Five Simple Wedding Planning Tips for Engaged Couples During a Pandemic
Couples from every walk of life, this message is for you!
We hope that you are reading this safe, healthy and from the comfort of your home. To the frontline workers, we applaud you. To those who are simply doing the best that you can, we cheer you on too! No matter where you find yourself during this time, we understand that your 2020 wedding plans are inevitably affected by Covid-19. Along with that your personal and professional lives have been altered due to corresponding local, state, national and international mandates along with the ever-changing CDC guidelines. We hope that at this point in time if your wedding date was in direct hit of these sanctions that you have reached out to your wedding planner, venue and wedding vendor team to properly postpone. If you find yourself at an impasse, confused or too stressed to make a decision, please contact a wedding planning professional who can offer you strategic, objective guidance on helping you make the right decision for YOU.
We are proud to say that wedding professionals are some of the most caring, creative and logistically savvy individuals who are passionate about truly helping you! Let your professionals guide you with difficult decisions. Continue gathering inspiration from online resources such as Style Me Pretty, Grace Ormonde, The Knot, Brides and your local Modern Luxury Weddings guide especially if your wedding has changed seasons. On the planning side of the equation, at Marquette Avenue Events, we most certainly welcome your calls, emails, DMs and text messages! We hope that you’ve found comfort in our strategic guidance, rescheduling organization, connecting with your vendor teams and venues, countless phone calls, emails, Zooms, Lives and FaceTimes so far. Given our new normal in this ongoing global crisis it is normal to feel overwhelmed and we are here for you! Below are 5 easy things that you can work on remotely, digitally and virtually in your home.
So let’s alleviate stress, take back your wedding and always have some fun in the wedding planning process! Take a peek and if you look closely you will see a very special MAE Bride in her at-home engagement photo shoot, Elle Cashin, Editor in Chief of Modern Luxury Weddings Chicago!
Photography by Brian Kinyon featuring Elle Cashin, Editor in Chief of Modern Luxury Weddings & her husband Dan Cashin
Step One
Simple, yet difficult for many to do is to take time to put YOU first. During good times and times of crisis you have to take care of yourself! This is especially true as you are preparing to get married! Be kind to yourself and do your best to get on track with your health, nutrition and overall wellness. In order to make the right decisions, you need to be in the right head space. We agree that these are inevitably concerning times, doubled with the pressure of pandemic wedding planning. Having a healthy outlet for stress is essential and we understand the pressure to look fabulous in your wedding attire.
You’ve got to retrain your thinking and workout routine. Give yourself at least 20 minutes a day to get your heart rate up, paired with eating right, limiting alcohol and keeping a regular sleep schedule. These simple things will do your mind and body right! If you are having difficulty getting on a schedule (individually or as a couple) find a virtual “accountability friend” who can help keep you on track. Our’s is Fallon PR who never fails to be in the know of the latest workout, skincare regimen and healthy snack!
Some of our favorite virtual workouts: Shred415, CorePower Yoga, Soulful Ray and Studio Three who will be bringing their live premium classes to Zoom on April 20th, hosting 6 classes per day. As for meditation, we love Chill Chicago. Chill hosts complimentary 10-15 min Zoom sessions every Monday, Wednesday + Friday at 12:30pm CDT and on IG LIVE every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday + Sunday at 9am CDT.
If you are trying to kick your sweet tooth like us, we recommend the sugar reset program offered through Sweetkick! We love Sweetkick because it’s easy and effective! SK in it’s simplest form is a small mint that helps reduce your sugar intake over time and allows you to take back control of your sugar cravings. To receive 15% off of your Sweetkick order enter code MAE in your checkout! We love results, their Sweet Blog and celebrity personal trainer Harley Pasternak!
We welcome you to reach out to MAE for a virtual workout accountability buddy - We are all in this together!
Scrolling Photography by Joe Montalto, Jacqui Cole, Sweetkick, Shred415 & MindBody
Step Two
Dealing with this crisis, you certainly deserve a break to window shop! Why not get creative and complete your wedding gift registry?! No matter your wedding date, your loved ones still want to celebrate you and need help gifting you. They will appreciate ideas through your registry to send you gifts for your home, lifestyle and honeymoon. We encourage you to take a deep dive into your home organization first and then figure out what household items you truly need in your combined lives together. Some of our favorite registries are Zola, Amazon, Bloomingdales, & Target!
For a more complete look into wedding registries check out our Registry Blog Post!
Step Three
What is your instant mood boost? For us at MAE, it’s MUSIC. Set the tone for your wedding day with personalized music curation that you can do right now at home together. If you are apart, share your playlists and keep shared documents at the ready to track your favorite artists, genres and song choices throughout your wedding events. What type of vibe do you want during your ceremony? This is a great time to work on your ceremony processional order set to the music you envision. Do you want strings or piano or both! Do your song choices lend to the instrumentation that you have selected with your live musicians?
Sultry jazz or classic covers during cocktail hour? Have you decided on your first dance song? Is anyone in your family musically inclined who you can incorporate into your special events? Be sure to connect with your band, musicians, or DJ for the most up to date music game plan.
We welcome you to take a peek at our Spotify playlists for some inspiration!
Scrolling Photography by Carasco Photo, Colin Lyons & Spotify
Step Four
Clear messaging is KEY! Fine tune your communication to loved ones by updating your invitations and save the dates. Right now many of our favorite invitation designers are offering discounts that couples should consider! One of our local favorites Pulp & Ink is offering 40% off of invitation reprints and change of date mailers. Please check them out and also feel welcome to contact us for more of our esteemed partners.
Be sure to update your wedding website with consistent messaging, clear event dates and start times and be sure to include your favorite photos as a couple! If you have not started your website yet, now is the perfect time! We love Riley & Grey, AppyCouple, & The Knot for sharing all the necessary details for your big day!
Invitations by Pulp & Ink | Photography by Amanda Megan Miller
Invitations by Smitten | Photography by Tim Tab Studios
Step Five
It’s never too early to work on gathering essential wedding day items and setting them aside. These items include everything from cake cutting sets to toasting flutes, card boxes, etc. To make your life easier we have curated lists on Amazon!
This is also a time to plan ahead for your wedding day look and pre-wedding event attire for showers, rehearsals and brunches. Many brands have implemented virtual try-on experiences for bridal gowns, bridesmaids dresses, suits and accessories! Consider at-home or virtual try-on experiences that are being offered through trusted brands such as Amsale, Brideside, 11 Honoré and more!
Scrolling Photography by Tim Tab Studios & Joe Montalto
MAE Pro Tip: You are likely looking for an escape in every way right now. If you are on top of all of your wedding planning at this point in time, we wholeheartedly encourage you to start dreaming up your honeymoon! Get a head start on your travel destination wishes, do your best to narrow down dates in your calendar and lock in low airline and hotel rates. Honeymoon planning will inevitably bring the fun back into wedding planning, we promise! One of our favorite travel companies &BEYOND is giving followers real safari experiences on their IG Live’s andBeyond’s Wild Watch every week!
For more honeymoon inspo, take a peek at our honeymoon blog!
To find out how Michigan Avenue Events can add value, organization, strategic guidance and essential resources to your wedding or special event, please visit us at www.michiganavenueevents.com.
We welcome you to contact us anytime at (312) 505-9193.