Having to postpone your wedding is not an easy fete. For many couple’s they invested alot of time & money dreaming of special ways to celebrate this important day in their lives and thanks to COVID-19 their plans were abruptly halted. I know it sucks, but the good thing is that you are not alone and your love is not cancelled.
Weddings have a way of bringing together loved ones and so many emotions and experiences—it’s what makes them beautiful. Joy. Sadness. Fear. Anticipation. Excitement. These things are an essential part of a wedding and it’s important to embrace that.
When it comes to your wedding, it’s important to remember that the whole point in having a celebration and a ceremony is that you and your partner share your commitments and promises to each other—everything else is icing on the cake.
Thats why my friend, Nikki Miller of Mae B Films and I thought it would be helpful to give couples affected by this some hope and creative ideas to still find ways to honor your original wedding date.
1. Date Night at Home
Your wedding date is special so why not plan a romantic date night at home to celebrate. Some ideas are to make it a spa night with couple’s massages, foot rubs or Netflix & Chill by watching a movie or your favorite series together! Currently my quarantine show obsessions have been Tiger King, Little Fires Everywhere, Ozark, Insecure & Dead to Me!
2. Cut the Cake
Reach out to your original wedding cake vendor and order a small version of your cake and have a mini cake cutting ceremony at home! You will be able to still smash cake in each other your faces and also support a small business which doesn't get any sweeter during these tough times.
3. Game Night with Personalized GigSaw Puzzle
Turn your engagement photos into a giant gig saw puzzle and assemble it together. Make it a fun game night by opening a bottle of wine, setting out a cheese board, and challenge each other to a bet on who can finish faster. A little bit of competition can be a great aphrodisiac! Zazzle and Shutterfly are two places you can order yours today
4. Have a Mini Wedding Ceremony
Due to COVID-19 intimate weddings are all the craze so you can still plan on getting married on your original date by having a small ceremony of 10 or less in your home, yard or place of worship if it's legal in your state. You can make it official by inviting your officiant and getting your marriage license at City Hall. To keep the lasting memories still hire your professional photographer to capture portraits and have a mini parade of friends and family to celebrate while still being safe and adhering to social distancing protocol while being witnesses to your special day.
5. Create a Memorable Masterpiece
You might had hired a live artist for your wedding, so why not commission a local artist like the talented Cris Clapp Logan to create a painting or drawing of your engagement or wedding portrait. Send a photo of you two and photo inspiration of your finalized wedding day attire and location so she can design what your wedding day was going to look like and then put up in your house.
6. Write and Recite Your Vows
Have a private vow ceremony between you and your partner, separate from the actual wedding ceremony. You can still recite your vows during your ceremony, but taking the time to do it alone and in private can be a way to have a really intimate and meaningful time with your spouse while quarantined.
7. Build a Time Capsule
Make a time capsule to remember these unprecedented time. It’s a great way to remember how you guys got through the pandemic together and add your wedding inspo, swatches, original save the date, wedding invitation, news clipping, any another other items that you can look back on years from now as a keepsake.
8. Saying ‘I do’ over Zoom
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, socially distanced weddings are moving online and getting popular. A search for #ZoomWedding on Instagram turns up over 100 photos of couples who’ve live-streamed their nuptials and you can even add a customized virtual back ground and still have all your friends and family close enough to hear their happy tears.
9. Have a Dance Party
Wedding receptions are a party after all, especially if you’ve booked a great band or DJ. You can make your own edition of #Clubquarantine with DJ DNice by asking your wedding DJ to create a special wedding playlist via Spotify or play on IG Live and invite your guests to all dance the night away.
10. Give the Gift of Love
In celebration of our wedding and in lieu of gifts ask guests to donate to a charity or cause in your honor. Organizations like Unicef, The Red Cross, your local hospital and food bank are just a few places that are helping a lot of people in need during this tough time.
11. Wedding Dinner at Home
Cook a meal together inspired by your wedding menu or order it from your caterer since they might be doing at home delivery meals like Heirloom Catering, Ridgewells Catering or Occasions Caterers.
12. Cheers to Us
Pop your favorite bubbly and have a special champagne toast with just you two! Cheers to good health, lots of love and more years of happily ever after!
13. Fresh Florals
Order flowers that match your color scheme or contact your floral designer to make a sample of your selected boutonniere, bouquet or centerpieces to brighten up the day.
14. Have a First Look
A First Look is a moment during the wedding day when the Bride and Groom plan to see each other for the first time. The First Look allows couples to share this special moment together in a more private setting. So why not wear your wedding colors and do a first look to model your outfit.
15. Do a Gift Exchange
Everyone wants to feel special, cherished and loved. Especially from that someone special with whom they decide to spend the rest of their life with. So plan a wedding day gift exchange and give each other the gifts like you would have on the morning of your wedding day. Remember you can support small businesses and order the gift online or you can make it yourself, whatever the case pick something which symbolizes the official start of your journey as a couple.
16. Make a Snapchat Geotag
Want to personalize your original wedding date even more? Create a Snapchat geofilter and share with your guests and have them send you video well wishes and you can read them together that night!
17. Recreate Your Late Night Bites
You planned to surprise your family and friends with delicious treats toward the end of your reception, so why not still enjoy your late-night snacks that you would have served at the wedding at home. Order some bite-size crowd favorites from your neighborhood delivery spot that have mini sliders, gourmet french fries, donuts, cookies, asian take out or grilled cheese just to name a few.
18. Have Your First Dance
Practice your first dance song or create a choreographic dance on Tiki Tok and share it on social media for your friends to try it too. Don't forget to use your wedding hashtag to keep track of all the fun shared and check out the #firstdancechallenge to get inspired from other people's wedding first dances.
19. Virtual Cocktail Hour
Host your cocktail hour virtually with your bridal party, family & friends and send the recipe to your signature cocktails so everyone can recreate it and drink it together online.
20. Create a Honeymoon Suite
Decorate your bedroom and mentally travel to your own honeymoon oasis. Have fun with it by including rose petals, scented oils, mini hotel amenities from online and chocolates by your pillow to make your at home honeymoon a truly unforgettable moment for you and your love.
Hope you enjoy these ideas and remember at the end of the day, it’s truly about the two of you and not anyone else.
