{"id":426,"date":"2021-01-22T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/?p=426"},"modified":"2021-05-30T20:58:04","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T00:58:04","slug":"planning-a-salem-ma-wedding-during-the-covid-19-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/22\/planning-a-salem-ma-wedding-during-the-covid-19-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning a Salem, MA wedding during the COVID-19 pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hi everyone, happy Friday. Welcome back to the blog. For today I wanted to chat about planning a Salem, MA wedding during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 was nuts, as we all know and we aren\u2019t exactly out of the woods yet with COVID-19. According to TheKnot.com, 35% of couples who had upcoming weddings have postponed to 2021 or later. So what are a few things you should keep in mind if your big day is this year? These are a few of my thoughts on the matter\u2026<\/p>\n<h4>Communication with guests is key<\/h4>\n<p>With things changing pretty much daily, keeping your guests informed is crucial. If you don\u2019t already have a wedding website, now is an excellent time to create one so you can update everyone in one shot.<\/p>\n<h4>Understand what is in your contracts<\/h4>\n<p>When booking your venue and vendors, you likely signed a contract. Be sure you understand what is in there regarding cancellation, moving your date and more. This also includes what would happen if (heaven forbid) one of your vendors becomes sick and is unable to work your wedding. Do they have a back up in place? How much notice would you have? If you have to pick a new date are there fees? What if the new date is not available with that vendor? Can you work out a partial refund? What if a reduced guests list means you can no longer meet your food and beverage minimums with your caterers? These are things you need to know so you can adjust accordingly if needed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/26\/five-things-to-look-for-in-your-wedding-vendor-contracts\/\">Five things to look for in your wedding vendor contracts<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>If you DO have to pick a new date<\/h4>\n<p>If the decision is made to reschedule, begin with your venue first. Pick a new date with them and then go down the line with your vendors to see if they are still available. Update your website and guests once everything is determined.<\/p>\n<p>If you do push the date back, the earlier you can let guests know, the better. If anyone is coming into Salem from a distance for your big day they will need time to adjust their travel plans.<\/p>\n<p>The last note I have on this is to rebook early, if you\u2019re going to. Dates are already filling fast for 2021 and 2022 with couples who had to reschedule from 2020 so don\u2019t wait too long.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/thingstodoinsalem.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/18\/10-socially-distant-things-to-do-in-salem-ma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10 socially distant things to do in Salem, MA<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Consider scaling it back<\/h4>\n<p>If you\u2019re completely set on keeping your wedding date, consider scaling things back. Many venues in Salem are now offering mini-monies or smaller packages for scaled back events. You could also elope in Salem on your chosen date and then have a huge party later once COVID-19 is more under control.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/20\/five-places-to-have-a-mini-monie-or-small-scale-wedding-in-salem-ma\/\">Five places to have a \u201cmini-monie\u201d or small scale wedding in Salem, MA<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Insurance<\/h4>\n<p>If possible, pick options, accommodations and travel plans for your new date that have insurance. We don\u2019t know what 2021 or 2022 are going to look like with COVID-19 numbers being where they are, so make sure you have cancellation insurance, travel insurance for international couples\/guests and more. You might want to consider having wedding insurance in general so you have options available to you if the unforeseen happens.<\/p>\n<p>I hope this helps! Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts. Good luck on your big day!! <3<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-153\" src=\"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/xoxo-1.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/xoxo-1.jpg 450w, https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/xoxo-1-300x117.jpg 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"175\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4>Are you a North Shore based or New England based wedding professional?<\/h4>\n<p>If you are a North Shore based or New England based wedding professional interested in sponsoring a blog post,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/work-with-me\/\">click here<\/a>. I\u2019d be happy to chat about working together.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thingstodoinsalem.com\/index.php\/accommodations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-218 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/findyourhotelbanner.jpg\" alt=\"salem ma wedding, salem ma hotels\" width=\"730\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/findyourhotelbanner.jpg 730w, https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/findyourhotelbanner-300x62.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 730px) 100vw, 730px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4>Pin for later<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/864480090972398810\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-429 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Planning-a-Salem-MA-wedding.jpg\" alt=\"salem ma wedding, planning a salem ma wedding during the covid-19 pandemic\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Planning-a-Salem-MA-wedding.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Planning-a-Salem-MA-wedding-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Planning-a-Salem-MA-wedding-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Planning-a-Salem-MA-wedding-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi everyone, happy Friday. Welcome back to the blog. For today I wanted to chat about planning a Salem, MA wedding during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 was nuts, as we all know and we aren\u2019t exactly out of the woods yet with COVID-19. According to TheKnot.com, 35% of couples who had upcoming weddings have postponed to 2021 or later. So what are a few things you should keep in mind if your big day is this year? These are a few of my thoughts on the matter\u2026 Communication with guests is key With things changing pretty much daily, keeping your guests informed is crucial. If you don\u2019t already have a wedding website, now is an excellent time to create one so you can update everyone in one shot. Understand what is in your contracts When booking your venue and vendors, you likely signed a contract. Be sure you understand what is in there regarding cancellation, moving your date and more. This also includes what would happen if (heaven forbid) one of your vendors becomes sick and is unable to work your wedding. Do they have a back up in place? How much notice would you have? If you have to pick a new date are there fees? What if the new date is not available with that vendor? Can you work out a partial refund? What if a reduced guests list means you can no longer meet your food and beverage minimums with your caterers? These are things you need to know so you can adjust accordingly if needed. Related: Five things to look for in your wedding vendor contracts If you DO have to pick a new date If the decision is made to reschedule, begin with your venue first. Pick a new date with them and then go down the line with your vendors to see if they are still available. Update your website and guests once everything is determined. If you do push the date back, the earlier you can let guests know, the better. If anyone is coming into Salem from a distance for your big day they will need time to adjust their travel plans. The last note I have on this is to rebook early, if you\u2019re going to. Dates are already filling fast for 2021 and 2022 with couples who had to reschedule from 2020 so don\u2019t wait too long. Related: 10 socially distant things to do in Salem, MA Consider scaling it back If you\u2019re completely set on keeping your wedding date, consider scaling things back. Many venues in Salem are now offering mini-monies or smaller packages for scaled back events. You could also elope in Salem on your chosen date and then have a huge party later once COVID-19 is more under control. Related: Five places to have a \u201cmini-monie\u201d or small scale wedding in Salem, MA Insurance If possible, pick options, accommodations and travel plans for your new date that have insurance. We don\u2019t know what 2021 or 2022 are going to look like with COVID-19 numbers being where they are, so make sure you have cancellation insurance, travel insurance for international couples\/guests and more. You might want to consider having wedding insurance in general so you have options available to you if the unforeseen happens. I hope this helps! Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts. Good luck on your big day!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[213,212,45,136,209,214,211,210,25,26,38,32,33,215,29,27,28,42,43,30,94],"class_list":["post-426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-and-advice","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-getting-married-in-salem-ma","tag-how-to-get-married-in-salem-ma","tag-north-hore","tag-planning-a-wedding-during-covid","tag-planning-a-wedding-during-covid-19-pandemic","tag-planning-a-wedding-during-the-covid-19-pandemic","tag-salem","tag-salem-ma","tag-salem-ma-wedding","tag-salem-mass","tag-salem-massachusetts","tag-should-i-still-get-married-during-covid-19","tag-the-witch-city","tag-things-to-do-in-salem","tag-things-to-do-in-salem-ma","tag-visit-salem","tag-visit-salem-ma","tag-witch-city-guide","tag-witch-city-wedding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salemmawedding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}