by MARGAUX WEINSTOCK, Owner and Design Curator of Wildflower Bridal
Here is how to plan a wedding in a COVID and post-COVID world:
Wedding Planning From East to West Coast, a guide to planning, diet, and more
The Biggest trend we will see is much smaller weddings and many more elopements. In my opinion as someone in the industry who engages with brides all the time, I think this is a wonderful outcome; I see so many brides towards the end of their wedding planning process as we are finishing up alterations on their gowns, and they are completely stressed and bogged down by the nitty gritty and all the details that inevitably go in to planning larger-scale events- seating chart stress, transportation and shuttle configurations, welcome baskets, etc. They become overwhelmed and concerned with the “guest experience” and the “flow” of things, and scaling back allows for an opportunity to reprioritize their weddings to what is actually being celebrated- their love and union, not throwing a party. This is a chance to make your wedding extremely personal, meaningful and intimate!
Scaling down the number of people able to attend/invited to the wedding due to COVID/social distancing also means scaling down on all the aforementioned un-fun details. You can truly focus on just the people in your innermost circles, or you can plan to elope and have no one there other than yourself and your fiance, and the photographer and officiant, and really make that day all about you two and not about the guests.
Having a smaller wedding also means your money can go further; if you choose to keep your budget the same as it originally was, downsizing on quantities of things (florals, food, decor, etc) means you can re-allocate those funds with quality at the forefront. Or, having a smaller day or just eloping can result in significant financial savings!
Remember that having a smaller wedding doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice anything in regards to your wedding dress! As mentioned above, you may end up with more funds to go towards your dream gown, if you want!
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Are you looking for the perfect way to feel your best and ready for the dress? Have you considered working with a health coach? COVID Bride Guide, by Health Coach Jade Elisabeth was created for this unique time with a mindful opportunity for brides to thrive.
“Your wedding day is one of the most emotional, beautiful, notable, and pivotal days of your life- it is so important to be grounded, present, and confident months before and leading to the day of your wedding. I, too, am a COVID bride. As a health and mindfulness coach, I decided to create a program to serve other brides that are also navigating shifting wedding plans to stay balanced, healthy, and positive during this unprecedented time.”
Things to consider when gown shopping during COVID
- Most bridal shops are limiting guest counts due to social distancing, find out ahead of time. Many shops are also requiring customers to wear masks.
- Most gowns are special order and take several months to arrive once ordered, and these timelines have been affected by COVID. If you want to purchase a gown that’s special order, ordering it at least 6 months before your wedding date is advised. Otherwise, purchase something off the rack (many bridal shops are offering off-the-rack purchases to help accommodate brides’ timelines at the moment)
- If you try on a gown and fall in love with it, commit to it and celebrate that you found your gown, and keep moving forward with the wedding planning, and stop yourself from continuing to look at gowns on social media at this point. It’s kind of like when you decide to be exclusive with someone, get rid of the Tinder and other apps. We see many brides who go about shopping for their wedding gown like they’re shopping for a car, going from dealer to dealer, analyzing, going over the numbers, etc. They are both big and important purchases, but cars don’t have the same emotional value to most brides the way wedding gowns do- most brides don’t test drive a car and start crying tears of emotion or joy because they can envision themselves driving this car in the future; that is often (but not always) what happens when a bride tries on a gown that feels like “her”- it illicits an emotional reaction, the bride can envision herself walking down the aisle and marrying her fiance. If you have that reaction, you have found your gown. Continuing to go from bridal shop to bridal shop usually ends up in mental and physical exhaustion and feeling overwhelmed by all the choices. Figure out what kind of style speaks most to you (boho, romantic, classic, glam, etc), nail down our budget, and then do some research on shops that specialize in that look and that price range. Your gown will be there!
Southern California’s Ashley Nadine bridal
specializes in consultations for the expectant bride.
