Everything Covid-19
POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
April 1st, 2020. It surely is a crazy time we all live in right now. What basically began on March 16th as a fluid and daily changing of circumstances, we have gone from not being allowed to have gatherings of 50 persons or more to states issuing stay-at-home orders and banning gatherings of 10 or more, and for the most part, into June 2020. There of course has been a huge movement of #RescheduleDontCancel and according to Wedding Pro (Wedding Wire and The Knot), just about 96% of couples have rescheduled their weddings. Everyone who planned on having a Spring 2020 wedding has felt the effects, couples and wedding pros. So let’s dive in to how we can all help each other.
WEDDING COUPLES
For the past several months, you have been planning your dream wedding. You’ve booked the venue, hired your vendors, paid deposits, and have sent out your RSVPs. Back in January, we heard about this new virus that may have an impact on the whole world. Most of us ignored it thinking, “this isn’t going to impact me”. Then February came and it got a little more serious, but still, “not us”. And then March came and while the first half of the month we kept an eye on it, it wasn’t until the second weekend where local authorities took to action and started issuing states of emergency. IT. GOT. REAL.
That first week of when this all came to light, I’m sure you went into panic mode, especially if you were planning on getting married in March or April. Maybe even May. You called your venue, your planner, your vendors, all to see what your options were. Hopefully, you had professional vendors who were ready to roll with the punches and offer the opportunity to reschedule. As you probably quickly figured out, most cancellation policies have a force majeure clause which basically protects both parties in the event of a natural disaster or pandemic. It is the obligation of every vendor to offer to mitigate losses, for both parties, and offer to reschedule. No vendor wants for a couple to lose the money they already paid, we still want you to be able to celebrate your love with all of your friends and family.
So here’s what we have been suggesting to our couples. First off, don’t cancel. Even if you decide to move forward with saying “I do”, there is always the possibility of having a celebration at a later date. And to the many of you that have settled on rescheduling, your wedding pros are here to help. While rescheduling usually isn’t a thing, most vendors have quickly jumped in to help during this time of crisis. We’ve been suggesting to a lot of our couples to look toward the Fall. And while many of our Saturdays in the Fall are already taken, we still have quite a few Fridays and Sundays available, as do many of your vendors. Even more so, you can assuredly count on weekdays like Monday through Thursday being available for ALL of your vendors. While this might not be ideal, we think we’ll see a normalcy of acceptance of weddings on weekdays this Fall. More on that later. Long story short, if you have been forced to reschedule your wedding, your wedding pros are here to help and are eager to keep your dream alive.
WEDDING PROS
Whew. What a crazy few weeks it has been. If you’re like me, you’ve been on emails, phone calls, and video chats non-stop since March 16th, maybe sooner, maybe later. Even with all this craziness, we all have each other’s back and we will get through this together. A lot of what I said above applies to you. If I may suggest, reach out to ALL of your couples (even if their date isn’t effected by the stay-at-home orders) just to check in and see how they are coping with everything. For the most part, we are all stuck at home and could use a little face to face interaction. Setup a video call with your October 2020 and May 2021 couples just to see how they are doing. Let them know that while things might be not-so-great right now, your business is in it for the long haul. Which bring me to the next point.
With just about all of our Spring Weddings being rescheduled, you’ve lost about one-third your annual revenue. Don’t panic. Everything is going to be ok. Take a deep breath.
With the CARES act, there is help for us yet. Remember, if your couples have rescheduled their weddings, your revenue is just… postponed. The CARES act has a two ways to help you and your employees (subcontractors) get through this. First, the Small Business Administration has an Economic Disaster Relief program to where you can get up to $10,000 (depending on your 2019 gross receipts) to help you cover your operating expenses. While this probably won’t help you with those couples demanding refunds (remember, that force majeure clause should have you protected from this), it will help your business get through to the summer. Maybe. The second part, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which went live today and many banks are working to setup applications for this, will help give your employees (subcontractors) some income. Basically how it works is it looks at your payroll expenses from the previous year and gives you 2.5 months of that, for up to $100,000. Keep in mind that there can’t be any “double dipping”. The idea behind this is that it gets folks off unemployment and earning what they would normally make. So when you are applying for this, tell your 1099 folks that when you get funds from PPP, they will have to cancel their unemployment benefits. So if you’re a small business owner and your wages were included in payroll last year, maybe pay your employees and subcontractors with this money first and then find other ways to pay yourself. For those of you that use HoneyBook, they have a great resource for all of this here.
EVERYONE ELSE
So here’s the thing. Whether or not you are an employer of a couple or planning to attend a wedding, everything about weddings this year are going to be different. If you know someone that was planning a Spring Wedding or know someone that was planning on bringing that couple’s dream to life, cut them some slack. We are going to see a lot more Friday and Sunday weddings this year. For those Sunday weddings, be prepared for a lot of hungover Mondays. For those Friday and Weekday weddings, be prepared to take off work so you can be there to celebrate the couple. Let’s be serious, this ish is cray. And at the end of the day, we are all going through this, so let’s just try to make it as easy as possible. So if the wedding is blowing up, ON A TUESDAY, let’s get weird, we’re going to need it after all this! See y’all on the other side.
dancing?
June 15th, 2020. For those of you planning a wedding for Fall 2020 or Spring 2021, you may wonder what your dance floor will look like when everything “returns to a new normal”. There are many ways to think about the future, but there are so many ways to think about what your future will be. Your wedding shouldn’t be a determining factor for how your future looks. You may not have everything you dreamed of, but you can still make plenty of memories. And we’re here to help. Let’s dive into these ideas.
Spaced out Ceremonies
For the first few months of weddings after restrictions are lifted, we can all pretty much expect some sort of spacing at ceremonies. While this idea may be no longer legally imposed, we should probably expect them to be common place for the summer months, and perhaps the early fall months. We talked to some of our June couples and their venues, and they agree. Things won’t be normal. And that’s ok. We may see ceremonies with seating spaced according to CDC guidelines of six feet. Couples may have to reduce the size of their wedding party. And that’s ok. And even then, wedding parties may have to be spaced accordingly. Also ok. While the first embrace by the newlyweds may not change (because they likely have been living in the same household) other ideas may change. How their wedding party enters and exits the ceremony may be different. Some rituals may be different. All things considered, the entire ceremony may be different, but one thing is for sure, the lovely couple will still say their vows, and they will get married. And we are all here to celebrate that!
Masked Cocktail Hours
In an hour where we all want to catch up with friends and family we haven’t seen in a while, but still want to stay safe, the idea of everyone wearing a mask may not seem too far off. Don’t be surprised if couples pass out customized masks at the ceremony or cocktail hour to keep things safe for friends and family to conversate. The time between ceremony and reception is a time where the couple is taking pictures with their wedding party and closest family members. It is also a time for guests to reconvene with other guests they haven’t seen in a while. For the first few months out of quarantine, it shouldn’t be too much to ask for guests to wear a mask during these conversations and throughout later in the evening.
Socially Distant Receptions
After having a few cocktails, all of your guests may feel a freedom to get a little loose and close. That’s encourageable. But if you feel like that is a little much, maybe consider greeting every guest with a basket of custom-made masks with your name and wedding date to keep your guests safe. Your reception entrance may be a little different with your wedding party coming in a little spaced out. When planning your seating chart, maybe think about having your guests sit five people to a ten top. Instead of a buffet, maybe see if your food provider will consider food service to each table. And for the dance floor, we have a few ideas.
Spreading out the Dance Floor
You can still have the first dance that you dreamed of, you can still probably dance with your respective parent, like you dreamed of, but after all the formalities, some things may be different. You may need to work with your wedding venue, caterer, or rental company on an idea to strike tables after dinner so there is much more room for dancing after dinner is consumed. If you have the right team, this shouldn’t be a problem. Consider having cocktail rounds preset before dinner and then put into place after dinner tables are removed, to encourage keeping a safe distance and keeping to smaller groups. Have your DJ remind folks of social distancing guidelines in a friendly way that doesn’t deter your guests from joining in on the dance party. With all the dinner tables removed, you should have plenty of room to keep socially distant, but consuming beverages may be challenging. Consider ordering long crazy straws in bulk so that your guests can enjoy the dance party and a beverage at the same time, without having to remove their masks. Ensure your guests stay safe by making sure there is plenty of hand sanitizer go around, whether they be provided by the venue, a wedding planner, the DJ, or your uncle, it’s something to consider. And take all of these ideas with a grain of salt, at the end of the day, you just want to celebrate your love and not feel weird about it.
Remember one thing. Your wedding day is just as important to your besties, family, and friends, as it is to your hand-picked wedding pros. They will do everything they can to help expertly guide you through these crazy times. Lean on them for guidance and make decisions accordingly. We just want to see you smile, enjoy the day, and still have an epic dance party.
Feel free to comment in the section below with your thoughts. Also please take a second to check our social media pages at @bowtiedweddings. You can learn more about Bow Tied Weddings at www.bowtiedweddings.com. Chat soon!
Thank you, Next
December 15th, 2020. In reaction to the fact that, this year, far too many venues did not adhere to any CDC guidelines, we will be taking action. No masks, no social distancing, nothing. As a leader in our industry, we felt it important to take a strong stance moving forward. We will of course be following all CDC guidelines. Our hope is that the vaccine is widely distributed by April and masks are no longer necessary. If this is not what happens, and it is required for vendors to wear masks, we will strongly suggest that guests do the same. It simply isn't fair for our team or our vendor friends to be put in a position, like many times this year, where we do not feel safe. As we have said on our social media, if public health professionals say masks are no longer necessary, then by all means, let's dance our faces off with no masks. Cheers, stay safe, and Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Wear a Mask!
