Planning a wedding virtually

If you are recently engaged and were just embarking on your wedding planning journey when lockdown commenced, or perhaps you had already booked your wedding and now have extra time on your hands, don’t worry! There is still so much you can do from home - lockdown doesn’t mean that wedding planning has to cease to a halt. We have been really impressed with how the wedding industry has adapted and made themselves accessible over the last couple of months.  Here is a guide on how you can take advantage of this time, so that planning the wedding of your dreams can still be an enjoyable.

HOW TO BOOK YOUR VENUE FROM HOME

You definitely do not have to be physically at a wedding venue to fall in love with it. Technology is so advanced that you can now virtually experience the venue rom the comfort of your own sofa, all thanks to virtual tours as well floor plans and aerial views. Many of our couples who plan international weddings and either not afford to, or simply do not have the time to fly to view venues, book this way every year. So, if you are really keen to get a venue booked, but you are panicking about not being able to book a venue because you are unable to physically visit it just imagine that you are having a destination wedding and then everything will seem more normal! Brympton House has a virtual tour, and you would be surprised at how detailed and lifelike this is! We always recommend couples to still make an occasion of it and even if you can not visit us in person and share a bottle of bubbly with us, be sure to have a glass of bubbles before going on the (virtual) tour together.

USE SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is a great planning too, often with lots more images, ideas and links to real weddings! Venues will have platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook which can often give you a better feel for how the spaces flow, how the day will run and ideas for your special day.

ORGANISING SUPPLIERS FOR YOUR WEDDING

As soon as you have booked your venue, and most importantly have a date, you can start to fill in the finer details and that includes finding suppliers such as your photographer, caterer, videographer, DJ or band, cake maker and so on! This can often easily be done from home, and often venues will have lists of trusted and recommended fabulous suppliers which is a good place to start. Lots of suppliers are offering virtual appointments too! There will be some suppliers and elements of planning that will be harder to organise from home, and one of these is dress and suit shopping. However it is definitely worth just using this time to do some research - making lists of boutiques in your area, collating images of dresses you love, and do some research in to the different designs and brands. This will make finding your dream dress much easier once you’re actually in a shop. Essentially, use this time to do your research!

FOR COUPLES WHO NOW HAVE EXTRA TIME

For those couples who have sadly had to postpone their wedding and now find themselves with time to spare we really suggest taking this time to consider what you would really like from your day, and perhaps thinking of things that you can do to make your day even more special.  One positive thing that has come from these past couple of months is that we have seen a renewed appreciation for friends, family and the importance of staying in touch, and we think a lot of that will extend into weddings.  Here are some things that you can get stuck into during lockdown.

CONTACT YOUR SUPPLIERS

If you had tastings, meetings with the florist or cake tastings booked in, get in touch with those suppliers to discuss either postponing your meeting, or perhaps discuss the feasibility of turning this meeting to a virtual one. We are really encouraging our couples to continue planning as normal, it will mean that you have something positive to focus on and keep your wedding planning momentum going. Use this extra time to do the research that you could not do pre-lockdown.

GETTING YOUR PAPERWORK IN ORDER

Now is the time to get on top of your spreadsheets, payments and schedules (the not so fun part of wedding planning!) If there was ever a time to really get on top of the admin, then it’s now.

STAY IN TOUCH

Make sure to keep in touch with your suppliers - continue planning your day with them, and continue to pick their brains so you can make the very most out of your wedding day.

STAY INSPIRED

If you have moved your wedding to a different season, then use online planning tools to create mood boards to perhaps refine your style and vision for your day. Pinterest is a fantastic tool for this!

CREATE A WEBSITE

Now is a great time to create your own wedding website. As well as it being fun to make, you can use it to keep your guests informed of your new plans as well as perhaps add links on it to your gift list or charity donation site (if you have one).

DO THOSE LAST MINUTE THINGS

Perhaps now is the time that you would been running around and getting all of your last minute plans in place, and we recommend still doing them! Playlists, photo lists, speeches, signs and toiletry baskets and guest bags can all still be created and ticked off of your list.

So many of our couples have had to rethink their plans, some with less than a week’s notice and have coped brilliantly.  We honestly believe that their day when it comes will be all the more special as everyone attending as both guest or supplier will be so mindful of the journey that will have gone into creating that day. 

On a positive note, with much more time at home, couples who are now planning 2021 weddings are actually in the fortunate position of having plenty of opportunities to plan together and really devote themselves to creating the wedding of their dreams.

A huge thank you to one of our recommended photographers, the incredible Ryan Goold Photography, for these beautiful photos.