made the decision to postpone for the safety and health of your family and guests. They have to know of your new date ASAP so they can make sure to be there. Send your guests Change of Date cards to alert them of need-to-know information. Support another small business by using Etsy or an artist to create an amazing new change of date card. This may include your new wedding date with updated info. Also utilize social media and create posts letting family/guests know of the new date. They will NOT be upset at you for switching the date- especially since you are doing it for everyones health in mind. Lean on your family and friends during this time.

Stay healthy during the pandemic

During the pandemic, stay healthy. Use this additional time leading up to your new wedding to fine tune every single detail. Maybe its perfect time to spend extra time making an already perfect day- even MORE perfect. Use your wedding planning as a distraction from the stress of the worlds events and enjoy a break from it all.

Planning a wedding for 2021? Use this free time now to reach out to vendors to book. So many vendors are working from home and have extended office hours being at home. Now it’s the perfect time to use that free time towards your future wedding planning and finding your dream vendors. Since most vendors had their entire year of 2020 couples postpone to 2021, many vendors have VERY LIMITED 2021 dates left to book.

Stop on my inquiry page to reach out if you are looking for your perfect wedding photographer.

CLICK HERE

I know this is such a trying time. Remember, don’t give up on your dream wedding. You are going to spend forever with the love of your life. It might not be the date you first planned on, but it WILL happen and be totally AMAZING. Your first kiss will be a little extra special because you will look back on these trying times, and say WE SAID I DO! You WILL get to have that amazing day.

I am here for you all during this time. Remember, we are ALL in this together. One step at a time.