Your wedding day – the dream you have dreamed since your first crush in Kindergarten – is now coming to fruition. You’re getting married! You’re buying magazines, pouring over Pinterest and creating lists. You want the PERFECT day – in every way. And then….COVID-19.
Even without coronavirus, your wedding would never be perfect. Something will go wrong – sometimes very wrong, but you can control your attitude and fill your heart with the desire to look back – AFTER IT IS ALL OVER – with pleasure.
Now, that we have told you the BIG secret – your attitude is everything in life – even on your wedding day and in the planning process, there are things that can help your day go more smoothly. Most of them are pretty simple.
Being organized and having plans and lists and timelines really sounds unromantic, but having a plan and knowing when something HAS to be ‘checked off,’ really takes away the stress of the time leading up to the wedding day.
Figure out a budget that you can live with spending – before you start shopping and getting wowed with every little detail of a $50,000 budget! Having YOUR wedding budget makes it easier to choose vendors and it can help determine how much to spend on your honeymoon, after the bigger things are budgeted.
Decide if you want to hire a wedding planner – this seems, for many, to be an unnecessary luxury. For others, it may be the ultimate necessity. Navigating flowers, attendants, attire, alcohol choices, attendant’s gifts, toasts, and so on can present challenges when you have people attending from out-of-state or if you don’t plan on taking time off from work until the wedding day. Consider how much time is required to both plan and execute your wedding and then add at least 25% more time! Be realistic. And be honest with yourself and your partner about how much you can handle (not just physically, but mentally, too). If choosing napkin colors and buying gifts for the out-of-town guests and candles for the tables is going to put you over the edge, find someone who can help.
Decide, as quickly as possible, the things that have to be decided up front: time of day, venue, colors, buffet or full-service food, music, etc. etc. Narrow down your big choices, quickly, before you start shopping. In other words: DJ or Band? Roving Waters or Sit-Down? Blue and Orange or Royal Blue and Light Blue? Once the bigger choices are narrowed, then you can choose invitations, choose the attendant’s dresses and go listen to bands with your wedding party – all the lists just become more fun! Remember, planning a wedding should be a ton of fun! Even during a pandemic! Some ideas that will help you in 2020 Wedding Planning…
- Consider outdoor venues
- Consider a smaller guest list (some venues are still limited to under 50!)
- Consider disposable everything
- You’ll likely not be able to do a buffet – so get that out of your head, now.
You’ll likely need a One-Day Alcohol license or a Banquet license and you can apply for it, here. Why? Because if you’re hosting your own wedding (think beach, field or someone’s backyard or clubhouse), make sure you understand the liquor licensing and service laws – you will likely have to purchase a liquor license (purchase license, here) and your servers may need to have alcohol service training (server training can be found here) or certification to legally pour out the drinks at your reception. Bottom line: if you are planning on serving alcohol, at all, even a one-pour toast, make sure to get the alcohol license.
ABC Consulting wants to you have a BLAST on your wedding day and Prior Planning Prevents…..remember it is all about Attitude – especially on your wedding day. As time goes on, limitations will change, but your attitude remains everything. Keep a great one!
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