Should I Cancel or Postpone My Wedding Because of COVID-19 Coronavirus?

Many couples around the United States and all over the world right now are facing heartbreaking decisions when it comes to deciding how to cancel, postpone, or move forward with their wedding due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The coming days, weeks and months will be difficult, but now may be the time to begin thinking about what your next steps are.

Take a deep breath. Breathe. It will be okay.

We’ve spent the last few days talking with others in our industry about how to best help our couples move forward with their weddings, and we’re going to walk you through what we believe are your two best options right now: postponing to a later date or holding an outdoor elopement now and celebrating later.

I’m Considering Postponing My Wedding

Postponing your wedding right now probably looks like your best option, and it certainly may be. The important thing to keep in sight is that good, honest wedding vendors want to work with you to fulfill their commitments. Many of us, including Foster Creative, are allowing the couples who’ve signed with us to postpone their wedding date without penalty, meaning we’ll allow you to change your date and apply your deposit to your new date of your choice. 

Now is the time to reach out to your wedding vendors. Be honest with them about how you’re feeling and what your concerns are, and allow them an opportunity to work with you! Chances are they want to find a solution together.

Foster Creative is allowing all couples who have booked with us to postpone their wedding dates until March 31, 2021 with no penalty, and we hope that many other colleagues in our industry will continue to follow similarly as we all navigate through this difficult terrain together. 

What About Eloping? 

We understand that often a courthouse comes to mind when people hear the word “elopement”, but those days are well behind us. Adventure elopements are experiences crafted by both the photographer and/or videographer, and the couple. They always include the couple, but can even include moms, dads, brothers, sisters, friends, doggos, or whoever each couple decides they would like to have by their side during their most intimate wedding experience. Depending on your situation, eloping may be a strategic alternative to holding a large ceremony.

As of March 19, 2020, many western states have restricted gatherings to groups of 10 or less--still quite within the conditions of an intimate elopement. Outdoor recreating is still being encouraged (while maintaining social distancing, of course), which means that spring of 2020 may very well be the spring of adventure elopements. In Colorado, you don’t even need an officiant to marry you, meaning you can legally marry yourselves as long as you have a Colorado marriage license in hand. Couples can elope on their original wedding dates with their closest family and friends, while holding a reception celebration at a later, safer date!

Here’s How This Could Work:

On your original wedding day, let’s say May 9th, 2020, you will join your partner, local photographer and videographer, officiant (or not), moms, dads, and doggo for a beautiful sunset elopement ceremony inside of Rocky Mountain National Park. After a few hours of shooting outdoor portraits with you in a grove of pines, atop the tundra along Trail Ridge Road, and beside deep turquoise lakes, we’ll come together for a sunset ceremony. As night falls, you’ll stare out together across the mountain valley before you, taking in the day as you’ve just experienced it. Once you’re able to gather with all of your friends and family again for your reception, you’ll be able to show them your elopement experience through photo and video!

Thanks For Reading

Some of the best advice we’ve ever received is that there is always opportunity in the times of crisis. By being proactive about your options now, we hope that many of you will be able to weather these storms and have a beautiful wedding experience. We’re rooting for you and we’re here to help! If you’re planning your wedding or elopement for 2020 or 2021 and are still looking for a videographer—we want to work with you! Send us your concerns, your plans, and your dreams—we’re committed to supporting you through it all!