We're guessing not?! Since the crisis began we've been talking to our couples about the uncertainty regarding their weddings this year. Everybody in the wedding and event industry are following government guidelines and as a result all venues are currently closed for an unknown period of time. With us all facing the prospect of continued social distancing measures it's now a real fear that summer weddings will be in jeopardy.
It's unrealistic to expect this crisis to just reach a date and for things to go back to normal...they'll be slow and gradual changes to get back to anything like a normal life that we all used to know.
As it stands we've postponed most of our weddings throughout the summer to later in the year and over to next year where dates are available. On the rare occasion when we haven't been available we've helped to find a suitable alternative band. If you're wedding is still planned to go ahead then you need to have a plan of action incase you need to postpone. Your venue will be best placed to advise on this but as a guide you should be thinking about postponing at least two months ahead of your wedding. So if you're wedding is on August then if you are not 100% confident you're going ahead in May...you should postpone. This will ensure your suppliers have time to support you.
We recently spoke with Tara Robinson, Marketing Director for The Eden Hotel Collection whose portfolio of boutique hotels include, Mallory Court, The Arden Hotel, Brockencote Hall and Bovey Castle who specialise in Weddings. With most of the hotel staff being furloughed a small team remain to look after their wedding couples for 8 hotels. We asked Tara about some of the challenges they're facing…
"Weddings are important to us we get great pleasure helping couples realise their vision and supporting on the day so for Wedding days to be postponed its heart breaking for couples but also for us. There is some hope though, we always say ‘Your Wedding Day goes in a flash enjoy the build-up and your time planning’. Whilst it’s devasting and stressful at first, you do have extra time to plan and look forward to the big day once again. Most people see these difficult times as a time for reflection why not do the same for your Wedding Day, would you do anything differently, change any aspect or can you just look forward to the perfect day you’ve already planned. We are currently working closely with all our couples to look at new dates when we can once again look forward to these incredibly personal and now extra special days that we get to be a part of".
So You've Postponed, What Now?
Essentially not much! Your venue will hopefully be taking care of the date changes for you so caterers, decoration etc will be sorted. You'll need to let your guests know so if you haven't already done so speak to your wedding stationary supplier...many are offering discounts to help.
Here's our postponing checklist to help:
What Can We Do On Our Original Wedding Date?
This is a perfect opportunity to be creative! There's no use in letting this get you down, you should mark the date as creative as you like.
Maybe try to recreate your first date? Or cook the first meal you made for your partner?
One couple that we spoke to who were due to be married in Greece are going to convert their back garden into a Greek island. It might just be a kebab and a paddling pool but keeping it positive is important!
Here at Detroit Soul Collective we are doing everything we can to support our weddings and events this year so if you have any concerns or just need to talk through your options, get in touch with us.
© 2024 Detroit Soul Collective.
