Over the past few years, the Covid-19 pandemic has made wedding planning difficult. Couples had to grapple with whether to go ahead with a wedding where numbers were restricted and social distancing was necessary or postponed in hopes of having the wedding of their dreams. In 2022, many couples who postponed their weddings are now moving ahead.
- Book a wedding venue early
Now that the restrictions and lockdowns have been lifted, wedding venues are in demand. If you have already set a wedding date, you may have to get creative and reach out to multiple venues. If your heart is set on a specific venue, you may need to change your date or opt for a brunch wedding.
Your dream wedding venue could be anywhere, so extending your search could help you to find the perfect location you may not have considered at first. When selecting a venue, you will need to consider size, style, accessibility, venue layout, Covid safety, and other factors.
If you’re having a semi-destination wedding in the U.S., most of your guests will be traveling, and people may have to quarantine before the big day. Some couples may want to take the precaution of having guests tested for Covid-19.
Drip Hydration, Get Brio, and UC Health offer Cincinnati corporate COVID tests. These companies have certified medical professionals that can administer hundreds of tests a day. A rapid antigen test offers results in 15 minutes so you can feel confident that your wedding is Covid-free.
- Understand your priorities before booking vendors
Pre-2020, it was recommended to have all wedding vendors booked 10 to 12 months before a wedding. The boom of weddings in 2022 means that you need to book them at least 12 to 15 months ahead of time. Before you start hiring vendors, though, it’s important to understand your priorities and categorize your must-haves and your wish list. For some couples, the photographer will be most important, while for others, it may be the food.
Before you try on a wedding dress, book a band, or select a wedding cake, you must decide what you want the day to be like. Will it be a barefoot ceremony on a beach or a more formal occasion? Will it be large or small, outdoors or indoors, romantic or modern? When you start hiring vendors, it will help to have a mood board or some social media posts saved that give an idea of your ideal aesthetic.
- Your budget and the guest list go hand in hand
Big wedding bashes were the norm in the past, but couples tend to think more carefully about the size of their guest lists today. For example, catering costs are usually calculated on a per-head basis. A tip for creating your guest list is to start with close family first and then go on to include special friends.
Having a budget discussion early on will help to keep you and other financial contributors aligned and prevent any misunderstandings. Your budget will help you to plan the rest of your wedding as you decide what you really want and what you don’t mind foregoing. For example, if you want to have exotic food, you may have to sacrifice in another area. Live music may be a priority for you, or you may be happy to settle for a DJ. Weighing and balancing all your costs will help you to stay on budget.
- Send out invites early
Sending formal invites out two to three months ahead of your wedding to finalize attendance figures was common in the past. Now you need to send them out three to four months for various reasons such as potential mail delivery delays and the high costs of attending a wedding.
You will need the final numbers to give to your wedding vendors, so it’s important to finalize them as soon as you can. People also tend to need more time to plan for weddings than they did in the past because it can be expensive to buy wedding attire, travel to a wedding, and buy a gift.
- Create a wedding checklist
A wedding can be hard to plan because it consists of so many moving parts. The organization is essential to make everything work well together. Making a guest list, sending out invitations, finding a venue, and organizing a menu are just a few of the elements involved. It helps if you keep all the details together in a file with different sections for each element and notes on the state of preparation and your comments.
You can use Google Docs, Excel, Word or any other software that helps you to gather budget, numbers, caterer information, and more all in one place. There are a number of online tools and apps you can use to help you with wedding planning, such as seating charts or venue layouts.
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© Copyright 2022 Antonia, All rights Reserved. Written For: Tidylife
