Your South Wales Wedding - July/August 2020 (Issue 74)

PLANNING SOS Our wedding was postponed due to COVID-19, and we’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of re- planning everything. Do you have any suggestions? It’s a deflating feeling to have carefully planned and organised everything to then have it cancelled. I feel for all the couple that have been affected this year. My best advice would be to try and see the extra planning time as a bonus. You’ve already done the hard work of choosing the perfect venue and suppliers, the real challenge now is the admin involved in rescheduling to a date that works for everyone. I won’t lie, this can be quite a juggling act, but it’s possible to streamline the process. The first step is focusing on your venue. Find out asap what dates they have available, then send out a blanket email to all your suppliers with the various options (remember to include your key guests). Fingers crossed there will be a date that works for everyone but have a plan B in mind just in case. If it all feels too overwhelming, there are wedding planners across the country who will be more than happy to take care of this for you. Vanessa Shipman Wedding planner www.togetherness-creativeweddingsinwales.com MADE WITH LOVE We’re looking for on-trend stationery to match our outdoor themed-wedding. What do you suggest we look for? One of the main ways to incorporate your theme into your stationery is colours. Hues can make a huge difference in your invitations etc. Take into consideration the time of year. If you’re getting married in the summer, look at bright whites and flashes of colour, and if your wedding is in the winter, opt for dark reds or blues. You can also look at flowers for inspiration. Take another look at your venue, and notice what blooms are around you. If you find some you like, try incorporating them into your stationery. A huge trend that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere is greenery. Surround your text with a border of leaves and garlands. After all, you can’t go wrong with crisp white invitations and a woodland garland. Abi Lewis Stationery expert www.abilewisdesign.com THE PERFECT DAY Like many couples, our wedding has been postponed due to the pandemic, and we’re having to re-book our entertainment. What should we take into consideration before making a decision? ❤ Is your date far enough in advance to avoid additional changes? ❤ Can you downsize your nuptials if government guidelines allow small weddings to take place? Alternatively, do you want to keep your date and take a gamble and wait to see if restrictions on numbers are lifted? ❤ Have you considered a socially distant gathering? This seems to go against all our instincts and traditions, but would you like to have people present, if not close? ❤ Would you consider hosting your event outdoors where the risk of infection is less? If so, would your suppliers be able to adapt to an outdoor space? ❤ If you were going to have additional entertainment, like a magician, for instance, has he/she adapted their act to allow for social distancing? ❤ You should also take into consideration how you’ll implement social distancing. You could create a hand-washing station in your venue, limit the amount of alcohol consumption and advise people with symptoms not to attend. June Gould (DJ June Cecilia) DJ www.sgdjweddings.com www.nealejames.com 56