As many questions continue to come in both directly from our clients and via social media, we wanted to share our answers to help guide you through these uncertain times. Below is a list of the most common questions we’ve been asked over these past weeks. We hope you find the answers helpful as you begin your planning process!

Q: I recently got engaged, and am uncertain if I should jump into the planning while I find myself with some unexpected free time, or hold off until things become less murky.

A: While we are in this unique time in history, it’s uplifting to know that life still goes on: babies are being born and people are getting engaged. While it’s a bit challenging to do some of the typical activities involved with planning such as in-person site visits and meetings, this break in normal workload and scheduling offers a great opportunity to begin researching wedding planners, and scheduling calls to secure them so that once we’re allowed to congregate again, couples are in a good position to start planning. Because such a large number of events are rescheduling to later this year and throughout 2021, it’s going to be that much more important to get a head start. Additionally, many venues have pivoted to offer virtual tours to give you a feel for their event spaces, so that’s a great place to start, as well!

Q: I am a few months into the planning process, but am unsure if now is a safe time to begin securing my vendors.

A: We don’t think there is any reason not to begin securing vendors for upcoming weddings. Not only does it serve to stimulate the economy during this challenging time, but it also puts clients in a better position for once life can resume before the onslaught of inquiries come in all at once. Don’t be afraid to work virtually with your vendors to begin discussing design schemes and plans as we can all do so much more concentrated work together on your event during this time.

Q: My wedding is scheduled to take place at the end of 2020. Should I still plan to send save-the-dates?

A: We think that the world is in need of some good news, and what better way to provide that than with an uplifting event to look forward to? We are recommending that clients stick to typical etiquette for mailouts of 6-12 months, depending on if the event is a travel destination for guests. That said, we are adding a small note into the envelopes that lets guests know that we are tracking the current situation and government guidelines, and to continue to check the website for updates. A bonus tip: we always advise our clients to collect email addresses and phone numbers when they’re compiling guest addresses, and we always include those columns on our guest tracking tools, so that if there is a change, we have an easy way to reach all of their guests immediately should there be any last-minute changes.

Q: I was planning a wedding for over 200 people in early Fall. Do you think I need to take steps to cut my guest list down?

A: The future of the gathering orders is still largely unknown. If you’re hoping to get married this year, we believe that counts might naturally drop down a bit if guests are hesitant to travel close to when the restrictions are lifted so it might be best to still target your original count, and expect a larger percentage of declines. That said, things are still evolving every day, so it might be too soon to tell. We recommend doing two things: 1) speak with your planner and/or invitation designer to find out the drop-dead date that invitations would need to be printed in order to be mailed on time, and wait as long as you can — with a week of padding for safety– before making any rash decisions.  2) make a potential B-list so that you are prepared in case you do decide to proceed with your original date and are faced with the task of cutting down your guest list. In order to properly manage your B-list, print a second set of RSVP cards with a second reply-by date that is later than the original set. Then, you can mail out an invitation to a person from the B-list for each guest that declines.

Q: What is the best way to slowly ease into wedding planning during quarantine?

A: While we’re all relegated to our homes, now is a fantastic time to get a jump on the planning process, starting with the first two steps we recommend for anyone beginning their planning process: drafting your guest list and determining your event budget. Once you have those to items nailed down, we think it’s a great time to begin researching planners so that you’re ahead of the game and make the most of this downtime.

Q: I have always wanted a destination wedding. Do you think that’s still a possibility considering the current climate?

A: We are hopeful that destination weddings will be even more popular once this time comes to an end, as guests are going to want to get out and see the world more than ever. Gathering together and experiencing the world to celebrate love will be that much more meaningful after this moment in time becomes a distant memory. We do think that destination weddings should be targeting the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2021 to give ample time for site visits and planning, as well as for guests to book upcoming travel.

We hope this helped to answer some of your questions! You can see even more information on planning in the time of Covid in our recent Carats and Cake feature, which delves even deeper into the planning process during this time. Feel free to comment below should you have any other burning questions you’d like us to answer.