Hello one and all!

It has been a whilst since I’ve had a natter. Last year I kept you all up to date with my own covid wedding planning journey but I’m aware I’ve been a bit quiet recently. Largely because I had a lot to say previously and I figured you’d all be bored of hearing about it when so many other people were also dealing with not just wedding postponements but other significant events being interrupted at best, as well as everything else that came with lockdown(s) and of course covid itself.

The start of the year

I don’t know about you, but I started this year and very naively thought 2020 was behind us, and so would covid be, right?! I came back to the office in January with a spring in my step and feeling super positive, looking forward to my summer of weddings and finally being able to get married myself. This feeling was experienced by many I think, as I took a few new bookings that week and could tell there was optimism in the air. I hate to say it, but this was short lived.

It soon became apparent that things were a long way from normal yet. I quickly found myself postponing and cancelling yet more weddings. Another wedding season in jeopardy. This is something I think the industry as a whole is still trying to get its head around. Of course with the way things have been we fully understand weddings going ahead wouldn’t have been appropriate, but it’s safe to say when all this started last year and plans were moved to 2021, I genuinely don’t think it crossed anyone’s mind that there may still be problems come 2021. It’s a bit of a shock to the system when you stop and think about it. I guess that goes for all aspects of life though and not just the wedding industry!

Much like last year, this is something that has affected me both professionally and personally.

Professionally

I am genuinely gutted to have lost or delayed so many weddings again. After only one wedding in 2020, I was SO excited for what 2021 had in store, so many long awaited plans finally coming to fruition. Feeling the wedding day buzz again. My first UK wedding should have been in March, now my first is due to take place on 10th July. My first Italian wedding should have been in April, now my first will hopefully be 14th July. Everything in between has not been able to go ahead. I feel for these affected couples so so much, some weddings were already postponed from 2020 and have had to be changed again, others were experiencing the postponement process for the first time….either way, it’s emotionally draining.

On a much more positive note though, I have found this round of postponements far less stressful than last year. In some ways I think couples have too. We’re kind of used to all this now. Initially it all came out of no where on a scale that I certainly hadn’t had to deal with before. I almost took each postponement or cancellation personally, even though I knew it was nothing to do with me. This year, I’m taking it all in my stride. It is what it is, we are where we are, and I’m remaining hopeful that a good number of this summer’s weddings will be able to go ahead. I got through last year, I will get through this year. There is a lot to be positive about, plus all is not lost just yet!

Personally

We have just postponed our wedding for the second time. We were due to get married in Spain in June, having postponed from August 2020. We’ve now moved it by just a couple of months to August 2021.

Quite honestly I don’t know if we’re mad to still be trying to get married abroad this year. If our date was always later this year I’d certainly be holding out with hope, but to actually go through the postponement process again for just a couple of months, is that crazy? Maybe.

We really umm-ed and ahh-ed before making a decision. I had a month or two of relentlessly looking into options… considering UK venues as potential alternatives as that felt a bit more ‘safe’, weighing up how much money we’d loose if we switched from Spain to the UK, religiously checking the news searching for information that I already knew wasn’t there, sleeping badly etc. My 10-day to fortnightly meltdown was so inevitable it even became a running joke between Alex and I.

It got to the point we just weren’t enjoying it anymore. Any time we spoke about the wedding it was with emotion, fear and stress. Hardly the build up you want to have.

We knew a decision needed making and that we would have to stick with that, confident we made that decision based on the information available to us at the time. It’s so easy to think ‘but what if we decide this now and then in 2 weeks time that happens’ but that’s not helpful to anyone.

We contacted all our family and friends to say the wedding wouldn’t be going ahead in June, but we still didn’t quite know what to do or when it would be going ahead. Alex was ready long before me to take the plunge and go for August 2021, I was a lot more hesitant. For me it was just the fear of getting excited again only to have it all taken away once more. I still have that worry to be honest. I was searching for certainty that just won’t be there with anything in 2021. Rationally I know that, but irrationally I just wanted that little bit more clarity before committing.

Of course the ‘easier’ option would be to postpone to 2022, and that is always available to us, but we really just don’t want to keep waiting if we can avoid it. Life is short and recent events have taught us that if nothing else, so whilst we know 2022 will be here before we know it, getting married this year is a big priority for us if we can possibly make it happen.

Now we’ve made the decision to go for this August and I have to say I’ve felt the most optimistic and excited about it that I have in a LONG time. Plans are getting underway again…all beauty appointments booked, dress fittings scheduled, bridesmaid alterations booked, hen-do replanned. It is starting to feel a little bit normal and like it might actually happen this time. I am SO excited for it!

The UK roadmap and vaccination programme have been going really well (we had our first vaccines last week which we’re very grateful for!) and it definitely feels like some level of ‘normal’ life is coming back, at least within touching distance. How nice has it been so far?!

It’s been such a good feeling, like a weight has been lifted and I realise what a negative Nelly I have been over recent months. Like many, we had a hell of a 2020 with work and personal life, and although it could have been so much worse for us, I have recently realised just how much it all got me down.

Staying Positive

I’m really trying to remain positive now. I write that tentatively…my current fear is the Indian variant in the UK is increasing and what if we end up going backwards again, I’m not sure how well I’ll handle postponing for a 3rd time let alone lockdowns or tightening of restrictions again…but despite that I’m making a conscious decision to think positively and remain optimistic. We absolutely have reason to be and if things do change, well we’ll cross those bridges together if and when we get to them.

I am confident that the next blog post I bring you will be filled with a gorgeous wedding…whether that’s my couples or my own. There is still a lot in store for the summer of 2021!