Newly engaged couples or those who had to cancel weddings in 2020 look ahead to 2021 with hope. Here’s what to know about planning a 2021 wedding.
So many couples postponed weddings in 2020 due to the global coronavirus pandemic; this means that 2021 will be a challenging year to plan a wedding. With recent good news about the development of a vaccine, engaged couples are in hyperdrive about wedding planning. Many venues are nearly entirely booked for 2021. Here’s what to know about planning a 2021 wedding.
The Pandemic Won’t Be Over
Even though there has been some good news about the development of a vaccine recently, practical concerns have tempered the news: When a safe and effective vaccine is approved, who will get it first? How and when can it be widely distributed? A light may shine at the end of the tunnel, but we haven’t reached that hopeful conclusion just yet. Although the pandemic may have eased, the disease will still exist, and precautions like social distancing and wearing masks may be necessary for longer than many had hoped.
Venues and Wedding Planners Are Getting Booked Up Fast
The second thing to know about planning a 2021 wedding is that a great many couples already have. In addition to all the couples who postponed in 2020 and already grabbed dates in 2021, newly engaged couples have scrambled to book venues and hire wedding planners. Many report that, very soon, they won’t have any further availability for 2021, and couples will have to look to 2022. Couples wanting to hold weddings and receptions at popular venues in 2021 could try scheduling on a weeknight to improve availability.
Micro Weddings Are an Alternative, and Flexibility Is Important
Couples who dialed back big wedding plans in 2020 developed the idea of “micro weddings.” These intimate gatherings included just the couple, their immediate family, and close friends acting as attendants. Depending on local restrictions on event size, people gathered for very small events of 20 to 30 people. Many discovered that the smaller affair was every bit as special as a big wedding would have been, if not more so.
Couples getting married in 2021 should consider holding smaller, outdoor events to stay safe. An event at home provides more control over contingencies. A parent’s backyard is less likely to be unavailable as a venue than a banquet hall in a hotel on a Saturday in 2021. A party tent extends space for a small wedding, giving guests more room to spread out and enjoy the day. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, the tent provides additional shelter while maintaining the special significance of the day.
The key for 2021 weddings will be flexibility, patience, and a focus on the significance of a marriage over a big party.