Wedding planning during lockdown? So many people are now at home and finding they have much more time on their hands. So why not put this extra time to good use and get ahead with your wedding planning. 
What you can make progress with will depend on what stage you’re at with your planning as you obviously can’t view venues or meet suppliers face to face.
But hopefully there’ll be a number of things on here that you can be getting on with. There are also lots of links to other articles which will give you more detail on certain elements.
Budget
Now everyone knows how much I’m always going on about your wedding budget. If you haven’t done this yet, make this the first thing you get done while you have extra time on your hands. You can see my tips on this here.
Guest list
If you’ve not finalised your guest list yet, this is a great time to get this done. I always suggest doing this on an Excel spreadsheet and then it’s easy to add on menu choices and dietary requirements later.
Stationery
You can still be looking for stationery designs and many places will still be accepting orders for printing.
If your invitations need handwriting or your envelopes need addressing use this time to do this, you don’t need to do them all at once but doing a few a day will soon have them sorted.
You might be in a position to start writing your thank you cards or at the least choosing thank you gifts for your close family members and bridal party. You can get them ordered and delivered ready to be wrapped ahead of the wedding.
Additionally, you could design and order other stationery such as order of service, welcome sign, seating plan etc.
Image Credit: Boho Chic Weddings
Venue research and questions to ask them
If you haven’t found your perfect venue yet, then obviously you can’t arrange any viewings yet. And unless you’ve already viewed them, I wouldn’t advise booking without a viewing.
But you can do some research and make a shortlist of places to visit when you’re able. More advice here on finding the right place and questions to ask them when you do visit.
Flower Research
This might be particularly relevant if you’ve had to change your wedding date and it’s now in a different season. Research what flowers will be available in your wedding season. Using in season flowers means you have much more chance of them being available and they should be less expensive as they’re not being brought into the country.
Image Credit: Aden Priest Photography
Supplier research & enquiries
If you still need to book some of your suppliers you could spend some time researching options and sending off some enquiries for your date to check availability and pricing. You should be able to have a video call with most suppliers so you can get a good feel for whether they are right for you.
DIY projects
This is the perfect time to get cracking on those DIY projects that you’ve got lined up. I always advise couples not to leave them until the last minute anyway as time just runs away with you the nearer it gets to your wedding date.
So time to start making a dent in those 100’s of pom poms you wanted or that ribbon backdrop. And now the weather is picking up, you can get outside with that spray paint to attack those jars or picture frames or whatever else you’ve been collecting!
Dress & Suit Research
Again, if you’ve not got your outfits ordered yet, you can’t try any on anywhere right now.
But you can look at what styles you think you’d like and start looking for local stockists of designers you particularly like. Then you’re ready to make appointments once the boutiques are allowed to open again.
Image Credit: Cristina Ilao
Wear in your wedding shoes
You can both do this while you’re at home. Wear your shoes around the house to make sure you don’t get any blisters on your wedding day.
Group shots /must have shots for your photographer
If there are specific shots or groups which you really want your photographer to capture, then start making this list now. It’s a good idea to share it with your photographer ahead of your wedding.
And ask someone with a loud voice to be responsible for finding people for group shots on the day and share the list with them. Your photographer will really appreciate this help.
Write your vows
If you’re having a celebrant ceremony and writing your own vows then this is a great time to be writing your vows. Your celebrant should be available to chat to on the phone or video call to help you with this process.
Choose your music
Why not spend some time choosing your music for your ceremony. You’ll typically need a song for your entrance, 2 songs to be played while you’re signing the register and then one song for leaving the ceremony.
You might not be able to check this currently but make a note to find out how you need to supply the music. Some places will just ask you for the songs, others will need them on a USB or CD so it’s best to know this in good time.
Your Gift list
Now is a great time to put together your wedding gift list. There are plenty of online options you can use for this but I always recommend Prezola to my couples.
They have an amazing choice of gifts as well as being able to add honeymoon donations and experiences to your list. And if you use the link above, you’ll get an extra £50 credit when your guest spend on gifts reaches £200.
I can pass hours browsing on Pinterest. Depending on what stage of your planning you are at, it might be worth creating some Pinterest boards for things like hair & make up, nails, accessories, table décor.
Image Credit: Shutter Go Click
Shop for accessories
If you haven’t bought accessories like shoes, jewellery, hair accessories etc, then now is the time to get looking. Many online suppliers are still available and will probably be very grateful of the custom right now.
Look at ideas for your honeymoon
Currently, the Foreign Office are advising against all but essential travel abroad and many airlines have grounded all their aircraft. However, if your wedding isn’t until 2021 or even later, then there’s no harm in looking at your options and researching various places.
I think you should be mindful of the fact that we have no idea when travel will be back to normal or what the impacts may be on prices and availability. But it doesn’t hurt to have a shortlist of places you’d like to go and even if you can’t have your honeymoon straight after your wedding, having this to look forward to would be amazing.
I hope this helps you to get productive and keep busy during this unsettling time. If you’d like some more personal support with your planning then why not get in touch. I’m always happy to chat about your wedding and what sort of help you might need.
Louise
