Shotskis, video booths, cornhole games, afterparties? These days, weddings are so much more than dinner and dancing. Three experts weigh in on how to keep your guests on their toes all night long.

The days of boxed-in booths are over. Sam Spendlove and Heather Hodge of Couth Booth show us that open-style booths are all the rage, and oh so exciting.

“It’s fun to see people’s faces light up when they get their prints so fast,” Spendlove says. “We’ve done everything from faux magazine covers to Western, the ‘80s and comic-book themes.” The dynamic duo offers a choice of 25 backdrops including three-dimensional backdrops like a hedge wall with live florals, glam filters, animation and video. Now, smile! couthbooth.com

A how-to guide for couples whose nuptial plans have gotten a shake-up with the world’s current events. 

Edit: Check out What To Expect When You Weren’t Expecting Coronavirus for more tips and specific rescheduling policies from real wedding pros in Utah.

Photos by Duke Moose | @dukemoose

You’re about to get married and COVID-19 has presented you with an unprecedented, rapidly changing, and unclear situation. It’s confusing and frankly discouraging. But we are not about to let all of your hard work go to waste! With some rearranging, patience, compromise and resourcefulness, you can still have the wedding of your dreams – just perhaps on a different day – and here’s how:

Step One: Make a decision. 

Decide you’re going to postpone. This one seems obvious but you have a few options here… you could postpone, adjust your plans or move forward (although that last one is probably not advised by the CDC). For this first step, take into consideration the wedding’s location, the number of people that will be attending and the amount of time between now and the wedding itself.

Step Two: Contact your vendors.

Usually we would advise that you take a look at their contracts and figure out their cancellation policies, however because so many vendors are being affected as well, we suggest reaching out to them directly. Try to contact your most important vendors, i.e. venue, caterer, florist, baker and entertainment and work together to figure out your second-best scenario. 

Step Three: Contact your MVPs.

Once you get a date that works for your vendors, or at least the majority of them, we recommend reaching out directly to your wedding party, your immediate family, or just the people whose presence is most important to you. If the same dates that work for the vendors work for them, you’re in business!

Step Four: Update your wedding website.

Once you make your decision, you’ll want to update your wedding website. It’s the quickest and easiest way to communicate with the largest number of attendees at once. As you make your decisions, you’ll want to keep your website as up to date as possible. Don’t have a website? We also recommend reaching out directly to your less technologically-savvy guests when you make the big decisions, i.e. date, time, location. 

Step Five: Breathe a sigh of relief.

Weddings are stressful and you just bought yourself more time to get yours just right. They say hindsight is 20/20 and now you have a little taste of it. Make all those tweaks you wouldn’t have had time to make if the wedding was happening according to your original plan.

Suggestions for a smooth switch:

1. Try and make your decisions ASAP but don’t jump the gun. You want to give guests and vendors as much time as possible to rearrange their plans but in these uncertain times you also don’t want to solidify a decision too far in advance. For example, if your wedding is mid-July, we’d take a beat, pay attention to the news make a decision as the date gets closer but if your wedding is in two weeks, odds are your vendors have already gotten a head start so get in contact with them ASAP to ensure you don’t incur any additional costs.
2. Remember a wedding is a celebration of your nuptials and does not necessarily have to take place on the day you legally tie the knot. You can always choose to head to the courthouse and get married legally on your intended wedding day and save the celebration for later!
3. Don’t let this negatively impact your wedding experience. You are likely only going to get married once. Consciously make sure you’re looking on the bright side. Like we said, a longer planning period often makes for a better wedding!

Pro tip: If you’re a couple without a planner and need support as you work through the postponement process of your wedding, our friends at Michelle Leo Events are offering a discounted rate on their A La Carte consulting services! Click here to see how they can help. | @MichelleLeoEvents

If you’re a business offering assistance to couples who had to postpone their weddings, email us at magazine@utahbrideandgroom.com!