Surprise! Today is supposed to be Ryan and my wedding day, but due to COVID19 we made the decision to reschedule. 4.25.20, it would’ve been a nice date, wouldn’t it?

I like to think that my perspective on the current crisis/situation/movie turned reality (however you refer to it) we're living is one of a kind, as I am both a bride and a small business owner in the wedding industry. If you fall in either of those camps you already know it's not a fun spot to be in.

From the bride's perspective, I have been very fortunate to have close relationships with my vendors and was able to put a contingency plan in place within a number of hours when it became clear that April 25th was questionable. I was also very lucky that the only vendor who was not available for the new date was the band - I was really pumped for the one we booked, but we now have Sol Fusion, so somehow, even this loss turned into a win. We were very, very fortunate, I know it hasn’t worked out so well for everyone.

So, lucky for us working through the vendor aspect of rescheduling the wedding was an easier process than I would have expected. But other lesser thought of things have been somewhat of a challenge - I had to pick my gown up from the alterations shop earlier than planned and figure out where on earth to store it… I originally planned to get it to my parents' house but things happened so quickly that wasn't in the cards. I also have yet to try it on after it was altered since I didn’t have my shoes with me when I picked it up, and the idea of trying it on by myself one of our bedrooms just seems weird. We're getting married in Blowing Rock and our new date is in the peak of tourist season - accommodations have become tricky. Ryan and I have yet to figure out where we will be staying now as the property we originally reserved was already booked on the new date. Expanding on accommodations, we originally planned to host multiple events leading up to wedding day so that we would have the opportunity to spend more one on one time with everyone... thanks to The Inn at Ragged Gardens being incredibly flexible (side note, I can’t speak highly enough of how wonderful working with them has been - truly a business that values relationships), Friday night's welcome reception looks like it will still take place, but everything else is up in the air. Perhaps the biggest bummer of all, 3-4 of my closest girlfriends most likely will no longer be able to attend due to weddings that were originally scheduled for the same date and baby due dates… I’d say those are valid reasons.

From the wedding planner's perspective, I have now worked through rescheduling two weddings and am in the midst of putting a contingency plan in place for another. I have been in this industry for over 10 years and this is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Fellow vendors are doing everything in their power to take care of our couples, but they are still operating a business and taking hits financially. New contracts have specific cancellation clauses in the event this would happen again (please, Lord, no) - I have done more negotiating/contract modifications this month than probably in the last two years combined. Vendors are pivoting, trying to get creative with service offerings so that their business can continue operation during these crazy times. Ultimately, we are all just trying our best to get through this without suffering major harm to the businesses we've poured our heart and soul into, while also keeping the client's best interest at heart.

Five weeks ago, we were still holding out hope for today - "things are happening so fast and there's so much time between now and April 25th, we're not going to rush to make a decision". I was so hopeful, especially because we are getting married at the Blue Ridge Mountain Club, in the mountains with (hopefully) fewer restrictions and our guest count would have been around 100. There was always the concern/thought of "even if this is permitted, do we want to risk our guests?", but again, we were waiting to see how things progressed before making any decision.

Fast forward one week and we learned the mandatory "Stay Home" order was being put in place for North Carolina, running through the end of April, and just like that, the decision was made for us. A short week later and we unexpectedly lost our Gray Girl. To say that the last month has been trying for us would be putting it mildly. Being a wedding professional, I'm not supposed to say this, but I'm going to anyway, once we lost Gray the wedding became an afterthought.

Are we disappointed that we aren't celebrating with family and friends today? Sure. But, we will still get married. We will still celebrate. I still get to wear that gorg gown that I'm obsessed with. What we won't be able to do is have more time with Gray. Many people probably won't understand the bond we had with her, it is different than either of the other two pups, which I’m sure is in part due to how dedicated we were to managing her epilepsy and how much she depended on us.

What I'm trying to say is, even though you may be a bride who is disappointed about her wedding plans changing or a vendor/business owner facing hard and uncertain times - don't miss the bright spots. God willing, your friends and families are healthy and well - call them, facetime them, plan get-togethers for when we are able to see one another again. Keep planning those weddings, even though they may look different than you originally envisioned don't lose your excitement about celebrating with those you love most - it may take some flexibility on your behalf, but it will still happen!

Just think of the stories we are going to have one day... I for one am already thinking through how I'm going to tie in all of my date-specific details (I had a custom Mrs. Box made to replicate our Save the Date and also had birchwood bangle designed that has today’s date inscribed in morse code) to the new date. I'm also thinking through what business looks like in the coming months, will I offer a micro-wedding service? Elopements? I wouldn't write anything off at the moment, but also don't want to force something that doesn't feel genuinely thought through.

So for today, we're going to socially distance ourselves and find a way to celebrate what would have been our wedding day - the rain is throwing a bit of a kink in plans, but hey, at least I'm not worrying about how the weather will impact our outdoor ceremony and reception. Today also would have been our Gray's fourth birthday, so we will be celebrating her far too short, but very, very sweet life.

Hang in their friends, we will all get through this!

And because I haven’t shared many of these, posting our engagement photos below.

Creative Team:

Kristin Byrum Photography

Be Pretty Charlotte

North Corner Haven