Wedding Planning During COVID-19

In the last few months, the state of the entire world has shifted dramatically and turned the lives of every single person upside down. The uncertainty of this time brings with it a VERY difficult year for wedding planning. Many events have already been postponed until 2021 and other couples are unclear on what decision is the best to make at this point in time. While I’m not sure what the future will bring or how long this difficult season will last, I do have a few suggestions while planning your wedding during COVID-19!

Determine a backup date.
- I recommend determining a backup date with your venue, just in case you have to postpone your wedding. You want to ensure that no matter what, you’ll at least have date held for you for the next wedding season.
Consult with your team (all of your vendors).
- Check in with your vendors and see how COVID-19 is affecting the way they are operating.
- Determine if they are available for your backup date and how soon they will need your final decision by.
Consider your guests.
- Are a lot of your guests from out-of-state? Will everyone you want there be able to attend, even if the restrictions are lifted? Answering these questions will give you a better idea of what your wedding day will look like and if it’s what you had originally envisioned.
Keep everyone in the loop.
- Being proactive and considerate of your guests is very important! Since COVID-19 is an ongoing situation with new updates all the time, keeping your family and friends in the loop is definitely a good idea. A wedding website is a great place for this and will allow your guests to check in about the status of your wedding at any time (and they won’t have to keep reaching out to you!)
Plan an elopement style wedding on your original date.
- A lot of couples who have postponed their weddings until next year have decided to move forward with getting married on their original wedding date with just a few family members and close friends in attendance. This is a great way to keep the original date special and meaningful and still have the wedding of your dreams!

Surviving Social Distancing 101

I not only wanted to focus this blog post on the reality of COVID-19 and wedding planning during this time, but I also wanted to gain some perspective on the situation as a whole from an outside source. I reached out to an incredible Life and Mindset Coach - Nicole Baker at Life Coach Baker based out of Chicago, Illinois.

Nicole is dedicated to helping talented individuals let go of negative beliefs that are holding them back in order to achieve their greatest dreams. She works with clients to shift their mindset, create healthy habits, get out of their comfort zone and reach their full potential. And on a personal level, after knowing her for 11 years, I believe she lives her life with a positivity and light that is unmatched, refreshing and inspiring to not only her clients, but to anyone that is lucky enough to be around it. Therefore, I thought she was the perfect person to give some insight on ways to maintain an optimistic mindset during this difficult and unusual time.

What are some suggestions you have for maintaining self-care during COVID-19?

Be so kind to yourself. A lot of us felt that initial SHOCK after going into quarantine because we were used to a certain level of productivity (plus amplify that level times ten if you are planning a wedding). That level of productivity has altered drastically in the last few months and we can find ourselves feeling lost, anxious or even guilty of feeling like we aren’t doing enough. No one knows how to navigate what we are going through right now, so just know you are doing your best!

Here’s what I recommend doing; make a list (seriously, write it out) of the things that are priorities to the quarantined 2020 beautiful version of you. It’s more than okay if it looks drastically different than 2 months ago and it’s more than okay if it looks identical, but just get a list of things that really matter to you during this time. Then, make time for those things even if it means just once a day for 15 minutes. When we do things that are in our priority/value system we feel MORE energized/joyful/fulfilled after doing them. An example might be health. Maybe health has skyrocketed as a priority to you, great! Find ways you can make it show up more in your life with the foods you put into your body, the movement you do, and the rest you take.

What helps you keep the most positive mindset during this difficult season?

There are three pillars that control our mindset/energy at any given moment. Doesn’t matter if you have the most anxious mindset or the most fulfilled mindset, it all boils down to something called the Triad (created by Tony Robbins).

#1 Your Body

Ever walked up to a friend and their shoulders are slumped forward, their breathing is rapid high in their chest and their head is hung low; you knew in that moment exactly what emotional state they were in, right? That’s because you looked at their physicality. When we get stressed, anxious, shy, depressed, all those negative mindsets—we get small. Best way to literally shock your body out of this negative state is to pull your shoulders back, open up your chest, raise your head up high, focus your eyes, and move your breathing slow and low to your belly. Another way to shock your body out of a negative state is to get your heart rate up! When you’re in a state of anxiety, depression, etc. all of your energy goes in between your eyebrows and behind your eyes. When you get your heart rate up, your blood starts pumping and your mind and body literally begin working together!

#2 Your Language

Language is divided into two elements, WHAT you are saying and HOW you are saying it:

The What:

There are words you use that literally will raise or lower your energy. “Okay, fine, whatever, just get it over with, this sucks, etc” those words will lower your energy. “Fantastic, outstanding, I will make this happen, I’m going to learn from this,” all of those words will RAISE your energy. So if you are in a crappy mindset, change the words you are using out loud and in your head.

The How:

If you speak sloooooooow, quiet, and low… where is your energy? Pretty low right? Vs if you speak a little faster, louder, and in a natural register, you will instantly start to feel more energy flow through your body. I like to say if you are ever feeling like you need to change your mindset, go have a passionate Ted Talk with yourself in the mirror (you can check your physicality this way) and you will feel fantastic.

#3 Your Focus

This one is simple but it is the golden pillar here; you become what you consume. If you’ve been consuming a lot of the news, or the words and energy of that one negative voice in your ear that is becoming a major pain in your rear (ya know, on top of a freaking pandemic) then odds are you don’t feel so great!

Instead of consuming the things that create pain, anger, or anxiety in your life; consume the things that bring you joy. Have a date night in with your partner to remind yourselves why you’re doing all this in the first place, play a game with them about who can find the most embarrassing photo of when you first got together, or listen to a podcast about something that inspires you (personal development podcasts are plentiful!), you get the picture here.

Draw a triangle and put it on your desk or in your wedding crafting corner to remind yourself of these three pillars and to keep striving for that positive mindset and energy.

What things do you recommend doing every day to help you consistently feel your best?

Move Your Body

Seriously, I cannot stress this enough. Even for just 30 minutes, but do it every day! Doesn’t have to be a body builder cross fit, even just a good yoga practice, walk around the block or pushing yourself to run a full mile is perfect.

Watch What You’re Consuming

We talked about this in the focus part earlier, but it will begin changing your life when you can easily identify the things that spark negative mindsets in you and change it on the spot (yes, even in quarantine.)

Start Implementing A Routine And Stick To It

You’ve probably seen this on every “How to effectively work from home” article there possibly is, but there’s a reason for it. You can control your routine and your routine sparks a certain mindset for yourself every day. Plus, in a world that feels… quite a bit out of control, this little daily action really goes a long way.

Talk To Someone

Get this tension, stress and anxiety out of your head. When we keep stuff in, it has so much power over our thoughts and actions, but when we release it, we identify it and we can change it. No one knows how to navigate this right now so just know that you are doing your best and this too shall pass!