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Hello, My Name is Rebecca and I'm a Corona Bride!

Edmonton Wedding Planning

If you’re a Corona Bride (or Groom) raise your hand! There’s a title I never thought I would have. I also never imagined having to combine pandemic and wedding planning, but here we are! Our original wedding day was May 30 and postponing may have been one of the easiest parts of the last few months. To say it has been a rollercoaster of a ride is a huge understatement. While we are fortunate to have an amazing team of vendors there are some key pieces of advice I would pass on to any couple in the midst of it.

Advice is going to come from so many places, some of it will be useful and some of it will probably feel emotionally draining. This advice captures part of my experience but know that at the end of the day do what’s right for you as a couple.

 

It’s okay to be disappointed

Say it with me… “it’s ok to be disappointed”. Feel all the feels and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. One of the first things I learned in all this is it’s important to grieve for the loss of what you expected and envisioned for the day. Grief is a process and some days it will hit you harder than others. Take the time to mourn and process so when you’re ready to start re-planning you’re in the right headspace.

 

Tune out the noisemakers

Everyone will have an opinion on everything. EVERYTHING. Some of it will be helpful and some will not. Trust your people. Your closest allies and cheerleaders. And just tune the rest out.

Everyone seems to be a wedding planner at the best of times but everyone really seems to be an expert on pandemic weddings. At the end of the day not everyone is considering or prioritizing things the same way you or your fiancé are. Trust your gut and do what’s best for you.

 

Stay organized

One of the first things you should do is go get yourself a binder that can be dedicated to all things wedding. Copies of all our contracts, mailed correspondence, receipts, and drafts of menus and programs all went straight into the binder. Closer to the day have itineraries for all the important people and plan out the day.

 

Embrace masks and hand-sanitizer

Physical distancing, masks, and hand-sanitizer are the new norm and they are essential to helping keep your guests safe. Masks aren’t going anywhere so embrace them and have fun with it! We had custom masks designed for all our guests paired with a mini bottle of sanitizer with a custom label.

 

Go digital 

We originally sent more traditional RSVP cards but this is one thing I would do differently. Since postponing we’ve been using a newsletter app to send out timely updates to everyone. It’s a fantastic resource and free! Combined with our wedding website we’re able to get information to our guests quickly and share more information than the traditional mailed options. It’s also allowed us to livestream our ceremony with all our guests. I have family all across the country so for my grandma to be able to watch me get married from the Maritimes is such an incredible wedding tool to have.

 

Have a backup plan for your backup plan

Have all the backup plans! I’ve lost count how many times I’ve had to revise our plans. Keeping our loved ones safe while still creating a meaningful celebration has always been our top priority. It definitely feels like we’re on the billionth iteration of a wedding plan though. Be flexible with your expectations on certain parts of your day. It’s going to take a long time for the wedding industry to get back to celebrations pre-Covid style.

 

Roll with the changes

In April I was having a really hard time with everything. I had so many opinions coming my way, lost my original venue, had people taking their stress out on me, and so on. I have a pretty high threshold for stress but I had reached my limit. My dad’s advice was “Rebecca be a duck”, now you’re probably wondering why someone would tell you to be a duck, it seems silly. Roll with the changes the way water runs off a ducks back. You can’t control everyone and everything so be a duck and make the best of it.

 

Lean on each other

Remember to schedule in breaks from wedding related things to just be with each other. It can be hard not to take stress and emotions out on the person closest to you. Lean on each other though, that’s why you chose to marry this person so you can share the load when times get tough.

 

Find new ways to make it special

This is the perfect opportunity to break from family or industry traditions and create some unique moments and experiences for your wedding! Guests tuning in digitally? Why not put together a little celebration viewing kit for them. Something you weren’t really into? Ditch it! The rules on weddings are gone! Make it what you want, the possibilities are endless and that can be a really great thing.

 

The greatest piece of advice I can give you though is to remember at the end of the day the most important part of this is that you get to marry your person. I can guarantee you they love you so much they would marry you tomorrow if they could. So Corona Bride (or Groom!) take your new title and wear it proudly because wedding planning is hard enough without a pandemic added into the mix.



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