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Covid-19 has been with us for quite some time, and we are still learning to live alongside this pandemic and it’s restrictions, with changing guidelines that often affect the plans of many couples. Now, more than ever it is important to try and start the process of planning your wedding with the understanding that plans can change.
Many of you are faced with difficult decisions impacting your wedding, with all the pushbacks and uncertainty. The event you have always dreamed of may not come true and having to forgo a lot of those dreams and ideas can be hard – especially for brides-to-be.
With all this in mind, and in order to make things easier and help you deal with the challenges, we gathered some important tips and insights and pointed out the good sides in times that might be frustrating.
Due to capacity restrictions, some couples were forced to significantly reduce their event and plan a small and intimate wedding. So why not take advantage of the situation and plan the intimate wedding you always dreamed of?
A small wedding has a special charm where all the guests feel closer to the bride and groom and are more invested in the celebrations. You can choose to invite only those who are really important and be surrounded by the people closest to you. You’ll get quality time with your loved ones and meaningful moments to treasure forever.
There are two ways to plan a wedding during these times – either choose a near date, and lock something in that’s not too far away, or plan ahead of time, and pick a far-out future date.
With COVID-19, big weddings gave way to “planned elopements” – What used to mean a wedding held in secret, now became a small planned event with a very short lead-time, before restrictions could change the plans.
The obvious advantage of choosing a closer date – even as close as a month (yes, it’s possible!) – is that most countries declare Covid restrictions on a more or less monthly basis before reassessing the situation. So if you are planning your event in a short amount of time, chances are that existing restrictions will not change and your event can take place as planned.
Planning a wedding far in advance becomes more logical in light of the situation. Many couples have already started planning their wedding for the summer of 2022 or even 2023 in the hope that by then it will be possible to plan an event without any restrictions but also because of availability for vendors and venues.
Keep in mind that if you are planning a wedding on a nearer date, you will need to be more creative, as the location and suppliers you want may not be available at such short notice. Also, the cancellation policy of some hotels may be less flexible in such a short time.
Therefore, in order to plan such a wedding, you need to have a laid-back approach and trust the wedding organizers to make the most of any situation.
We are sure you are probably impatient and can’t wait to celebrate your love – but there are quite a few advantages in choosing such a far advanced date. First of all, it gives you plenty of time to prepare, allowing you to plan your dream wedding in great detail, and maybe even make several trips to the location. Also in choosing a further date you will get a much more flexible cancellation policy for hotels and suppliers.
When planning a destination wedding these days – the landing destination for the guests can sometimes have an impact on choosing the location for the wedding itself. We recommend choosing a destination where the nearest airport is international. The main reason for this, is that during the pandemic we have learned that international airports are the ones that usually remain open, and national airlines are the ones that will continue to operate even while there are still travel restrictions.
In Greece for example – there are two major airports: Thessaloniki and Athens International Airport. During the pandemic, Athens’s airport remained open and the number of cancelled flights was lower than in Thessaloniki, which is considered a large airport but with more seasonal flights.
The events of the past year led many couples to consider getting married on a weekday, as non-weekend dates have increased the chances of suppliers and location availability. Many of the couples who hosted both the ceremony and the reception in 2020 took advantage of weekday weddings, and realised that their love can be celebrated just as much on Wednesdays, Tuesdays, or other days of the week – and this is probably a format we will continue to see next year.
Mid-week wedding offer more flexibility and not only you can save significantly as a couple, but you can also save your guests money by booking a mid-week wedding especially if it’s a destination wedding and there will be flights to book.
At times when things can still be unstable, it’s very important to understand the cancellation policy of any vendors you choose to work with while planning your event.
Many couples are wondering whether they can claim a refund from their venue or suppliers should they have to cancel them due to a change of plans or postponement. This will depend on the terms and conditions agreed when deposits were paid. When signing a contract it is important to include a Covid related clause in the contract and reach an agreement with the suppliers regarding refunds if there is a cancellation.
Some hotels will take a non-refundable down payment, but in case the event cannot be held on the date you have chosen they will give you the option of postponing at no extra charge.
For example – our cancellation policy in Sirataki: We give a full refund for the entire production up until the date of the event in case the cancelation is due to Covid restrictions. We will only charge cancellation fees for the hotels and it usually will be around 15 to 20 percent of the total cost of accommodation.
We are still experiencing some restrictions on flights, travel and more around the world. And while a wedding invitation should not look and feel like a warning letter- it is still important to explain to your guests everything involved in their arrival to your event.
We recommend attaching a reminder to the wedding invitation with a short explanation about up to date Covid rules and required documents, plus expected expenses such as PCR tests etc.
a note of optimism:
Recent events have posed many challenges for future couples, but these times have also proved to us beyond any doubt that love always wins! couples, teamed with many businesses and have found amazing and creative ways to celebrate their love, even during the most challenging times.
Many couples were forced to change their original plans, but at the same time, as many weddings were not cancelled – and this fact alone can be a cause for a bigger celebration when it will all be safe again. Despite feeling stressed when plans had to change, couples planning to get married in 2021-2022 have told us that they are optimistic about the future, and we feel the same!
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