Parallel Planning

We're both optimistic and realistic here at Whitewed, and whilst we would like nothing more than to crack on with the celebrations, we also know that nobody knows for sure how long this will last. Therefore, there is still more uncertainly to come before the clarity, and the term Parallel planning will be bounced around a lot in coming months. 

What is parallel planning?

A parallel plan is similar to what some people may call a "Plan B" or an "alternative plan." However, a parallel plan is much more than that! Creating a parallel plan is about preparing for all possibilities and making sure you are ready for just about anything. It means you are effectively planning two weddings at the same time.

Usually there is some “Plan B's” in place for every wedding. Where will photos take place if it rains? Which guests will get bumped up to day ones if people can’t come? Where else can you have your ceremony if its too hot/too wet…

Already without realising it you have been used to thinking of the what ifs.

Sadly now, there will be many couples having to consider and plan for a much bigger Plan B. A whole other wedding.

Do you need to parallel plan?

If your wedding has already been postponed or you are thinking yours might be, you’ll need to be doing some parallel planning, and we’re here to guide you through it. You're effectively going to planning two weddings-your original one and your Plan B.

If you’ve already postponed your wedding and have a new date, that’s great! You have a new date to get excited about and maybe even more time to treat yourself to a few extras. Perhaps you’ve changed season so you can now get pinning new ideas if you'd like to embrace a change in season.

If you feel your wedding may not be able to happen this year, but haven’t booked a new date yet, fear not, you’re certainly not alone.

First, you start with your Plan A, which is that your original wedding gets to go ahead. Amazing, you have things under control, and everything will click into place when the government say we can all crack on and celebrate. Trust us, your venue and suppliers will be itching to get on and do what they love, and your guests will be super excited to see you!

Next, you start to consider your Plan B. This will come into play if your current wedding can’t happen on the date you’ve set. What we suggest now is to start to mentally prepare yourself for a change. Having a Plan B in place will help you feel more in control and more prepared, so it will be less stressful than starting from scratch. Now is a good time to prepare for this whilst you're home more and have more time together.  Be ready to be flexible. If you still really want to marry this year, there will be huge demand and low supply so you may need to move season, switch to a mid week wedding or change venue (or all three).

The logistics- How do we parallel plan?

The paperwork bit

If you have wedding insurance speak to your insurance provider and ask if you’re covered, and if so what they pay out for in case of postponement. Check your paperwork from each supplier and what their cancellation policy is. Make a list (if you haven't already) of all your suppliers and their contact details so it will make it a lot easier to get in touch with them.

Make a list of “no go” dates

Speak to your family, key bridal party members and key suppliers. If you want everyone to be able to move to a new date you need to have dates in mind that are a total no go. If you can't imagine another photographer being at your wedding, ask them for the dates they are already booked so you don't even discuss those dates with your venue. This will save a lot of time and angst when you come round to sorting a new date. Make sure guests are happy about taking time off work for your new wedding date if you’re considering to move to a weekday. It would be a real shame to move to a new date that key guests can't make because they have committed to something else. 

Set a new date

Call your venue and ask which dates they have available to move to. Many venues and suppliers are being super accommodating in this time and will try their best to come to a solution with you. Please be prepared for some compromise to happen. If you want to go from a summer wedding to a summer wedding you may need to be flexible with which day of the week you marry as popular venues get booked far in advance and popular days like Saturdays will already be booked. If you want to marry as soon as you can, it is likely you will then need to change season. Perhaps Autumn/Winter wasn’t your preferred choice at the start but we’re here to get you excited again, and of what fun you’ll have getting on Pinterest again! Take a look at our real weddings which are sorted by season to give you lots of ideas!

Let your venue and suppliers help you.

Your venue and suppliers will have heaps of ideas on how to alter your plans to a new season. You may not even need to change the theme (if you don’t want to) but keep in mind costs may change if things aren’t n season (like food and flowers for example).

You don't have to have the legal bit on the same day as the celebration.

So you've lined up the venue and suppliers in this downtime, but the church or registrars can't make the same day. Why not have a celebrant lead a beautiful ceremony and you can do the legal bit at another time? Celebrant led weddings are really growing in popularity as they allow you to create your own ceremony that's personal and unique to you, incorporating your beliefs and values. They can take place anywhere at any time, and often a celebrant will only have one ceremony per day, so you won't be tied to a particular time. Check out our directory for your local celebrant.

You can figure out a plan B with your suppliers too.

If your photographer can't be there on your big day, discuss the idea of them organising another photographer they trust, who works in a similar style to take the photos of your day instead. The stand in photographer will then pass the unedited images from your day back to your original photographer and they will edit them and deliver them to you so you still get their creative eye and the style you liked at the beginning. If a supplier you love can't make it ask them to recommend someone or see if they can arrange an alternative for you, and if it's a case of delivery issues, see if the venue will allow a super early set up to allow suppliers more time to do more deliveries. Some companies even do dry hire so you can collect the goods yourself and set them up at your venue. We have an amazing network of suppliers on our directory and many of them work together, become friends and pitch in to help each other. Behind the scenes we've been in awe of our suppliers (in our closed Facebook group) and how they are supporting each other and helping each other to fulfil their bookings. Suppliers have plan B's too!

Remember why you are getting married.

It’s not because of the venue your found, the amazing flowers you planned, the band that are going to create the best party ever…it’s because you want to marry your fiance and celebrate your love for each other. That’s the part of your wedding which will never change. And remember the reason you may not get married now isn’t because you don’t love each other, but because we can’t be with all our loved ones right now. This is just a pause, an inconvenient but very necessary one. You will get your day and it will be everything you wanted it to be.

Happy (parallel) planning!

Love team Whitewed

Image credits-Flowers by Wendy House Flowers, Photography by Sally-Anne, Stationary by  I Heart It