REAL WEDDINGS, REAL TALK

Carolyn Johnson 6/8/20 Carolyn Johnson 6/8/20

AELO Alumni | Falguni + Neelesh, 8/10/19

After a beautiful, sunshiney baraat and touching ceremony, Falguni and Neelesh were ready to party at their reception. They were welcomed into the reception by a small fireworks display inside the venue! Guests got to their feet and were dancing and clapping as they entered. After everyone had a chance to enjoy some food from the enormous, delicious buffet, guests were ready to hit the dance floor, glow sticks and all. Needless to say, it was a day and night full of fun and family. We wish Falguni and Neelesh many years of happiness.

Carolyn Johnson 6/1/20 Carolyn Johnson 6/1/20

AELO Alumni | Sandra + Sergey, 8/17/19

Sergey and Sandy were such a fun couple to work with! They have such a zest for life and adventure and you can tell that they are each other's favorite person. For their big day, they got lucky and the rain held out for them to do their outdoor ceremony! The sun came out from behind the clouds just in time for these two to say "I do" in the beautiful garden at City Winery. Family and friends from around the world came to celebrate with these two. Sergey and Sandy love to travel so they named each table after one of their favorite destinations. Guests had a great time dancing the night away and experiencing songs of various cultures. It was amazing!

A few months after their wedding, Sergey and Sandy had another intimate ceremony in Tajikistan with Sergey and Sandra's families that couldn't travel for their August wedding. We absolutely loved working with these two and wish them many more years of adventure together!

Carolyn Johnson 5/25/20 Carolyn Johnson 5/25/20

AELO Alumni | Sarah + CC, 10/12/19

What an absolute joy. Our friends Sarah + CC asked us to help them plan their wedding, and we were so honored to be a part of this day! This incredible couple support each other at every turn, fight for what’s right, and have so much fun together. From the ceremony performed by their close friend Jason — not a dry eye in the house — to when the two talented musicians took the stage themselves, the day was nothing short of spectacular. These two were truly meant to be.

Congratulations, Sarah + CC! We know you are going to have a long, wonderful life together.

Carolyn Johnson 5/18/20 Carolyn Johnson 5/18/20

AELO Alumni | Star + Russell, 10/19/19

What a night! Star and Russell were wonderful to work with and the sweetest couple! Their travel theme was personal to them. All of their tables were a country that either one or both of them had visited- between the 2 of them, they have been to 6 continents! They had a super fun hora which they called the hillbilly hora and got the party started! Congratulations Star and Russell!

*19 East is now the Mae District

Carolyn Johnson 5/11/20 Carolyn Johnson 5/11/20

Guest Post: COVID-19 Planning Stress

We are so pleased to introduce you to Megan Glenn! She has some great advice for dealing with the stress of planning during the pandemic. Thank you, Megan!

How to Deal with the Stresses of Wedding Planning in the Midst of COVID-19 Orders

Weddings are traditionally lavish events, staged by bride and groom with no expense spared. The industry is worth around $74 billion, and is one of the most reliable industries for surviving economic crises. After 9/11 and the recession of 2008, patrons learned to get creative with their event planning. They were flexible with less popular days of the week and more budget conscious. However, even though finances were initially less of an issue this go-round, it’s a waiting game that makes it challenging for both patrons and event planners.

The coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, has meant that thousands of couples across the world are having to postpone their big days. Stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures are in place across the USA and many other countries. Naturally, this prohibits weddings, since they typically consist of a large gathering of people.

With celebrations temporarily on hold, couples are having to make the decision to either postpone or cancel their wedding plans entirely. Since planning a wedding can take the best part of a year, many couples have spent months on the process only to be thrown into uncertainty by COVID-19.

Postponement is the natural option - most couples will still want to have their weddings once the pandemic is all over. This means that some degree of planning can remain intact for a later date. However, some couples are deciding not to wait at all.

Continue Planning Your Wedding

It is understandably stressful and upsetting if you have spent months planning your perfect wedding, only for it to have been put on hold indefinitely. The most important thing to remember at this time is that you will still be marrying the love of your life and it will still be a day you’ll never forget. Perhaps it will have to happen at an unfavorable time of year, or with fewer guests than you planned, but it will come to fruition, nonetheless.

Here are some of the things you should be doing right away:

● Contact your wedding planner and/or venue manager. They will be able to offer you some comfort by relaying your options. By now, most venues will have COVID-19 strategies in place, and are receptive to a postponement.

● Inform your guests of your change of plans. This might seem obvious to you, but people do have different levels of awareness about the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic. You might still have some family or friends who expect to attend your spring wedding - let them know that it has been postponed until a later date! Things get a little more complicated if your guests had to make long-distance travel plans for your wedding - try to give at least four months’ notice ahead of the postponed ceremony.

● Try to build a relationship with your wedding planner. Exchange texts and emails during this difficult period, and they might be able to provide you with some wedding-related questionnaires and activities to think about while you are self-isolating.

● Beware of wedding insurance policies. Some unscrupulous insurance companies are looking to avoid any COVID-19 related payouts by including clauses that circumvent any complications caused by the pandemic. So, before you take out any wedding insurance for your upcoming event, be sure that you won’t be fleeced later down the line. On the subject of insurance, CFAR (cancel for any reason) insurance could be a safe bet for couples with weddings or honeymoons planned abroad.

● If you have your hearts set on your original wedding date, you can hold a local ceremony that adheres to social distancing and CDC guidelines. As long as you don’t mind foregoing an event with plenty of guests and close contact, you could look into the possibilities of holding a very small (or even virtual) wedding before mandates are lifted.

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Since most people are working from home, connecting virtually, and online, there have been several digital resources made available. One resource is Reddit, that has a subreddit for wedding planning. Check out r/weddingplanning for countless threads and posts created by other people in your situation.

For the 125,000 subscribers to this particular subreddit, life has changed from a stream of wedding dress decisions to chaotic posts about the coronavirus. From terminally ill family members no longer able to attend a spring wedding, to stories of people losing vast amounts of money due to cancelled weddings, a supportive online community is more important than ever.

Fortunately, the moderators of this subreddit have separated coronavirus related posts into their own threads. This keeps other sections of the subreddit free for more positive chat about continuing with wedding plans, and looking forward to the happy day.

This is the ultimate message for couples which have had their wedding affected by COVID-19: Your wedding day still belongs to you and there are great alternatives to simply waiting for the pandemic to end.

Megan Glenn

I’m a freelance writer with extensive expertise in a plethora of subjects, including: home decor, business, lifestyle, and more. I’ve been writing professionally for over a decade, and have had the pleasure of working with incredible publishers over the years, including Discount Two-Way Radio.