written by megan lentz of Vida Events
photography by Krysta Norman Photography
“Patience and adaptability have been two of the most important factors we have been instilling in our couples.”
*Sigh* 2020... the year our dreams and reality disagreed more than your college-age sibling and your semi-retired uncle talking politics at the Thanksgiving table.
To say this year has been challenging for everyone would be the understatement of the century, especially for those planning to tie the knot. Despite all the pain, heartache, and loss our couples, our families, and our communities have endured, the love binding together those soon-to-be married has helped guide them through it all with grace and patience. That being said, no amount of grace and patience will reschedule a wedding overnight, and we’ve noticed many couples have been taking it in phases.
In our experience, the five stages of COVID wedding reschedule grief are as follows.
the five stages of covid wedding reschedule grief
Step 1: Denial
“We don’t need to reschedule, things will clear up way before our wedding date.”
Step 2: The Fog of Uncertainty
“If we keep our date, will anyone even come?”
Step 3: Panic, Calamity, Armageddon
“[Insert expletives here...]”
Step 4: Considering Options
“Should we move our wedding to next spring, next summer, or take a gap year in wedding planning and study couples cooking in Italy?”
Step 5: Decision Making
“You know, ‘Me and You in 2022’ has such a nice ring to it.”
As wedding planners, with such love and concern for our couples, our biggest goal was to take as much stress off our clients as possible. Building the foundations for a healthy and stable marriage is hard enough in good times, and we want our couples to have the same time and energy to turn their focus inwards while we manage the logistical nightmares COVID thrust upon the wedding industry.
We’re all in this big boat floating down the river together. Everyone has problems of their own, and everyone has been impacted by COVID in one way or another. But we can try to make the best of what we’ve got. Patience and adaptability have been two of the most important factors we have been instilling in our couples. This was all new to everyone in the beginning, but we can now take a step back and look at new options for your big day. We are making cool, calm, and collected decisions to ensure you’ll get most of what you want and all of what you need for your big day.
That initial panic of not knowing your next move can be terrifying, but having a planner or coordinator who has been navigating these changing times since they started makes all the difference. Approach rescheduling and replanning like having opportunities to open doors that didn’t exist when you first planned your wedding. Many of our couples have chosen to go the small and intimate ceremony route in the near-term while planning to gather later for a larger celebration with family and friends, while others have opted for elopements, virtual ceremonies, or keeping everything but the date the same. Regardless of the solution you and your planning and vendor teams come up with, keeping a positive outlook on your big day will help you appreciate the challenges you and your future spouse solved together.
Our outlook for 2021 and 2022
Couples hire planners and coordinators to manage the difficulties of wedding logistics, and COVID rescheduling and replanning are simply wedding logistics on steroids. We’re already pros at fixing issues in a pinch, and now we’re pros at rescheduling, replanning, and helping you bring some light and love into a time in our lives that desperately needs more of it! We’ve implemented smaller packages, more options, and better tools to navigate the wedding industry during a pandemic, and we’ve surrounded ourselves with amazing vendors who will help you do the same.
This year has been difficult to say the least, but take a deep breath and take stock of your blessings. After reschedules are done, you can revert back to being engaged and just enjoying this time being together. If you can make it through COVID-19, you can make it through anything!
About Vida Events
Vida Events is an award-winning boutique event planning company founded by Maria + Megan, serving couples in DC, Virginia, Indiana, Texas, Ohio + beyond.
Our goal is to learn your story, your style, and your vision so that we can create an experience that is uniquely yours. We will guide and support you through an amazing event, from vendor recommendations to the last dance!
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