If you’re planning to tie the knot while the world is tied up in a pandemic, there’s a lot of money at stake for couples and the health and safety of communities.
Dallas wedding and events planner, Donnie Brown, shares his top five tips for couples planning a wedding in 2020.
“We’re going into wedding season,” said Brown, whose been planning star-studded events and weddings in Dallas for the past 30 years.
In North Texas, Fall is usually the prime wedding season and in 2020 Brown said it’s a time of critical decisions. Get married now or postpone?
TIP 1: KEEP THE PLANS, CHANGE THE DATE
“You can save a lot of money by planning a spring or summer or fall, ‘21 or ‘22 wedding in Dallas-Fort Worth,” said Brown.
Brown said there are deep discounts to be had.
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“I’m getting emails every day from vendors saying you know 50% off of this, 25% off of that. Those have no end dates as long as you book them now, you can use them next year. Those discounts,” said Brown.
TIP 2: BACKUP YOUR BACKUP
Brown suggests pick a target date. Then set a soft, second date with your vendors.
“We put into the contract that up to 60 or 90 days prior to the target date. if we determine that it's just not going to work based on the current set of circumstances around COVID, then we can option the second day,” said Brown.
TIP 3: NEGOTIATE A COVID CLAUSE
And what about that contract? Make sure everyone is clear on the “COVID clause”.
Brown said he’s seen vendors charge 10% to move the date.
Some may require certain public health thresholds like a high positivity rate to make a change.
TIP 4: MAKE IT MICRO
And if love just can’t wait, consider a micro-wedding. You may have seen the trend but Brown’s fourth tip is to move forward with your original vision, in the smallest setting.
“Some of the most beautiful things I ever did were 10 to 25 people, just really intimate. And only the people you care about the most,” said Brown.
TIP 5: HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER
While you might expect that advice from a wedding planner, Brown said a planner really can help save you money.
“Usually a wedding planner can save you their fee, just in better contract negotiations and making sure that there's not money on the floor at the end of the event,”
And, at the very least, a wedding planner can help share the burden of planning in a pandemic.
