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Postponing your wedding due to Coronavirus

Planning a wedding in itself isn’t easy but to then have to do the unthinkable and re-arrange it, can feel like it’s turning into a nightmare. But if you are one of the thousands of couples who have had to postpone your special day due to the Coronavirus then just remember, you aren’t alone. Your family, friends, suppliers and venues all want to support you and get you through this difficult time.

Yes, it’s upsetting and so disappointing when you have put all that time and effort into the planning to find that things have to be changed. Those with March and early April weddings haven’t had long to make the decision so it feels particularly hard as the last few weeks in the lead up to the wedding should be full of excitement and joy. We have to try and look for the positives right now and remember that you will get your big day but now you have a bit more time, you can definitely make it worth the wait! It’s always better to postpone, rather than cancel.

By postponing you are keeping everyone safe, you don’t have to worry that people won’t be able to make it for fear of their health and you won’t be restricted on your number of guests. When this is all over people will be so grateful to see everyone, celebrating with you will mean even more!

Read on for practical ideas on postponing

When you’ve spoken with your venue for a new date, check with your main bridal party, in particular those you couldn’t imagine not having at your wedding. Get in touch with all your suppliers to see if they are available. Don’t delay in getting in touch with your suppliers because there are lots of couples re-arranging so dates could be booking up quickly. I’ve had a few couples move from spring weddings to winter weddings.

Ask your venue for a couple of new dates, check these with your suppliers to find the best one

Check with your wedding insurance provider as to what you are covered against, especially if some suppliers are unable to re-arrange and you’ve paid deposits.
If the season or the particular date of your wedding is important to you then consider postponing until 2021. I know it sounds a long way away but it really does come round quick. You will be more in control with less uncertainty that it will go ahead, your colour scheme and dress will still be ok for the time of year. Plus it will also give you extra time to save – does that open up the budget a bit more for something you really wanted, a chance to upgrade your menu or book the entertainer you had your eye on? The gift of time may also allow you to add the extra touches if you felt you were running out of time!
Considering a weekday wedding may open up the possibility of dates being available and possibly be cheaper.

When re-arranging, choose a date far enough in the future that will give you the chance to enjoy the build-up of the last few weeks before your wedding.

Let your guests know your decision to postpone as soon as possible, an email should suffice but it may be worth a phone call to those who won’t look at their emails. Delegate someone in your wedding party so send emails or make calls for you if it’s too difficult right now. You could contact them personally a couple of days later. Be kind and give yourself some time out – don’t read emails for a couple of days if it’s too raw and painful.
When you’ve got your new date you might want to send ‘re-save the date’ cards. They don’t have to cost a lot and you can either use a template and send it electronically or get them printed. Make it light-hearted and keep your guests excited about your day!
Make sure you mark your original wedding date by doing something special. If we’re still in lockdown why not Facetime your wedding party, bake a cake in the flavours of your wedding cake or write your wedding vows ready for your new date. You could get dressed up so you feel special, cook a nice meal and have your first dance (or at least practice!).

A nice meal for date night marking your original wedding date

If you’re changing from a Spring to a Winter wedding, just add fairy lights and candles!!

For your dress, could you add sleeves? Wear a cape or bolero. Even a leather jacket or embroidered denim jacket. Your bridesmaids could keep warm with a pashmina or stole.
If your legs are covered by your dress you could wear tights for warmth.
Instead of a sweetie table, offer a hot chocolate bar with different toppings!
Add sequins to your tables or your decor as they will sparkle and reflect the light for a romantic ambience.
Pale blues could be turned into icy blue and teamed with silver.
Grooms look great in dark coloured suits, possibly tweed or something textured like velvet.

Use lockdown wisely

Get on with some wedmin and tick some things off your to-do list. Update your wedding website so your guests are in the loop.
You may need to start new Pinterest boards especially if your season has changed. If you are too far into your planning, or your budget won’t allow you to change elements – Don’t… Stick with the colours and themes you have, you chose them for a reason and that’s your style. Not everything has to match – the important thing is that you get to marry your partner, surrounded by your loved ones, the day you have been waiting for!

Other fun ideas for wedding planning in lockdown – practice your first dance/create a routine! Write an ice breaker quiz for your wedding tables or something to entertain them like a photo scavenger hunt.
Sort your wedding morning ‘getting ready’ playlist or create a list of your favourite party songs for your evening do.
Why not try a new skill – maybe learn calligraphy to make your wedding signs or address envelopes.
You could even use the time to write a letter to give to your hubby-to-be on your wedding morning.
Maybe turn your hand to a bit of wedding DIY for your favours or place cards, get creative!
There’s no reason you can’t continue to plan with your bride tribe – have virtual planning meetings with a glass of fizz in hand of course (no-one is driving!!).
Contact suppliers to finalise details – most suppliers will be small businesses that will have a bit more time right now to help and will be glad to support you.

Above all, remember the reason you are getting married and that after all this, you still have each other and you will have your special day.

It will be worth waiting for!

Rebecca xx

You’re engaged!! Now What?!

Diamond engagement ring in a dish saying Love. Words read, you're engaged, now plan your wedding. — Wedding Planning Top Tips

Well first things first – Congratulations!! How exciting. I’d love to hear how the proposal went…..were you surprised? Did you suspect he was up to something? Where were you? So many details and it’s all really exciting!
TOP TIP: Take some time to enjoy this moment and don’t rush head first into wedding planning.

The money!

So once you’ve told friends and family and got used to being called “fiancee” it’s time to start thinking about the wedding, and one of the first places to start (as boring as it is) is with the budget. Chat with family members who are contributing and come to the figure you are all comfortable with. It doesn’t have to be to the penny but having an idea will help you to manage your priorities.

Allocate more of your budget to the aspects that are important to you. If you are wanting a once in a lifetime honeymoon, allocate more to that. If you are foodies – then keep more aside for some good food. Is it important to you to have a theme/colour scheme and set the scene to wow your guests? Then allocate some of your budget to venue styling and decor. If you aren’t bothered about traditional elements like a cake, then allocate money elsewhere.

Who to invite

The next thing to start thinking about is a guest list – to start with it needs to be a rough list so that you have an idea of numbers when venue visiting. Start with your closest family and friends who are “must have” and work from there. Having your budget and a list will help you work out your maximum numbers for both the full day and evening. It’s important to have an idea of the maximum number of guests when looking at venues – don’t fall in love with a venue that can only hold 50 people when your list of guests is 85. Otherwise you’ll be looking how you can cull your list!! Keep track of your list on an wedding planning app or on a spreadsheet and you’ll be able to log when you’ve sent invites and received RSVPs etc.

Remember : These first few stages are kind of interchangeable, they all need to be done but choose which order you want to do them in.

When will it be?

Have a think about a date – you might know that you definitely want a summer wedding or that you’ve always dreamt of a cosy winter wedding but it will help to steer conversations with venues. The availability of a venue might decide the date for you!

If not, where do you start? First of all think about the year – how long do you want to plan for, also will your savings allow you to do it this year or is next year better. Is there a date that is important to you (an anniversary or similar). A fab day for a wedding this year was 02.02.2020, a palindromic date! Does your date need to fit with the best time to go to on your dream honeymoon so you avoid hurricane season!

More and more weddings take place on different days of the week to a Saturday now, some weekdays may even be cheaper – check with your venue!
An important note when choosing your date is to check special dates, bank holidays, key sporting events. The last thing you want is half your guests secretly listening to the World Cup final during your reception!!!

Where will it be?

The Venue – The fun bit and the bit that makes the planning real! You may have your dream venue in mind but if not have a look round at different venues and styles before picking the one for you. Whether that’s a stately home, a countryside hotel, a barn, a tipi or a village Hall. Check out when local venues have wedding fairs, these are a great opportunity to see the venue set up for a ceremony and reception to help you visualise how it will look and give you inspiration. Bear in mind that your budget is going to be an important part of this decision… boring I know but needs must!

Wedding Party

Choose your bride tribe! Again you will probably already have thought of this and there will be obvious people to fill the roles……but don’t feel obligated to choose someone if they don’t fit with your ideas. I’ll say this here, but remember it during your planning – it is your day and whilst you can consider other people’s suggestions/opinions, don’t agonise over it and do what feels right for you and your future husband on your special day!
Choose people to be by your side who will help you, support you and who you can rely on. You need those around you that will calm you, make you feel good and keep your spirits up if you get stressed. Planning will be a whole load more fun if you have a great team around you who help to lighten the load!

These are the biggies to start you off but remember, don’t panic and don’t worry, it all doesn’t have to be planned in a weekend. Take your time, chat to your partner and family. Stay true to yourself, share tasks with others and most of all make it fun!! Planning doesn’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) stressful. Use our wedding planner checklist to help guide you and give you a timeline for your planning. Download below or view the images below.

Wedding-Planning-Checklist-2 Download

Rebecca xx

From Miss to Mrs

Congratulations, you’ve just got married! After all that planning and sorting and organising, you’ve had the best day. But now to married life and that comes with its own admin and sorting if you are changing your name! But where do you start?

Who do I need to tell that I have changed my name?

It’s easy to think of the ones that relate to your identity first so driving licence and passport. It doesn’t cost anything to change your name on your driving licence and you can still drive whilst you wait for it to come back, check out the details here. Then there’s the bank. And work, let the HR department know at work and this should filter through to a payroll and possibly IT, to update your email address.

What about your personal email address, will you be changing that and diverting your old email account to that? I did, it took a while for me to unsubscribe from emails with my old email and add my new one but slowly and surely I got there! It was a good excuse to weed out some of the subscriptions I no longer wanted.

I think the best thing to remember is that it is a process that takes a bit of time. Don’t get overwhelmed with a big list and think you have to do it all now. Below is a list of all the organisations and things to think of when changing your name. The thing that prompted this blog was that still 2 years after getting married I had forgotten to tell someone about my name change! Work through the list at your own pace and prioritise the more urgent ones.

List of who to tell when you change your name

TOP TIP: I would recommend you get another copy or 2 of your marriage certificate (you can order these before the big day if you remember). Having extra copies means you always keep one and never have to send the only copy you have, just in case it doesn’t come back.

Good luck and enjoy married life.
Rebecca xx

Summer Weddings 2019

Summer months are always a busy time for wedding suppliers and 2019 was no different for Sitting Pretty Chair Covers. Our busiest weekend was August Bank Holiday weekend where we dressed 5 lovely weddings!

Over that weekend we dressed 343 chairs with chair covers, tied 316 bows and travelled over 200 miles.

5 weddings with chair covers — August Bank Holiday weddings with chair covers

The first wedding of the weekend was teal organza sashes on the elegant chiavari chairs at the beautiful Devonshire Fell, Burnsall.
Hot pink sashes over white chair covers added the colour to Karen & Phil’s wedding reception at the Halfway House, Baildon.
Two weddings took place at the Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton, one had white chair covers and beautiful raspberry pink bows and the second one was gorgeous, subtle peach sashes over ivory lycra chair covers.
The fifth wedding on Bank Holiday Monday at the Devonshire Fell was a real classic of shimmering white sashes over elegant loose white cotton chair covers, a gorgeous white wedding. It was my 2nd wedding anniversary too!

Pink has been a very popular colour this year – hot pink, lavender pink and raspberry pink have all added colour at some beautiful weddings in 2019. It looks as though rich, vibrant red is going to feature for the winter weddings.

Hope you had a lovely summer,
Rebecca xx

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