How to plan your wedding during this covid- 19 pandemic

Covid -19 has adversely affected the events industry with many event managers and service providers counting huge losses. In the wedding section, the plans of the bride and bridegroom arranging a world class ceremony with bridal accessories, many bridesmaids, hotel bookings,videographers,photographers etc has come down to minimizing the cost in every section. Many have opted to have online weddings just to make sure what they had planned earlier go on as planned. On the other hand through the government directive on the number of people that should physically attend a wedding, a maximum of 100 persons was allowed with strict adherence to MOH guidelines put in place which entailed wearing of masks and maintaining social distance. With this, we at Esoundsgroup give you an insight on how you are supposed to plan your wedding during this Covid-19 crisis. Five Key factors to take into account: Budget This is very key before the onset of the wedding planning. Each couple needs to have a personal decision on how much they need to spend for the wedding during this covid crisis. This will be followed by them paring down their decisions which will bring their priorities into focus. Involvement of the wedding committee in this first step is very key because they will aid in cutting unnecessary costs on factors that don’t carry the much needed weight. The rates during this pandemic have been slashed to nearly a half by many service providers because of the number of guests invited to attend a wedding. Proper consultation needs to be done to ensure all the factors are well represented to ensure the wedding goes on as planned. The areas to budget on will include the venue, catering, invitations in form of cards, décor which entail flowers, photographer and videographer, the wedding planner, deejay and sound equipment and lastly a good emcee that will set the pace on how your wedding day will be. It should be noted that the honey costs are separate from the wedding day expenses but should be considered in your wedding plans as these could also have significant costs. While focused on budgeting for the major wedding expenses (a, many couples forget to save for the not-so obvious costs which include engagement party, unexpected guests, bachelor/bachelorette parties, backup plan for outdoor weddings just to mention a few. Weddings are always expensive for you to cut on the costs , you will to do the following, get married and party in the same place .When you have your ceremony and reception at one location, you will save on venue costs, be smart when planning your schedule whereby on the day of the wedding you can avoid additional vendor fees for unnecessary time commitments, it is also key to keep your guests in check by only inviting your closest friends and family, tap into your talented friends who may be an ordained minister, photographer, or designer. They might offer services at a discount or in lieu of a gift then lastly shop around for expensive services like a photographer, DJ, caterer, or florist. The more information you have, the better you can compare prices Venue The venue or your wedding should fit within the budget approximated. During this pandemic, the venue should be evaluated on the basis what steps are in position by the venue holders in assuring the couples that enough precautions are in place for an effective wedding event to take place. The following questions should be taken account for clarity: How much is the cost of hiring the venue The venue’s policy on postponement What’s the payment policy of the venue How many total guests can the venue accommodate Can we able to live stream the wedding?, if so, will you facillate the technology What’s the timing policy of the wedding What kind of cleaning and sanitation will be done prior to our wedding and during our wedding How will the tables be arranged to our keep your guests safely distanced The parking space, is it enough for your guests What safety measures do you have in place Can the hand sanitizing stations be set up On addition you need to involve everyone who works at the venue by asking them as many questions as possible for a clear understanding of the logistics carried out.  Important questions that you might not cross your mind think are, “How many weddings are held here in one a day? Who will be here helping me the actual day of the wedding? Do you have any construction or landscape changes coming up before your wedding? Do you anticipate any changes to the venue before the wedding day?. Make sure you keep asking and get everything in writing just in case. Another key component is that, you need to make up your mind on the key component of the theme and style of your wedding, with this in mind on what style you want you’re wedding to be, it will help you in scouting the ideal venue for your wedding. Number of invites If you are planning to have a wedding, you will need to come up with a list of invites together with your partner where by all attendees, service –providers will have to abide by strict rules pertaining to hygiene and social distance and wearing of masks. Partners won’t be in position to invite many people as they had earlier planned before the pandemic in regard to what the government through MOH (Ministry Of Health) has laid down. The maximum number of persons allowed together with all service providers is 100. With this in place, many outdoor weddings will exhibit smaller number of people in big spaces to maintain social distance. For the couples to wed, it will be key to include the measures to taken on the wedding cards sent to your invites which will entail wearing of masks, maintaining social distance. On finalizing your guest list we recommend you use spreadsheet to make sure you have captured the names and titles of your invites to avoid any confusion that might arise and also help in estimating the number of cards needed. It is also key to narrow down your choices for the wedding invite. The couples will have to choose invitations that speak to their destination wedding which will contribute on the theme and design style of the wedding. Vendors The first step will start by being aware of the MOH (Ministry of Health) guidelines put in place in relation to Covid-19. Get in touch with your vendors and engage with them about their Covid-19 protocols and how they will be implemented on the wedding day, and discuss your role in implementing those measures as a client. It has to be noted that in case you want to cancel your wedding which you have already paid the services of the vendors, it is unlikely for you to receive your funds back because many vendors provide contractual agreements whereby in case of change of plans on your side, they may refund a small portion of the cash paid or in many cases they end up not paying back. With corona virus, many vendors have been out of work for a long period as they are used to. With such it can deem impossible for them to refund back the cash because of their daily needs. The best way to go about is, rescheduling. It is also key for you to shop around for many vendors as many as possible and provide a comparison on which you will pick as per budget allocated. Esoundsgroupltd will guide you on this and give you the best packages possible in sound, Dj, emcee, photography and videography services. Opt for a virtual wedding It is very cool to opt for a virtual wedding to avoid the stress brought about by the pandemic and cut on costs. Key factors will play part in ensuring your virtual wedding goes on as planned with your guests tuned in from various parts of the world. First and foremost, your internet connection needs to be good along with one or more digital device to live stream your wedding. A wedding invitation link should be send to all the invites to live stream your wedding. Before you big day make sure you have sent wedding care packages to your guests which might include flowers and champagne to provide a tangible experience to your wedding and also adding a sense of connection and intimacy on your big day. Make sure you have an awesome playlist for your day to add an ambience to your big day. The décor for your live stream wedding should be decorated and strategically placed in the live stream frame. You will also need to include the recipe for you virtual wedding’s signature cocktail party so that the invites can share and toast for your big day. Most importantly don’t forget to cut cake and smash in each other’s face and lastly prepare a virtual guest book whereby you can send advice cards to your invites and they mail back to you and bind them together. With all these in place, you wedding will be memorable