Eastlife Autumn 2020

Weddings
With this in mind, here are 10 practical planning and styling tips:
It’s an incredibly surreal and uncertain
time for us all and from a wedding and
wedding planning perspective the
past few months have been filled with
a roller coaster of emotions, additional
work, loss of money, lack of sleep, an
immense amount of disappointment…
and so much more. If you too are
experiencing some or all of the
above, then I wholeheartedly know
how you feel.
If your wedding has been affected
by Coronavirus then firstly, I really do
hope that you’re ok. And secondly, that
you’ve managed to resolve any issues
and in turn have a positive plan in place
moving forwards.
Over my next few features for EastLife
Magazine, I’ll be offering some
insights and practical planning advice
specifically dealing with the affect and
impact that Coronavirus has had on
weddings and wedding planning. I’ll
also aim to cover a range of different
aspects and stages of the planning
process.
This feature is tailored specifically to
help those of you who’ve unfortunately
had to make the difficult decision to
postpone your wedding from this
spring or summer to later in the year
or early next year, but it might also be
beneficial to anyone already planning
or considering an autumn or winter
wedding.
Katrina Otter is a Cambridgeshire
based wedding planner and event
organiser with over 10 years of
experience. Find out how she could
help you plan your wedding day at
www.katrinaotterweddings.co.uk
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As the sun will set earlier in the day, you may want to consider bringing timings
forward slightly or tweaking the order of events, especially if you envisage certain
elements of the day in natural daylight. Talk to your venue, caterer and especially
your photographer, as they’ll be able to provide plenty of guidance to help you
make the most of the shorter daylight hours.
If you were planning on having elements of your wedding outdoors such as your
drinks reception or group photos, then you’ll need to talk to your venue about
alternative locations and ‘Plan Bs’, and remember to check licenses and room
capacities too. If you have to double up or re-use rooms then also ensure that
you notify your suppliers so that they can factor this into their plans, costings and
staffing. If on the other hand you’re having a marquee wedding, then you’ll need
to talk to your marquee company to ensure that you have enough space for your
reception and dining.
Consider the possibility of alternative inclement weather. Talk to your venue and
suppliers about any plans that they have in place and ask them how they deal
with inclement weather. Also, think about you and your guests and have back-up
plans in place for all extreme weather eventualities.
If you still plan on going outdoors for part of the day, for example to travel
between locations, for photos, confetti etc, then think about you, your wedding
party and your guests – you may want to purchase or hire blankets, throws,
umbrellas and even hand warmers to ensure that you’re all comfortable and
happy throughout the day.
Don’t assume that your guests will come prepared for the weather so talk to your
venue or marquee company about heating and your caterer and bar staff about
warming food and drinks.
With the extra (warming) attire and umbrellas to hand, you’ll also need to
consider additional facilities like coat rails and umbrella stands. Hire these in if
you need to or talk to your venue about coat and bag checking systems,
staffing etc.
From a décor perspective, lighting will now be one of the most important
elements of your wedding and you may need to increase or tweak your budget
to accommodate this – from practical production lighting to lighting to enhance
and elevate your venue and tablescape.
Check with your venue what additional décor they have in place, especially
around Christmas. If it’s not to your taste, then now’s the time to ask whether
anything can be taken down or replaced.
Talk to your suppliers about seasonality and whether or not this will affect your
wedding – from your colour palette and choice of flowers to what food and drink
you serve your guests. It may be that you need to completely revisit your design
concept as well as attend another food tasting, especially to ensure that your
menu ticks those seasonal and more hearty boxes.
From an attire perspective staying warm is key so you may want to consider a
dress with long sleeves, striking ankle boots, capes (my personal fave), velvet
blazers and statement faux-fur accessories for your maids. And whilst we’re on
the subject of attire, talk to your hair and makeup artist about bridal prep and how
to keep you skin hydrated and hair glossy in the cooler months.
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