While many of us are in lockdown due to COVID-19, we thought we’d share some fun wedding-related tasks you can do now to brighten your isolation routine.
How are you choosing to spend your downtime right now? Maybe you’re working from home while juggling kids and a massive workload. Maybe you’ve been crafting up a storm, spending all your time virtually hanging out with your friends, or doing jigsaw puzzles while re-watching your favourite Netflix series.
Whatever your isolation routine, there are plenty of wedding tasks you can tick off your to-do list if you’re hoping to use this time to get some planning done.
Our expert wedding planner, Abbey Sands, recommends first taking stock of what’s left on your wedding to-do list and finding the things that sound like they’d be fun to focus on right now.
Plan your wedding ceremony.
Planning your wedding ceremony is something that requires nothing more than a bit of time and dedication to the task at hand. Not sure what wedding vows you’ll use? Not sure what readings to include during the ceremony? Now is a great time to research those details and come up with a game plan.
“A lot of couples are using their COVID-19 downtime to check in with their marriage celebrant and plan their ceremony script,” says Abbey. “I usually recommend having a draft script completed with the celebrant soon after booking in their services. As couples get closer to the day, the pressure and stress can build up, and I find couples are often in the best headspace to write loving things about each other when it doesn’t feel rushed.”
The benefit of planning this now is that time is on your side. Take this time to read scriptures, poetry, song lyrics, and whatever else you’re drawn to and want to include in your wedding ceremony. Abbey also recommends revisiting the ceremony script a couple of months prior to the wedding as a reminder of what the day is really all about.
Select your wedding songs.
Many people are turning to music and the arts as a way to cope with the stress of COVID-19. If you find yourself listening to more tunes than usual, now could be a great time to take notice of your favourite go-to songs and start getting an idea of what you’ll want to play during your ceremony as well as your first dance and any other significant song selections.
Most wedding musicians and DJs are happy to play music they think you’ll like, but it’s always helpful to provide a few of your favourite songs in a list for them.
Sounds like an at-home dance party for two waiting to happen! While you’re at it, might as well practice that first dance routine too!
browse wedding songsCreate or update your wedding website.
Whether your wedding has been postponed or has yet to be scheduled, a wedding website is a great format for communicating with your wedding guests.
Don’t have one yet? Check out our free wedding websites.
For those who already have a wedding website set up, now is a great time to update the details of your wedding, especially if it’s been postponed. If that’s the case, and you’re not sure how to communicate with your wedding guests right now, here’s Abbey’s advice.
Not sure about any of the details of your wedding date and location yet? That’s okay. You can use your free time now to get your wedding website ready and uploaded with photos so that it’s easy to launch when the details are ironed out.
Want to make this task more fun? Abbey recommends adding more interactive elements to your wedding website, like a video slideshow of the two of you as a couple, or some funny memes to bring levity to your postponement if that’s your style.
Host virtual hangouts with your wedding party.
In normal circumstances, you might be coordinating a weekend brunch or local happy hour to get all your bridesmaids and groomsmen together before your wedding, but as we all know, these are not normal times. As a joyful alternative, Abbey suggests hosting a virtual happy hour with your wedding party.
You can use this as a chance to introduce all the key players in your wedding party and spend time chatting together. You can even test a virtual version of traditional wedding games like the wedding shoe game if you want to keep things wedding centric.
Ask special guests to do readings and speeches.
All this downtime is a great opportunity to invite your special guests into the fold of your wedding plans. If there’s anyone you’re planning to ask to do a reading at the ceremony or a toast at the reception, now is a great time to set up a FaceTime chat with each person and invite them to have a meaningful role in your wedding.
“Everyone is looking for uplifting conversations right now, so it’s really a great time to bring a little light to your loved ones by asking them to take on an important role in your wedding day,” says Abbey. “To make the invitation official, you can even go as far as sending a bottle of bubbles to their house the day before so you can crack it open together during your virtual hangout.”
