Photo by Evan Bailey via Sophie & Ed’s Adelaide Urban Industrial Wedding
With the rollercoaster of restrictions going up and down freedom is not what it was in 2019. And as a couple planning a wedding right now? Well, it looks a little different.
Frustrating as it is, there are actually plenty of ways you can continue to plan your wedding while making the most of the four walls of your house. And today? We’re diving into them all to inspire you!
Get organised
Get yourself organised! Kick off an amazing spreadsheet and enter your guests’ details. Itemise out your vendor details, sort out your contracts, check your payments are up to date, add dates to your calendar. Now is the best time you can have to plan our the lead up to your wedding and make sure you’re not running around a month before your day trying to find Aunt Martha’s address.
Get inspired
Oh hey you Pinterest addict, I see you. Not quite sure where to start with your wedding, why not get your inspiration on?
Meet your vendors
Get researching because there are so many ways to meet your vendors virtually, Chat with them over Zoom (BYO background) order cake tasters to be delivered to your home, scour the web for the wedding photographer of your dreams. It may look a little different to doing it all in person, but the quiet, the space is there and vendors are coming up with innovative new ideas to get to know them over the web each and every day.
Photo by Amy Skinner Photography via Old Meets New Sea Green & White Wedding Inspiration
Meet your cinematographers
We’re giving a shout out to finding your cinematographer during the lockdown, because in our opinion? There is no better research than sitting at home under your warmest blanket watching wedding videos (which to be honest, sounds like my normal Friday night).
Meet your music-makers
You may not be able to get to live showcase nights, but you can certainly turn up Youtube and Vimeo to their limits and dance around your living room. Hit up potential bands, DJs and live musicians websites and social media accounts and hit play on their showcase videos. And I’d say, if a band can make you dance in your socks and pyjamas from your couch while the temperature is freezing, they’re a pretty good option for your wedding!
Pick your songs & create your playlist
Even if you’re using a DJ and band for your reception, you’re still going to need playlists for your day. Think about the music you want playing as you get ready, Think about the tunes you want played as the guests wait for you to walk down the aisle, the song you want to play as you walk down the aisle, and back again after you’re married, and the tunes during dinner and then the dance floor.
Go on a tour!
It’s especially hard right now to see your wedding venue in person, but check in with the teams to see if they’re doing virtual tours. You can easily see all the nooks and crannies of a space if your event team joins you on Facetime and gives you your own personal guided tour.
Photo by Zach Taylor via Thea & Jesse’s Sparkly & Bright Perth City Farm Wedding
Find your wedding dress & suits
We talked about finding inspiration, but that counts too for wedding gowns and wedding suits! Let your fingers do the walking and narrow down the options of where you’d like to go to try your dream look on. Get to know the designers you love, get to know who makes the kind of gowns and suits you adore and spend your time looking at pretty.
Shop for your accessories
While some of your wedding plans can only be done in person, now is a brilliant time to go shopping for all the in-between. Earrings are easily found online, shoes too. Bridesmaid gowns? Check. (It’s a great time to check in with your maids and discuss styles and colours – virtually – before you order them!) Think of all those little pieces, the little accessories and start your search online!
Time to dance!
Dreaming of a quirky first dance? Dreading it but want to do it anyway? Why not spend your evenings at home learning to dance? Crank up your wedding song and take to your stage (aka lounge room!) Some of our favourite wedding dance companies are even offering virtual lessons.
Get your DIY sorted
I was talking to a bride last week who had decided, now that she is home, and her family and friends are home, what better time to get those DIY projects done? And I have to agree, this is a brilliant way to fill your time. You can snuggle down with your ugg boots and a glass of wine and churn out those handmade favours you’ve dreamt of.
Photo by AM For Love Studio via Sarah & Mathew’s Offbeat & Bright Bayside Wedding
Dream up your vows
The quiet, the still is the best place you can sit in to write your wedding vows. If you want to write your vows, take the time now, when there is no distraction, to start drafting what you want to say. Spend time really thinking about it.
Let’s talk speeches
And just like vows, the quiet space you have right now is also a great time to write a speech if you want to give one. Bear in mind, none of this has to be the final version, but is a lot easier when you have the time to make sure you have the foundations in place.
Photo by Folklore Weddings via Candice & Michael’s Vibrant + Relaxed Forest Wedding At Donnelly River Village
Set up a wedding website
We’re big fans of wedding websites because they pull together all that tiny detail information that you often can’t fit onto an invitation. There are thousands of options (and more power to you if you can code yourself!) Squarespace is a go-to recommendation of ours because it’s full of beautiful layouts that are easy to customise yourself.
Set up your registry
If a gift list is your thing, now is a good time to shop for it! Many retailers have systems in place that allow you to register for gifts virtually. Or you can find options like Thankful Registry to register from a range of online stores and collate it in one place.
This is great info. I’m currently still working (which I’m very grateful for) but working harder than ever so there is no home time for research. I have most of my vendors (all locals) teed up already providing we can still proceed this year in October. Whilst we are being patient and waiting longer before we make a decision to postpone, I’m concerned whilst we might fine by Oct, that I’ll only have a moments notice to get all the last things done like bridesmaids dresses, mother of bride dresses etc. Any suggestions how I could be ‘ready to go’ at a moments notice? 😊
Hi there Ellisha – quite simply – delegate!
If you’re stuck at work with no time to shop, let your bridesmaids and mums find their own outfits. Provide a max budget, a dresscode and perhaps a paint swatch with a colour palatte that you’d like them to stick close to.
Let them wear their own shoes and jewellery. That helps them feel like themselves, save money and time.
They could even video call you into the fitting room or snap photos. Or let them find 2 or 3 shortlist dresses and go shopping with them on just one day to make the final decision. Go to the shops early so you can avoid the crowds and keep social distancing. Good luck!