Now it’s 2021, a new year, spring is coming! And there’s a sense of strong conviction to live our lives in the best way possible. Engaged couples have no doubt have heard the term “micro weddings” many times by now as a possible solution to their wedding plans. Micro weddings refers to small (low guest count) and intimate weddings, which is a definite trend right now due to the social restrictions in place.
As a wedding planner I am thinking about the best solution for couples who want to get married right now or have had their wedding plans completely disrupted. Recently I had a couple who were supposed to have a destination wedding in Turkey in 2020. They paused their plans for a few months while considering their options, only to realize what they wanted more than anything was to be married to each other.
We had a small and intimate wedding, a micro wedding, right in their apartment with a beautiful floral and balloon background wall in the middle of their living room where the ceremony was held. The local BC wedding officiant was there, a few close friends and we zoomed the ceremony online for loved ones near and far. There was a simple and tasteful appetizer bar spread out on the kitchen island and labelled lunch nibbles from local restaurants spread out across the counter. The wedding cake was baked by a close friend of theirs, and voila we had ourselves a beautiful reception. Right in their home.
Now I’m not saying this is how you need to do your wedding, putting aside my wedding planner role, and speaking as a human being who loves people and life; engaged couples should have their wedding regardless of what is going on in the world right now!
No one knows when couples can have their “normal” planned wedding
What I am saying is definitely going against the grain in what is being said in the wedding world. The simple fact is, no one knows when couples can have their “normal” planned wedding. The rules vary from province to province and from one day to the next. There was speculation in BC that you could resume having a large wedding in summer 2021, now its summer of 2022. The simple fact is that nobody knows. Nobody knows what the public health order will be like in the next month or the next year. The public health orders have changed sporadically and they will continue to change as time goes on.
So how can you plan for that wedding of yours a year from now? Nobody knows how this virus will affect our lives in the future. This makes the current state of the world truly extraordinary. So during this extraordinary time, as a fellow human being, I urge any engaged couples to just get married! However you can! Keep it small and simple. Get family members or friends to “gift” their special expertise to your wedding, this makes for a great solution to vendors who are delaying or cancelling their services. Perhaps a friend who is an amazing baker can contribute a wedding cake? An aunt who is crafty can help with decorations?
Weddings are the most wonderful celebration, but when it comes down to it, it is just that, a celebration, a party, celebrating the start of a marriage. Weddings last a day ( yes a very special day) but the marriage is what will last forever. So my advice to engaged couples, not as a wedding planner, as a fellow human being; is decide whether you want a wedding or a marriage, and start your forever.
