Real Talk: To postpone, elope or cancel

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bring up COVID – 19, but with Health Mandate 011 – Social Distancing now implemented in Anchorage and to be reevaluated on April 11th, and the nationwide Coronavirus guidelines extended to the end of April, I felt a conversation was needed for those getting married in the next couple of months. I guess we can classify this under “the ugly” with so many of my vendor friends having their events canceled, and my catering and restaurant friends having to close down, or limit their business to doing just to-go orders…it’s just heartbreaking any way you look at it. Luckily for me, I haven’t taken a “hit” yet as my conference that was scheduled for May got moved to July, and my summer wedding season doesn’t begin until the middle of June, so I have some time to wait and see how things pan out.

As wedding planners, we are the ones who are always thinking ahead, solving the problems that come along our way, and making a “Plan B.” Are you one of those couples getting married in the next couple of months, and contemplating on what you should do? I can offer some guidance to at least get you pointed in the right direction. I am by no means an expert on this and can only share with you what I am telling my clients.

If you are getting married in April, May, and early June, it would be a good time to start implementing that “Plan B.” For my late June and July/August couples, I would suggest to start thinking of a “Plan B,” but not taking any action until about two weeks or so from now, if you feel comfortable waiting, as things are changing daily. But if you don’t and are already stressed and constantly thinking about the “what if” or the “what should I do” then I would suggest making a decision so you can stress about one less thing.

So, what does a “Plan B” look like? Here are a couple of options:

1. POSTPONE your wedding, and check out dates for the Fall/Winter, or even move to 2021. If you decide to do this, be sure to be flexible in selecting a new date because you are not the only one who is postponing their wedding date. And trying to get all your booked vendors to move to this new date might get a bit challenging.
2. ELOPE If you have your heart set on your particular day this year, you can still get married and just have a very, small and intimate ceremony. Do the big wedding reception at a later date when everyone can be present and celebrate with you. Some of my favorite moments have been elopements, and the bonus for us Alaskans is that we are blessed with beautiful backdrops of rivers, lakes, waterfalls, mountains, glaciers and trees. You can get married anywhere and you’ll have an amazing backdrop for your ceremony. And when I say, small, I mean small. Keep it to you, your partner, the officiant and your two witnesses while practicing social distancing. You could even utilize FB Live during your ceremony so people could still attend virtually.
3. CANCEL This is the last option, cancel it completely, which I am hoping you won’t do. Most vendors are being flexible with postponements but for outright cancellations, there’s a high possibility you will not get your deposit or money back.

And that’s it in a nutshell. But if you are still feeling lost or on the fence about what you should do, here’s a very, creative info-graphic that was put together by Everlasting Impressions out of Canada. Good luck, stay safe and be well my friends!