Ok guys and girls! So, your wedding was rescheduled? We are so sorry to hear that and we are in this together. We know this was a blow to your original excitement and we could not agree more with you that ... well, it sucks. But where do we go from here? The show must go on and we must continue planning for the new wedding date. I asked my social media followers for some of their top concerns and questions regarding rescheduling their weddings and I thought we could start here with easing your fears and creating some new ideas of how to move forward!
- My wedding was previously on a Saturday and now I am getting married on a Friday. How will that work for my out of town guests.
Guys, in New Orleans, we have always had Friday weddings. Being one of the top destination locations in the country puts a ton of destination weddings in front of us, especially during peak wedding seasons. In order to fit the locals and the destination clients into our calendar year, Fridays are 100% an option and we love it!
The most controversial point to a Friday wedding is out of town guests coming in. I understand that this might seem like an inconvenient thing to ask of your guests because, let's face it, it means that they will have to take a day off of work. But if it was your best friend, family member or co-worker, would you take a Friday off to spend the weekend in New Orleans? I think you would!
I do understand that for some couples, a Friday wedding truly is not an option due to your own work schedule or a certain rotation if you are in school or perhaps the distance being traveled just not being not as close and convenient as most. And if that is the case, then perhaps a Friday really is not in the cards for you. But for most people, Friday is absolutely an option and guests love the excuse to come in on a Thursday night or Friday morning and then have the entire weekend to celebrate with you!
One of the best parts of a Friday wedding is the ability to have post wedding events. Perhaps instead of a rehearsal dinner or welcome party, you could do a post wedding night cap on Saturday night and have all of your guests meet up at your hotel bar or your favorite hot spot for a drink and more celebrating. Friday weddings give you the opportunity to spend even more time with your guests because often times we are cutting the night short on a Friday in order to get ready for our Saturday wedding. This way, everyone arrives on Thursday night/ Friday morning, they have the wedding on Friday evening and then they have the entire day and night on Saturday to explore and enjoy the city as well as celebrate with the couple. Throw in a Sunday brunch before they head back home and that is the perfect New Orleans weekend!
- Is a Sunday wedding a good option?
Yes, but a Sunday Brunch wedding during the day is the best option! This is by far my favorite "problem" to have - a Sunday wedding! Much like my points listed above, a Sunday gives you more time with your guests as well. And sure, taking off on Monday might not be for everyone, but I bet your guests will thank you for it more than they will decline the invitation. That said though, the best Sunday weddings are daytime/ brunch weddings!
When having a night time wedding, majority of the day for the bride, groom and bridal party is spent getting ready which means that you do not see any of your guests or friends outside of the people standing in your wedding. You are not drinking a ton because you do not want to be drunk for the ceremony and your nerves and excitement are through the roof! For a day time wedding, hire extra hair dressers and make-up artists so that you do not have to start getting ready too, too early and that will solve the "waking up early" problem. With that, your day went from spending eight hours prepping and waiting to four hours prepping and waiting, and then you have a ceremony and reception that is over by 4pm and you have the rest of the night with your partner and guests!
And what does everyone do on a Sunday (especially in New Orleans)? Brunch! So what better wedding reception than a Sunday brunch. Guests truly do enjoy a different menu filled with brunch items and beautiful day time lighting and the best photos! Plus, we all know that New Orleans is not lacking good brunch spots and venues that can accommodate a kick ass brunch menu!
- It is being insinuated that when the industry comes back, weddings will be smaller with a minimalistic vibe. Is there a concern that there will not be room for large weddings or that our wedding will not be welcome in New Orleans if it is too small (or too large)?
I received variations of this question a ton as if to say that there is a fear that our industry will be smaller, or that guest counts and budgets being less is concerning regarding where those clients will fit in a larger (wedding) city. I know everyone is discussing the changes and differences that the country will face when this pandemic comes to an end, and the wedding industry is no different.
We all know that just like couples have to change the way their dream wedding would have looked when it was slating to be on a peak Saturday night to the reality of the vision on a Friday night in September, things are going to change and things will look different all the way around. But having smaller guest counts and smaller weddings is, by no means, a reinvention of the wheel.
My company has been in business for twelve years. We are a full-service agency and always have been. That means that we do everything from full-service event planning to designing to elopements, to bachelorette parties to corporate and even consulting. Sure, we do have quite a few large-scale weddings each calendar year, but we have always been realistic to the fact that not everyone wants, needs or can afford the lush “trendy” luxury pieces of weddings. For us, working with clients that are eloping or having a wedding under 100 guests is not earth-shattering. This is not a new reality in New Orleans where so many people come from other parts of the country and I know that this is not new to other areas of the country that do not have the parties and celebrations that we are used to. We have always stood for what works for each individual client so, YAY! BRING IT!
Again, we know that New Orleans is not lacking in restaurants or venues that can accommodate or even specialize in smaller groups and numbers. It happens often and most vendors operate under the reality that if they can find a way to accommodate these couples and work out a budget that makes sense, then they certainly will. Some of us have separate teams that cater to elopements or smaller ceremonies with minimal needs. There are even companies that specialize in a "one-stop shop" type of mentality offering an officiant, a photographer, a bouquet, etc.
Do not let anyone scare you into thinking that this is a problem or that this "trend" is somehow new and underdeveloped. Just because there are vendors and planners that have never worked with lower numbers or minimal needs, does not mean that this is a new idea or reality. Just like any other wedding - find the vendors that are right for you and try to carve out money for a planner to help you on your journey, no matter what! That will solve a lot of the questions, concerns and confusion as they would know the ins and outs of what is feasible.
That being said, and the other side of the coin, the wedding industry is not turning minimal! We are here and we are working and we are still booking weddings. Do not fear that we are suddenly lacking in what it takes to pull off a luxury wedding or a wedding with larger numbers, seated dinner needs and weekend-long events for destination or local clients! We are accommodating all shapes, sizes and budgets just like we were before and I think we all know, as evidence from Katrina, New Orleans is not going anywhere!
If you have questions or pieces of the puzzle that you would like answered, feel free to reach out to me and check out our Instagram for continuing content and videos! And remember that any of these questions/ concerns could easily be solved and made into the best wedding day and weekend you could imagine with a planner that is worth her fee alone - you just have to find the one that is!
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