It is no secret that some brides are actually crying and worried sick right now about their weddings. With the President’s recent announcement on the banning of gatherings with more than 100 people and other African borders closed, it is a dilemma. Coronavirus (COVID-19) just came in and it has caused a lot of disruptions in peoples lives. We know most brides are worried sick (some are actually crying) especially after going through their wedding planning.
Almost everyone is worried and confused if they should postpone their weddings or not. However, the government just issued a statement discouraging gatherings of more than 100 people for the next 60 days hence most probably people will have to postpone. Do not be discouraged, we have gathered the following information and advice to make sure you stay on top of the current situation despite the circumstances. It is evident that COVID-19 is spreading fast and now in Africa with South Africa COVID-19 cases tippling in a day (recorded to be 116 today).
You don’t have to beat yourself up for this because no one ever knew this was coming and going to cause this much disruption in people’s lives. We have the following advice for now but we will be updating it when we get more information:
Should we postpone our wedding?
Before you decide to postpone your wedding, you still have got an option to cut down your guest list to 100 people including yourselves. This is the best option there is currently and if it works for you there is no need for you to postpone the whole wedding than just cutting of the guests. However, you will also need to check what that converts to in costs. For instance, you could have already paid for a bigger venue with let’s say 300 chairs, will these service providers refund you or what? Get in touch with them and map a way forward.
Our Photographer and other vendors are not talking to me about how they’re going to treat COVID-19 for my wedding. What do we do?
Well, it is a frustrating time for everyone so please give them a little more time to figure out which route to take. I am sure they will contact you with an update on what they decide. After all, the announcement was done just a few days ago. If your wedding is later this year they might not be worried about it and not bring it up yet. So stop giving yourself unnecessary pressure and stress a lot. We understand this is a very difficult time for you but try to minimise stress.
We actually don’t want to postpone our wedding. What can we do?
Like we said earlier on, having a guest list with less than 100 people is the way to go. If you don’t want to have as many people as even the 100 just get together with your family members and few friends for a small ceremony. Remember, you can always have a big wedding later on when the virus is gone! Just confirm with your service providers if they are still able to render their services to you.
Our photographer has decided that he/she will not come to shoot at our wedding anymore. What should we do?
This is going to be the case with some of the photographers. However, if you have a wedding planner kindly liaise with them to get in touch with the photographer to get their reasons with no emotions involved. Let he/she gather all the facts about why the photographer is no longer able to do the shoot and ensure to exhaust options after reaching an understanding with the photographer. If they give recommendations to take them and see if this can be fixed.
Our anxiety is at an all-time high. What should we do?
This is a difficult time which you may even question why it is happening during your season or year of your wedding. But, try as much as you can to digest less information about this and reduce stress. If you are already in a panic, contact your close friends or church elders who can assist you calm down your nerves and ensure you are okay.
A word to the wedding professionals
Hey, people look, we know you have signed contracts with your clients which state that they are going to lose all the money they paid or all the deposit etc. in case of changing dates or cancelling the wedding. We do not agree that this is the best time to enact the provision. No one knew that this pandemic would occur and just because it is a global thing we really need to treat it differently. Accommodate your clients and engage them on a personal level because they are also suffering and frustrated.
Stay tuned for more questions and answers because we will be updating when we get them. You can also leave a question or comment down below and we will respond to you. Remember everything happens for a reason so you should not worry or be afraid because IT IS WELL!