Wedding planning is meant to be a bit of a ballache but it’s also, usually, quite fun. There is, after all, one massive party to look forward to.
But this isn’t fun anymore. Forget Plan B, we’ve gone way beyond the 26 plans the alphabet allows, and now, planning seems like a fool’s game. There’s only so many Excel spreadsheets and guest-dumping a girl can do. So what now?
How do you keep the excitement of being engaged and planning a wedding alive – while not getting sucked into booking venues again and having to cancel at the last minute?
Well, quite simply, as well as knowing the best wedding insurance policies out there, you also need a few things to look forward to.
This isn’t just an indulgent idea, it’s a strategy to ensure you both enjoy the process of getting married.
So, here are some ideas for surviving wedding planning in 2021. Let’s break up the wedmin bollocks and get some fun booked in the diary…
Clearly, not the big wedding – but how about a ‘starter wedding’?
In England, from the 12th of April, fifteen people should be allowed to gather for a wedding outdoors. So grab the chance while you have it, before any new blasted variant has the chance of buggering things up.
Keep it simple and sweet. No stress, keep it cheap – just ensure you bring shed loads of love, a gorgeous dress and take lots of beautiful photos.
You don’t even need to invite that many folk – maybe just you two, the officiant and your parents or besties as witnesses.
Then you can relax a bit and plan the big bash when it all feels less stressful. You’re already officially hitched!
It’s hard to keep track of all the changing advice and the nuances of the wedding industry regulations, but we’ve found the Alison Hargreaves from Guides for Brides incredible helpful.
Her videos are always very timely and she somehow manages to make sense of Boris’s latest ramblings and all the complex regulations. Follow Guides on Facebook
How awful. Having to read the small print of your Wedding Insurance Policy.
When we got hitched, insurance seemed like a ridiculous extravagance; a bit of a con basically. Now, sadly, it just seems sensible.
But where do you start? Well, reviews that aren’t sponsored by the Wedding Insurance Industry.
In the UK that means Which?. They give loads of free advice about what you need to consider before opting for any insurance but you do have to subscribe to see their reviews of the actual policies and find out the best one for you.
Worth noting they do have introductory offers, so you might just want to review fridges/laptops/anything else you’re considering buying while you’re there.
But back to the Wedding Insurance… interestingly Which? states that if you pay for anything more than £100 and up to £30,000 with a credit card, you can claim your money back from your credit card provider if there is a problem with goods or services that constitutes a breach of contract. Reassuring, but that also means you have to be on top of all your supplier and venue contracts, so to us at least, good insurance still seems like the sensible option.
Another trusted ally is Money Saving Expert. Sure, Martin Lewis is ever so slightly terrifying but he knows his stuff.
Something nice to take your minds off things…and god, don’t you need it?!
Start brewing your free bar and make your own booze for the wedding. It means you’re doing something productive, whilst having some fun (esp if you’re having to sample several batches!).
We recommend the BBC good foods recipe. Officially delicious.
And if you invest in mini bottles – it can make really lovely favours for the day. Just don’t be tempted to scoff them before the big day!
It’s time to kick off the second wave of Zoom parties. We all need an excuse to dress up and have a drink or six.
The good thing about this is you can schedule several different zooms, really get your planning teeth into them and theme the fun accordingly. The ‘naughty lot’, the ‘posh crew’, the family etc.
Make it a proper ‘event’ – so invites posted (old school!), dress code applied, and you can even send canapes and champers if you want to make it a bit special!
Dress up and have speeches, humorous vows and an appropriate DJ set lined up.
Add some love to the diary
Take our Lockdown Love Quiz. You don’t need a crowd to say nice things to each other.
Or – a bigger project – challenge your partner, and yourself, to write a mini wedding speech and present it to each other over a bottle of fizz and the finest of takeaways! If nothing else, it will be a laugh.
Of course, your wedding speech is one of the few to-dos you can actually tick off without worrying the effort will go to waste, so worth putting the effort in now while you can.
Consider giving a joint speech or check out our advice on delivering a speech in covid times or at smaller weddings.
A photoshoot outdoors is always a lot more fun than it sounds, even if you usually hate getting your photo taken.
If you never bothered getting an engagement shoot, this is your chance to bond, have some giggles and get some visual memories of how a tough year also had some lovely moments as part of it.
Check out some of the photographers Speechy uses on the site.
Whatever you choose to do (or not do) share the love (and pain) involved in trying to get married this year. Find a forum to let off stream and pick some brains…
Loads of forums to pick from – just Google to find the right tribe for you- or make sure you’re using the right hashtags on social.
Great for advice but even better just knowing there are other people in your bridal boat.
It’s easy to get caught up in the stress of it all; worrying that there’s double the amount of couples wanting to get married this year and every decent venue and supplier will be booked up.
But are you really the type of person who sets an alarm for 5am on holiday just so you can be the first to throw your towel over a sunlounger? No.
Accept that planning is really difficult this year and you’re going to have to, whether you like it or not, take a more bridechilla approach.
Your wedding might not be in the perfect venue, you may not be able to book that photographer you wanted but ultimately, the most important thing is you’re marrying your favourite person in the whole world.
It’s hard to remember in amongst all this wedding planning stress, but if this experience hasn’t already put you off getting hitched, well, you’ve obviously got something special there and you’re really bloody lucky.
And When You Finally Have A Wedding Date…
Remember the Speechy team can help you add an awesome moment to your day.
We craft amazing speeches for happy couples around the world and we’re ‘Excellent’ Rated on Trustpilot.
Give us a call if you want to find out more about how we work, the services we offer and our DELIGHT GUARANTEE.
We’re happy to give you 15 mins of our time with no obligation to work with us.
Call Heidi on 07971 224 245, email hello@speechy.com or you may prefer to WhatsApp us.
We’re a global service and help clients all over the world.
