The wedding industry is constantly changing and evolving, but never as rapidly as it has this year. With extreme uncertainty due to COVID-19, couples are quickly adjusting their wedding planning process to keep up with the new realities of event planning. We’ve come up with a quick guide on how to successfully plan your event remotely, but here is a list of the new norms of wedding planning in 2020:
Flexibility
With hundreds of couples postponing their weddings, and hundreds more that are newly engaged and searching for wedding venues, date availability is becoming very slim. The vision that couples had for their weddings is changing. Many summer weddings have turned into fall weddings, and even winter weddings. Engagements are becoming longer. Budgets are being adjusted. Guest lists are shrinking. Couples planning their weddings have become very flexible in what their big day will look like, and when it will be.
Relying on Online Info
Since they can’t visit venues or meet with vendors during the Coronavirus closures, couples have been relying on what they can find online. They’re taking virtual tours of potential wedding venues, setting up video meetings with possible vendors, and scouring online reviews for information. Couples are also relying more and more on social media to find potential wedding venues and vendors. While we already live in a digital age where social media can make or break a business, and online presence is a requirement, 2020 has shown us just how important and valuable online information is.
Trust
This is especially true when it comes to wedding venues. Some couples are booking venues without having once stepped into those spaces. Because available dates are becoming rare, couples must book their venues and vendors quickly to avoid disappointment. This requires a lot of trust on the part of the couple, but with flexibility and online research, quick decisions on bookings can still be the right decisions.
Fine Print
Who would have thought to look for a pandemic clause in a contract with a venue or vendor? Couples now are focusing on the fine print surrounding postponements and cancellations. Whereas before it felt highly unlikely to have your wedding date affected for any reason, couples this year are seeing that they need to be prepared for all possible scenarios. This includes quarantine and country-wide closures.
2020 has brought with it a revamped wedding industry, causing everyone to adjust to the new standards of planning. Flexibility and preparedness are key, and this mantra is here to stay.