Coronavirus And Your Wedding
Are you one of the many brides who has gone from worrying about the weather and seating plans to a pandemic disrupting your day?
Don’t Panic
You’re in the same boat as thousands of others so with the uncertainty of Coronavirus gripping the country, I thought I’d write a blog to try and answer some of the many questions you might have right now.
“Whenever There’s A Problem, There’s Always A Solution”
Destination Weddings
It’s a bit of an uncomfortable waiting game right now to see what will happen over the coming days and months but don’t do anything drastic, the information changes hourly and with the right management, this could be over within weeks.
If your wedding was due to take place within the next month in one of the affected areas such as Italy or Spain, you have two choices, consider postponing your wedding or moving the destination entirely. Speak to your venue, they will understand the situation, we’re all in the same boat! You should be able to claim back any travel expenses and so should your guests. It’s a really tough time but know that it’s not ruined, it can still happen just on a different date.
Wedding Dresses
I’ve read the panicked posts in many of the wedding forums from brides wondering if their dress is going to be delivered on time. Yes, many bridal gowns are manufactured in China BUT the good news is my dresses aren’t made in China. At the moment, my dresses are not delayed but IF for any reason this changes, I will be prioritising brides that have weddings coming up. If you’re just beginning to think about your wedding dress for next year, NOW is the time to be shopping because manufacturers might have to increase delivery times to cope with the demand and a decrease in shipments.
If for any reason your gown from another boutique has been disrupted and you cannot get it in time for your wedding day, consider buying ‘off the peg’. I have a beautiful collection of dresses, I can sell ‘off the peg’ and you can leave with your dress on the same day! We’re all in this together so I will do whatever I can to make sure wedding days are still memorable for all the right reasons.
Seamstresses are working as normal and dress alterations continue, if you’re worried for any reason about your appointment, please get in touch.
If I become ill, I have friends and family waiting in the wings so you will be able to collect your dress no matter what! I have thought of all eventualities to make sure everything continues as normal.
Shop Locally
If you’ve ordered anything from China such as favours, decorations or even flowers, it might be delayed so either make your own or shop locally or even just do without. I have never said “that wedding was great because the favours were so good!”.
Flowers are probably also a concern because many are shipped in from across Europe but the good news is, we live in Cornwall and we’re surrounded by beautiful blooms. Speak to your florist who will know which flowers are native or choose to go wild, it’s still a huge trend.
The Show Can Still Go On
Wedding date set? Check! Venue? Set! Wedding Dress Bought? Yep! It’s still OK to plan for your wedding to go ahead. This is an international issue that is going to affect everyone, we don’t know for how long but with honest conversation with suppliers and guests, the show can still go on but maybe with a few giant bottles of hand sanitiser on the side! Speak to your venue and suppliers and run through worst case scenarios and come up with a plan B, it will make you feel a lot better but will probably never be needed.
IF, IF, IF the government reduce the number of people allowed to gather at any one time, this may impact your guest list so be prepared for this! Some of your guests may not want to travel anyway.
If you’re worried about elderly relatives travelling or being in close contact with your other guests, maybe embrace technology and live stream your wedding so they can still feel a part of your big day!
What About Your Upcoming Appointment?
I have no intention of going anywhere and hope that despite all the uncertainty it won’t take away from the excitement that comes with wedding planning. Start shopping early to give yourself plenty of time and no last minute panics. As this develops, there may be delays so the more time, the better!
My appointments are and always will be one to one, this is so you get the best possible dress buying experience but when there’s a pandemic, it’s also great for hygiene reasons! I love to clean anyway but this is giving me an excuse to get out my cleaning products even more. Be reassured that as a boutique, I will be swiping down services and cleaning everything with sanitiser products even more than I already do to help you feel safe.
If you feel ill, please call me, even if it’s just a few minutes before your appointment, I’d rather you cancelled and we re-schedule for another time when you’re well. The chances are you don’t have Coronavirus but let’s not take any chances.
If we do go into lockdown, I will reschedule your appointment but while you wait, scroll through my dress collection here, choose your favourites and follow me on Instagram for lots of wedding inspiration!
Hopefully this will all be over in a few weeks and life will return to ‘normal’. In the meantime, I know many of you will be feeling anxious and I will do my best to continue to keep you up to date with all the latest news from the wedding industry.
Stay safe and well.
Elaine x
