Photo by: Andrew Rae Photography
Sorry it’s taken me a while to post about this – I’ve been in touch with folks whose weddings are imminent so this is general advice for anyone else who has a wedding planned or who is just bored and will read any old tosh during the lockdown.
As you’ve heard as of Monday 23 March 2020; weddings are not permitted to go ahead as part of the COVID-19 lockdown procedures. Apparently this will be reviewed after the Easter weekend but that doesn’t mean that the restriction will necessarily be lifted. I can’t give you an answer about whether or not your wedding in April, May, June or July will be able to go ahead at this stage. I really wish I could but I would just be guessing. The best advice is to keep up to date with the Scottish Government daily news briefings because nobody (even your venue) can really give you a definitive answer right now.
So what are your options right now?
You can cross your fingers and plan as if it’s going to happen. Remember that marriage is different from a wedding. Even if the restrictions are only partially lifted after Easter, but not enough to have the big shindig that you had planned – we can still get you married on your date. All that’s needed to get married is; you two, your two witnesses and me. You can have the big party later when the world is back on its feet. Believe me when I say that small weddings, massive weddings and in between weddings – are all special and unique because they are yours. All of your wedding suppliers (me included) put in just as much effort for a wedding with 2 guests as they do for 200. It will still be magic.
Take back some control. The world is a very uncertain place right now but the one certainty is that you love each other and still want to get married. So you might want to make the decision to postpone just now and reschedule everything for later in the year or into next year. I know that the mere thought of that is giving you the absolute Fear and that you’re having flashbacks about how much work went into arranging everything the f*ckin first time. But postponing takes away a lot of the “what if’s” about places being open and people being able to make it. I know it will be a heart wrenching decision to make but it will be such a relief after you’ve made it. You can’t put a price on your own emotional health – and by getting out in front of this thing and making proactive choices; you can get back to being like a jar of wasps for your wedding day. It also means that you have more time to step up the fitness plan (during the government mandated daily exercise) which will give you a better chance of fitting into that aspirationally sized kilt you’ve bought.
But for the love of secular Christ DO NOT CANCEL! There are always routes through these things and even if I can’t make a rearranged date; you’ll still be covered by the HSS Promise. We are the original and best and guarantee that we will provide a fantastic celebrant in the event that I can’t make your day. I’ll still be gutted/ raging to miss it though.
The most important thing is to stay safe and stay sensible over the next few weeks. Remember that we are all just human so have a cry, get pure raging about all of this. It’ll pass. Give me a call/email/ video chat if you want to shoot the shit about anything.
But just imagine the absolute riot of a party we’ll have on your big (or small) day.
Stay safe and well.
All the best,
Mark