Things to Consider When Postponing Your Wedding to a Different Season Due to Covid-19
It is an understatement to say that 2020 DC weddings have been thrown into upheaval due to Covid-19, and the restrictions it has caused in regards to gathering sizes. Many couples are deciding to move their weddings to different seasons. Maybe you decided to move your wedding from the spring to the winter. Or maybe your postponed wedding went from the fall to the summer. Right now you might be staying home, and I’ve got ideas for planning tasks you can do from home.
Eventually you might be thinking: how does this change of season impact the design of my wedding? Your first step is to review your current design plan with your wedding planner. Your wedding date may have changed to a different season, and some elements may need to be retooled. But this may not be the time to plan a new wedding. Keep in mind that you hired your wedding planner to plan a wedding for you, which she has. Asking her to plan a second wedding should be considered with great care.
I honestly think that if you don’t want to change much or any of your wedding design due to change in season, you shouldn’t have to! If your wedding design works well with your wedding venue, then the season shouldn’t matter so much.
The Wedding Supply Chain
Couples who have a postponed wedding due to Covid-19 have to be open to the fact that supply chains for many items that they might want for their wedding day have been impacted. We truly have no idea what the flower supply will look like in a few months. We may not be able to import your top choice wine from Europe. Being flexible and open minded will be critical to not getting overwhelmed with any changes that you have to implement for your new wedding day. You are still getting married, and your wedding team wants to make this day as awesome as possible for you.
Wedding Menu Seasonality
You may want to review your wedding menu and see how it should be modified for the new season. If you had a seasonal salad as a first course, maybe revisit its components. If you were starting off your summer wedding dinner with a chilled gazpacho, maybe swap that for butternut squash bisque for your now-fall reception. You can also trade your pre-ceremony lemonade station for a hot cider station, if your wedding season demands it.
Tell y our baker if your wedding cake is now going to be displayed outside for hours in warm temps. They might recommend a change in design.
Seasonal Wedding Attire
If your bridesmaids have already purchased shorter dresses that would have been perfect for a summer wedding, and now your wedding is in the late fall, maybe you can look into detachable, longer party skirts to go over the dresses. A more obvious idea is to get wraps or cute shrugs for the ladies. A full length dress works for every season, not just in the fall and winter.
If you’re moving to a more humid season (or area of the country) with your new wedding date, make sure your hair styling plans are adjusted accordingly.
If you had the men wearing a lighter suit for a spring or summer wedding, it would be appropriate to completely swap that out for a blue or gray suit for a fall or winter wedding. (And vice versa.) Hopefully the rental company can make that transition easy on you. If the men’s attire has been purchased and tailored, then I recommend you roll with it!
Seasonal Wedding Logistics
Be aware that Daylight Savings ends on November 1st this year. In 2021 it will begin on March 14th, and end on November 7th. You may need to adjust the start time of your wedding day. And you may need to adjust the professional lighting scheme you plan to employ for your wedding day.
Add a coat check if your wedding is now going to be in a cooler month.
If your wedding reception is in a tent, review your ancillary rental items such as heaters, fans, etc.
General Wedding Postponement Advice
If you were wise enough to secure an insurance policy before the pandemic came to light, you will want to do your best to read the fine print, see if you can draw anything on it now (if applicable,) and see if you can easily transfer it to the new date. I’ve previously written about things to consider in your wedding insurance policy, if you have to start from scratch with a new policy.
One final tip today, which isn’t really related to your wedding season. If there is now a long gap between the mailing of your save the dates and your invitations, you will want to make sure you still have all the correct mailing addresses for your guests.
