As you may already know, given the current uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and its impact on the Wedding and Events Industry, Wedded Wonderland has taken a stand.
On behalf of all our Couples and Industry Peers who have reached out to us, we are requesting clarity on whether Weddings will play out (particularly with over 100 guests), in 2020.
Wedded Wonderland’s #SaveOurWeddings initiative has received enormous support and has been re-shared hundreds of times by both Couples and the Industry. Let’s make some noise, Australia! Re-share #SaveOurWeddings, to help do so.
COVID-Couples React
“I am a Bride-to-be, my wedding was at the end of August and now I have changed it to October. But, I’m still having second thoughts as we don’t know what will happen. The government needs to seriously give us an update on this… I am really really stressed and I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know if I should finish planning. I will be having over 500 guests at my wedding…”
Bride-To-Be
“I have rescheduled our wedding to the 12th September 2020, four months after our original date, hoping that everything will be over by then & life will be pretty much be back to normal. September is approaching and I am not sure what to do… If the government gave us a timeline of what is going to happen with mass gatherings/weddings it might give everyone a clearer idea of what to do, so they can prepare. We aren’t really prepared to post pone & reschedule our wedding for the second time.
I would we happy to supply hand sanitiser at the door for everyone to use, temperature-check everyone before entering the function & having a strict rule of no hugging/kissing… The amount of stress & emotion everyone is going through, whether you’re a business, somebody who has lost their job or a couple getting married – we are all in this together & all need answers.”
Bride-To-Be
“My fiancé and are are set to get married on September 12th of 2020. The situation the world is facing at the moment is heartbreaking, however, the uncertainty around the whole event is what is causing us the most stress. All vendors I have contacted have been so amazing and understanding, however, it is so hard to get any legitimate answers from anyone when no one knows anything. Our wedding is planned for 250 guests and our heart will break if we can’t have our family and friends there to celebrate what should be the most incredible day of our lives.
We do understand that the wedding industry in general needs answers, but in turn, this will help so many confused and very concerned couples make Plan B. We are ready to do just about anything to ensure our wedding goes ahead as we had always envisioned… There are so many things I know couples would be happy to accept and implement if it meant we could go ahead and have our weddings as we had planned.”
Bride-To-Be
“My wedding, initially in September of 2020, has now been postponed to January 31st of 2021. Although we were blessed to find a date not so far away, it has been such adifficult time re arranging – and I know we are not the only ones. My fiance and I are in a long-distance relationship, so in the midst of all that is going on, we couldn’t even comfort each other.
I understand that this pandemic is out of our control, and I know that people all over the world are struggling. I don’t believe that this should dismiss the amount of stress and heartache that future couples are currently experiencing. A wedding is not just a day, it’s a process, extensive time, effort and money goes into planning a day that most people dream of. Having restrictions such as no dancing, particularly when traditional, doesn’t make sense. Whilst there are adjustments in place at shopping centres, people are still on top of each other – random people. It’s simply impossible to have full control over us – so why should this change when it comes to an intimate event with loved ones.
Please consider easing restrictions or at least making them realistic.”
Bride-To-Be
“I am a bride whom has postponed from May to August, and then to October 2020 with a guest list of 300 people. I am absolutely willing to have hand sanitiser upon entry and available throughout the night, temperature checks upon arrival, and a list of each guests’ contact details.
I personally am not willing to give up the dance floor as I’m sure anyone can agree this is a huge part of the celebration, however if this dance floor was more spread out, or perhaps a certain number at a time on the dance floor, it would be a more suitable compromise. Weddings are a once in a lifetime experience and naturally this has caused so much anxiety and stress for everyone involved. It would be so appreciated if they would just acknowledge it and offer more solid guidelines so people can move on the with their lives and plan accordingly.”
Bride-To-Be
“I loved planning my wedding day. It’s every girls dream! The best thing was I got to plan my wedding at the same time as my best friend. She was lucky enough to tie the knot in November 2019. I, on the other hand was not so lucky. The restrictions were announced just 6 weeks out from my big day. We had planned our wedding for 2nd May 2020. Everything, absolutely everything was ready. We have rescheduled our wedding for 5th September 2020 and are hopeful it can go ahead.
The reason why have not postponed to 2021 is that we both have siblings getting married in 2021 and do not want to steal their spotlight, just so we can have ours. We both come from big Greek families and our guest list is sitting at 360 people. I’m sure you would understand that a wedding with just 100 guests in our culture simply won’t work. Our day is filled with traditions, customs and dances. In our culture a wedding is a celebration, a party! We had family arrive from Greece at the beginning of March, they ended up traveling back home. It was heartbreaking.
I would love for my wedding to cater for 200-250 people, as it is easy to cut the list down. 100 people will not suffice. How do children get to return to school and play with each other and we cannot have a 360 people wedding? I am willing to have hygiene stations set up in each corner of my venue if it means I can celebrate my wedding day with ALL my family and friends. We have spent thousands of dollars organizing our wedding and it’s a stab in the heart if we have to postpone again. I was lucky enough to have all my suppliers move dates with me.”
Bride-To-Be
If by some miracle we could move forward with our day as is, I already had plans of hand sanitiser for everyone, and placing family that already see each other weekly (or daily) on table together (and potentially friends tables will need to be spilt to ensure social distancing). Our contact list of attendees has names and numbers done, more than 70% of guests have downloaded the COVID-Safe app. I don’t want to reschedule – it’s going to be near impossible to have the same suppliers etc., and we get that it’s business…I just want to start the next chapter of our life and we can finally celebrate something wonderful.”
Bride-To-Be
Digital Content Coordinator: Zoe Kanlis
Featured Image: Instagram
