Postponing your wedding due to coronavirus? Our Real brides perspective
Tying the knot during covid-19
CHANGING YOUR WEDDING PLANS DURING CORONAVIRUS
As we all know, the current times are challenging for everyone. However, for couples with weddings whos plans have been completely put on hold it is particularly so.
So much planning goes into every aspect of a wedding from the selection of the dress , venues, flowers and guest seating.
With the current government restrictions across Australia allowing no more than 5 people at a wedding. That means couples need to go with 5 people or cancel their plans completely.
All of our current brides have been affected in some way by the pandemic and each one is dealing with it in various ways.
We spoke with our bride Francesca on her own wedding that has been severely effected by the covid-19 pandemic.
Francesca was planning to go home to the UK for her April 2020 wedding , unfortunately that wasn’t to be, for now.
We created a stunning custom couture , one of a kind gown for Francesca. It was exactly the dream wedding dress she had always wanted & she looks incredible in it. We cant wait to see the photos of Francescas wedding in December.
We would love to tell you more about Francescas dress…. but thats a tightly held secret for now!
When did you decide to change your wedding date? What is your new plan?
We realised that it was rather likely we'd have to postpone pretty early on - around 14th March. This was because the UK (where we are getting married was going downhill rather quickly.
We got potential back-up dates from our venue and church and then started reaching out to suppliers asking firstly what hygiene arrangements they had implemented and secondly what their contingency plans were. It became apparent within about a week that 9 May was not going to be possible so we confirmed a new date within a bout a week and half. We couldn't bear the thought of going through the full faff of moving it AGAIN and so chose to postpone to 11 December.
Real bride Dee at her Irish wedding late 2019, wearing Summer gown with removable raw silk skirt
Image Angela Farragher Photography
What was the impact of the change for you and your fiance?
We are lucky in that we took out insurance and that most of our suppliers were really collaborative in moving the date and taking all funds and applying to new booking. We've agreed to still pay most suppliers in the timeline for the original payment schedule so that they can balance finances better. We will have some extra costs though - ie, warmer clothes/accessories for bride, bridesmaids, more expensive flowers / decorations as winter venues often need more 'dressing'.
The wedding is now on a Friday, which wasn't something we particularly wanted when we were first planning but it's not such a big deal. At least we can give 9 months notice to our guests! It does mean that some of my fiance's cousin's kids (a close family) won't be able to come until much later but that's how it is, I guess. It means our first anniversary will be on a Saturday which is kind of cool!
Mark your original wedding date by doing something special
How will you mark your original wedding date? Are you planning to do something special?
It's not until 9 May but are currently planning a bit of a 'date' day, where we have a good brunch at home, get dressed up nicely, splash out on drinking champagne and video calling our families, wedding parties and close friends.
A change of wedding date could be the chance to restyle for a new season
How do you think this will affect your new wedding day? Will you keep the same plans or will you change anything eg venue, style?
We are very lucky that the colour scheme (and GORGEOUS Moira Hughes dress) will work well in winter. It's a rich (but vibrant) dark green, with elements of gold and some blush. The flowers are likely to have to change - less peonies, more winter roses - but we were planning to be quite foliage heavy anyway, so that's good. We're going to need to invest more in decoration. Originally the drinks reception was in a beautiful old courtyard that didn't need dressing but it will now be in a library room that will benefit from flowers/ candles/ lights. I'm a BIG fan of fairy lights though so this isn't so bad!!
Your bridesmaids are there to support you and help you celebrate when your wedding date comes around
Image Lara Hotz Photography
What advice would you offer other brides in a similar situation?
As one of my bridesmaids said to me: you could be getting married in 20 years and you'd still have the same man at the end of the aisle, the same girl squad by your side. I'd also say to be kind to yourself - let yourself feel the disappointment.
Although there's a LOT of crap going on in this crazy world, this is something my fiance and I have been planning for a year and half and it's really disappointing to have to delay it.
Try to keep an eye out for ways that your NEW date will be EVEN BETTER than the original one. For me, one happy change is that it will mean my sister can attend the wedding. She was due to give birth to my niece and goddaughter just a few weeks before the original date and wouldn't have been able to fly Melbourne-London with such a small baby... but now she can come! And I can put my nephew in the CUTEST little waistcoat!
We pack our wedding gowns in protective garment bags that are perfect to store your dress in
How & where have you stored your dress?
My dress is stored in the Moira Hughes bag in a closet in the spare bedroom where we are staying. I've peeked at it a few times but generally trying not to touch it too much! I'm worried about it (it's so precious!!) but I'm sure it will be fine.