Planning your Wedding amidst Lockdown

Without stating the obvious, we must collectively agree that the past year and a half has been absolutely challenging for all of us. The idea of wedding planning in lockdown never crossed our minds and whilst some parts of the world have moved on, the same cannot be said for the rest of us. The uncertainty, coupled with almost disbelief around the current situation is enough to cause us a lot of grief.

As difficult as the situation is though, it’s important to focus on the positives. Do know that you are not alone in this wedding planning journey. Many couples are experiencing the same emotions.

Times are blah, but there are a few things we can do whilst waiting for better and brighter days.

We promise we're going to make this enjoyable. So please stick around. Here are 5 wedding planning tasks to do in lockdown.

 

Book In Consultations

If you have hired a wedding planner, then brilliant, a lot of the hard work is already done for you! For those who haven’t though, I strongly encourage you to get organize immediately. Sadly, it will involve a bit of admin work, which means possibly postponing or re-shuffling dates and reviewing any existing contracts.

Perhaps you’re in the early stages though, then it’s time to get excited because we’re going to make wedding planning in lockdown fun! Start making arrangements and lock in dates, book your venue and schedule those consultations (online) with your preferred suppliers.

 

Don’t be surprised, but planners, venue coordinators, stylists, florists, cake decorators will all have a bit of spare time right now. Staying connected is easier than ever with Zoom, Skype and WhatsApp. We do also want to stress that just because you cannot travel abroad for your wedding shopping, does not mean that you should neglect shopping for your attire. You can also organize Virtual shopping dates in India and its brilliant!

 Find Inspiration

Again, another fun task to do in lockdown is finding visual inspiration. You can choose between Instagram, Pinterest or even wedding magazines. Stay inspired and start pinning or saving these images to your vision board.

My favourite thing about using Instagram or Pinterest especially, is that you can organize your boards and create categories or sections. Just remember as well that you don’t necessarily have to gather wedding related images. It could be colour swatches from your art shop or anything really. Creativity truly has no boundaries.

A lot of suppliers request you to share imagery with them as it helps them to define the overall vision for your wedding. Stylists, planners, florists, and decorators absolutely love clients who complete most of the groundwork for them.

Honestly, there’s no right or wrong here. You have loads of time in lockdown to tick this task off your list.

Have Fun

Having fun though, begins with looking after yourself. There are so many benefits to looking after your mental health and wellbeing during these trying times.

Let’s begin with health and fitness. We like to head over to YouTube for this and carry out a simple search for specific fitness routines. There are also free instructional yoga and meditation videos which is enough to get any beginner excited about keeping fit.

Foodie lovers, you’ll be thrilled to know that cake makers are arranging contactless delivery and pickup. This is a great way to taste test and review their style.

Other businesses you can also support right now are DJ’s and live performers. A lot of live artists are staging free shows in their living rooms! Or how about ordering some flowers from your favourite florists? Not only are you showing your support for their little business, but you can assess their style and determine whether they get the tick of approval. Best of all, their beautiful flowers brighten up your house for days. slice of cream layer cake with pink flowers and pink notepad

Prep Those Music Playlists

Following on from having fun in lockdown, it’s time to crank up the tunes! How many of you can’t survive working from home without having some form of music playing in the background? Okay, obviously it depends on the type of job you have of course. But seriously, listening to music will really lift your spirits. Studies have proven that listening to music can have psychological benefits, reducing any unwanted stress and improve your overall emotional health.

Now is the time to create amazing music playlists for your wedding. Personally, I love using Spotify, but there are others such as iTunes and again YouTube. Once you’re ready to party at your wedding, share the playlists with your DJ.

Lockdown life also means that you have more time to practice dance performances. For us South Asians in particular, we take our sangeet and reception party performances seriously. Local dance instructors and YouTube artists are taking this time out to share their talents with you online. Once again, you’re supporting these businesses from the comfort of your own home.

Create A Wedding Website

Are you one of those couples who had to postpone their wedding? Do not fear because We  have a solution for you – create a wedding website!

Having a wedding website is more important than ever as it allows you to communicate all the pivotal details to your guests. They can access information regarding your venue (or venues), maps, accommodation, timings, gift registry links and above all, track RSVP’s and dietaries.

Some of my personal favourites are Wedsites, The Knot and Wix. They’re mobile friendly too, so wedding guests can track all information on the go. Each of these wedding planning websites’ have a range of different tools you can use within their platforms and there are loads of beautiful templates to choose from.

Say goodbye to spreadsheets and the constant back and forth emails with your wedding party or guests. Wedding websites are super easy to set up and helps you to streamline a lot of wedding planning tasks.

Once again, We want to express my concern for everyone who is currently impacted by Covid19, but I do want you to remain hopeful. You have the time and the capacity right now to focus on wedding planning tasks that matter to you and your partner. After all, wedding planning in lockdown should be fun! Have you got any additional tips to share with us? Let me know in the comments