So….Covid.

Yea.

No couples anticipated that a global pandemic would occur when they were getting ready for their 2020 weddings, this is sort of the penultimate wrench in the works. Some of my clients have postponed their weddings, some have cancelled altogether, and others have gone ahead with small elopements and plan to celebrate when the pandemic abates. I’ve had clients postpose twice at this point. It’s been a long and crazy road, for sure, but I’m lucky enough to have had lots of high point too. I have shot several small ceremonies in places I’ve never been before, and lots of unexpected commercial and portraiture projects have come through my studio which have brought be lots of joy and good creative juju.

For those couples who are still struggling with postponement and remaking their plans, I wanted to throw out a little advice, which is below. I also wanted to throw out some encouragement by showing some images from a micro wedding that I shot last fall for a couple that has postponed their big wedding twice. It was beautiful. The ceremony felt intimate and profound in a way that larger ceremonies often can’t, because everyone in attendance was listening with wrapt attention, more as participants than spectators. There was no stress and no pressure. The venue, Eustace Estate, was stunningly beautiful. If you are considering organizing something similar, my advice is to go for it. Do only the things that really mean something to you. Wear a teal dress, offer your guests tequila shots, ask your grandmother to give a toast before the ceremony and finish the whole thing with dinner from a food truck…. just do you and embrace the unexpected!

What to Consider When Postponing Your Wedding Day

If you’ve been working with a wedding planner up until this point, they’re the first person you should turn to at this time. Working with a wedding planner can help take some of the pressure off when you’re already feeling upset about the postponement. The last thing you want to do is make emotional decisions. By letting a third party help you, it will be easier to make logical decisions about what to do next. Feel like you need help? Wedding planner Kay Northrup offers a postponement package!

You may need to wait several months for a new date, and you may have to choose a different day of the week, but lots of clients have been thinking of interesting ways to make up for the inconvenience. For example, if you have lots of out-of-town guests coming to your Newport wedding, and the only date your venue has is a Friday, plan a themed brunch for Saturday and a trolly tour of the historic sights in Newport and maybe even a bonfire on the beach to end the day! Get creative!

If possible, find two possible dates for your rescheduled wedding so that you have a better chance of all vendors being free on one of them. If your vendors can’t accommodate your new date, you may need to start the search all over again. Ask them for referrals to other vendors they know and trust. Also, ask if you can apply your deposit towards a future event or occasion. I have allowed clients to apply their deposits towards portrait sessions with their family. In fact, a 2020 couple used their deposit to have me interview and photograph and film their grandparents getting down all of their stories, recipes, advice and wisdom creating a keepsake for the while family.

I can’t wait to shoot this couple’s big wedding at Belle Mer next year…. but for now… here is their micro wedding…!