Yesterday the UK entered into our second lockdown of the year in an effort to contain the corona virus and to ease pressure on the NHS. Whilst I’m sure we all have differing opinions on this, what is indisputable is that second waves of the virus are hitting the UK and our European neighbours hard and protecting the NHS, our health and ultimately the economy are key to long term recovery.

If you’re planning a wedding for 2021 (or even 2022) the lockdown does not mean that your celebration dreams need to go on hold. Let’s make the most of these dark autumn and winter months to make sure we’re organising the party of a life time. Here are The Wedding Arrangers’ tips for making the most of lockdown and getting on top of your wedding planning.

Plan your ideal wedding menu

Your wedding feast is likely to be the biggest number on your budget sheet, yet so many couples leave it to the last minute to think about what they’d actually like to serve their guests on their wedding day. This is the biggest dinner party you’ll ever throw - how are you going to impress all of those hungry friends? Think about your favourite cuisines, your prized recipe books, the best restaurant experiences you’ve had, maybe a foodie holiday that you loved and draw up a list of food ideas that reflect you as a couple. Think about the seasons and the location for your wedding too, what makes sense for your unique day? Try not to be over prescriptive - leave room for creativity from your chefs - but have some fun thinking up your dream meal and communicate this to your planner or caterer.

Build your wedding mood board

Why not spend some lockdown time building your wedding Pinterest board? (If you’re not aPinterest fan you could use Google Docs or even just build folders on your laptop). Inspiration can come from anywhere and images are essential in communicating your style to wedding planners, florists, lighting teams, photographers etc. Share your images with your suppliers and discuss the best way to achieve ‘the look’ whilst keeping an eye on your budget.

Compile the perfect party playlist

Giving your wedding DJ guidance on where to go with music is essential to ensure your party goes with a bang. Send yourself into a Spotify wormhole, pick out your party favourites and your dad dance classics to make sure your DJ knows the “must hears” for your celebration. There’s no harm in compiling a list of “do not plays” either. DJs will fall back on floor filling tools if the dancefloor thins, so if you have an aversion to YMCA, now’s the time to say so! Leave room for your DJ to show some creativity too, but if there are key songs you want to hear at certain times, such as party closers or golden oldies earlier in the evening whilst your rock ‘n’ roll obsessed uncle is still dancing, you should flag these up too.

Write your wedding speeches

Unaccustomed to public speaking as you may well be, now is the time to start to think about those wedding day speeches. Take some time to gather your thoughts, think through those anecdotes, put into words how you feel about each other and ask yourself if those jokes are really going to land!? Decide who else you’d like to say a few words and let them know now. Give them a chance to do the same whilst we’re all spending more time at home. Remember to rehearse your speech and time it too. Let your planner know what to expect so that there are no over runs or other timing issues on the day.

Relax - we’ve got this

There is nothing any of us can do about this situation. To be frank, it’s bullsh*t for everyone. But whilst we are all having to spend more time at home we should take the opportunity to destress. Try some new recipes, treat yourself to a decent bottle of wine, maybe practice some mindfulness, read a couple of interesting books, catch up on Netflix and, most importantly, concentrate on each other.

We’ll get there in the end, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you when we do.

Take care and stay safe

x

Food, music, booze

We scraped one last blow out dinner on Sunday night at the always fabulous Barrafina knowing that lock down was back. Sitting at the counter enjoying delicious wines and tapas whilst being looked after by their fantastic team was a treat - something we know that we’ll miss.

Whilst we’re all spending more time at home we’re also more aware than ever of supporting independent businesses. We’ve enjoyed shopping at some of our local favourites including Highbury Vintners, Yield N16 and Furantxo - all of them carrying some fantastic wines for lockdown treats.

Last week saw the 25th anniversary of Pulp’s Different Class - an stone cold classic and worth revisiting even if it did make some of us feel a little old! 25 years?!