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Advice For Brides & Grooms Getting Married In 2021
If you are getting married in 2021 – I have some tips for you.
I remember looking forward to the year 2020 – it just sounded like such an amazing number to have at the end of a date. I remember excitedly talking to so many of my brides & grooms who were planning 2020 weddings & just loving how that number “twenty-twenty” sounded.
Annddd then 2020 actually arrived & well, let’s just say, it wasn’t anything like anyone expected.
So after living thru and photographing weddings in the chaos that was 2020, I wanted to share some tips for couples that might just be entering this brand new arena of wedding planning during a pandemic.
I recorded this as a video! I wanted a place where I could more personally connect with my KAP couples! I sent this video off to them last week – but wanted to share it here as well – feel free to share this with your newly engaged friends or family – or maybe those not-so-newly engaged, but still planning a wedding in 2021 or beyond.
If you would prefer to read my thoughts over watching my video – you can read the transcript below!
TIP 1: Stay flexible
Once upon a time, when you picked your wedding date – you put it on the calendar & that was it! You would have NEVER considered changing it – there was no turning back.
Once upon a time, you would have NEVER considered changing your wedding venue. Once your deposits were in & contracts were signed – there was no turning back.
Once upon a time, you would have NEVER considered un-inviting someone to your wedding. Once your invitations were printed & mailed out – there was no turning back.
Well – these things simply aren’t the case anymore! Pre-2020, I used to joke with my couples that “things can change” in the wedding planning process – which is why I start gathering solidified details from them 12 weeks before their wedding. However, after 2020, change seemed to be the name of the game.
Not only is un-inviting guests now “understandable” due to an ever-changing regulation atmosphere, but you have wedding venues unexpectedly closing their doors or passing on new requirements that you just can’t imagine having a wedding under.
So, as challenging as it is, if you can stay flexible, thru the planning process – you’ll come out at the end with just a little less stress.
Which leads me straight into my next tip..
TIP 2: Wedding websites are now essential
You are definitely going to need a way to communicate with your guests & a wedding website is the easiest way to do that.
Whether you need to reach out & let people know about changes to your ceremony or reception time, maybe there has been a change in your venue, or maybe you are drastically changing what your wedding day looks like – being able to direct everyone to a central “announcement” can be so helpful.
Additionally, if you make the choice to live-stream your wedding ceremony (like so many couples are now doing), being able to put the link to your live-stream in a central, easily accessible place, will help things run as smooth as possible.
If you don’t want to put together a wedding website, I’ve seen couples create private Facebook groups – this seems to work best if you know that most of your guests are on Facebook. Or, I’ve had couples literally put together an email newsletter list with email addresses collected off of RSVP cards to keep their guests updated on the latest news.
You need a way to communicate with your guests – and trust me, no one wants to spend several hours tracking down phone numbers & making phone calls 2 weeks before your wedding to let your guests know there have been some changes.
TIP 3: Do what YOU want to do
If we’ve learned anything from 2020 weddings – it’s that literally anything goes! So many traditions & normalcies were stripped away from wedding days as people eloped, got married in their living rooms, & had small ceremonies with big receptions planned in the future.
So, if we’ve learned anything – it’s that your wedding day can be WHATEVER you want it to be. Wear whatever you want, have it in a location that is meaningful to you, invite whoever you want, add in personal touches & create new traditions. If a big fluffy dress, a giant traditional church wedding, & a bloated guest list full of people you hardly know make you uncomfortable – scrap it
Do whatever YOU want.
TIP 4: Don’t lose sight of the end
A lot of work and preparation and money are put into hosting a wedding day. And if you find yourself in the middle of wedding planning right now – you know – it’s A LOT.
However, please don’t lose sight of what the wedding day ACTUALLY is: your Day 1.
You’re getting married! You’re making a commitment to spend the rest of your life with your best friend – thru’ better or worse, in sickness and in health, thru pandemics and global shutdowns.
You will spend hours and days planning your wedding – but it is just one day. My best advice is to take some time to really pour into preparing for your marriage & life AFTER your wedding day. Use this time to begin to build healthy habits: practice talking thru all of your decisions (both big & small), have regular dates nights (both going out & staying in), and find a hobby you both love to enjoy together. After all – this is truly just the beginning!
So those are just a few of the tips I have after surviving the 2020 season as a wedding photographer.
As always – if you are one of my KAP brides or grooms (or even if you aren’t) – I am always here to chat! Even if you have concerns or thoughts or questions that aren’t specifically related to your wedding photography – I’d still love to be a help & a resource to you. Simply leave me a comment below, send me a DM on Instagram, reach out via my website – I’d be thrilled to help in any way I can.
(Shameless plug:)
If you haven’t yet – why not subscribe to my YouTube channel? I have a lot of new videos in the works related to weddings & wedding photography – that’s where I post our family vlogs with highlights from our amusement park trips (The Adventuring Abbeys) as well!
