I seen the quote 'Love is not cancelled' somewhere on Instagram and I thought that it is so true!
Always remember why you are getting married - love! This is the last thing I ever though I would be blogging about, but unfortunately it is happening with couples all over the world. Having to postpone or cancel their wedding. It is so sad and I really feel for you all. We just have to make the best out of this situation and if you can postpone the wedding rather than cancel it, that will keep your spirits up and still have your day to look forward to (even though it may be further away than you had planned).
- Firstly, don't panic! I am aware that is maybe not the best thing to be saying to a couple having to postpone their wedding, but the calmer you are, the less likely you will get yourself into a state of feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Practice deep breathing, this seriously is helping me with the homeschooling dilemma! Your big day will come and when it does, it will be amazing!
- Speak with your Venue and suppliers and vendors to see if they can work with you on a new date. In my case I intend to accommodate all couples having to go through this process. Thankfully so far we have got all dates up until July moved to next year. After that, I am playing it by ear to see how restrictions go and if weddings will be on again by August/September. If any more have to be moved and I am not available next year, (fingers crossed that won't happen!) I hope to supply another photographer for the day to shoot the wedding and I will continue to edit the images, therefore it will be as close to my style as I can get it. Many of my couples came back to me with few dates that the venue had available, this give them a change to get a date that suited everyone working on their wedding. As vendors, we are all in this together, our main goal is to do the the best for you and obviously still work with you on your big day, so we will do all we can to support and accommodate your needs in this situation.
- Have you insurance? If so speak with them. Some of your cost may be covered in this (depending on the supplier and the policy). Speak to them and see how they can help you out. If you don't have insurance it would be advisable to get it so if you are let down by a supplier or something unpredictable happens, then you will be covered. I think you can get insurance for around £150, shop around and always read the small print!!
- Speak to others that maybe in the same situation as yourself. I always find if I have a problem in my work or personal life, speaking to someone can bring you comfort and maybe even a solution to the problem. Maybe a friend or relative who is in the same boat or in the wedding industry can give you advice on what to do or just have a good old rant to...better out than in!! I can only imagine the stress of it all to be overwhelming so please seek advice, bridal forums and facebook groups could also be a great source of information at the minute in your area.
- Date change. Many couples pick a certain date that is significant to them both and it is a disappointment to have to change it, I am sure some of you are experiencing this heartache too. The '2020' year seemed to be popular because of the lovely date, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone, your friends and family will be there to celebrate with you on your new date (I'm sure the party will be even better when this is all over us!).
- Stay positive. That may be difficult to do at the moment, but if you try to see the positives in this situation, it will ease your stress and help you come to terms with the situation better. When your big day finally comes you will be able to enjoy it better with the intended number of guests rather than having to cut your numbers and by then maybe out topic of conversation will have changed and we will be back to some sort of normality chatting about Brexit! I always believe, everything happens for a reason. You may even end up saying 'I'm glad we had to move our date as it all worked out better in the end'
On a personal note, I have moved my beautiful weddings that I was really looking forward to capturing this year, in some beautiful new locations. I was all hyped up to have an amazing spring/summer of weddings and portraits. Yes, it is a financial slap in the mouth but there are a lot worse off than me out there, I have come to realise that now (after many a sleepless night of worry for myself and my couples), I will embrace this time to blog and share some work I haven't had the time to do because I was 'Too Busy'.
This new slow has taught me a lot about patience and enjoying the little things. I believe we will all come out the other side better people, with much more respect for the key workers and when the world has had time to heal we should enjoy it more, taking life a little slower with the people we love! Always be thankful you woke up this morning, some have not had that pleasure today.
I hope this has helped, please feel free to contact me if I can help you in any way, I am more than happy to help or even just to listen.
Stay safe everyone, sending virtual hugs to you all!
Denise x