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How To Plan Your Wedding During The COVID-19 Pandemic

26 December 2020

Happy Holidays! However you celebrate this time of the year, thank you for taking the time to visit my website and blog.  If you are like me, you probably saw some proposals of some of your friends and followers pop up in your social media feeds. Well, we've been in engagement season since the Thanksgiving holiday, but proposal activities really get kicked into high gear around Christmas and New Years, and all the way up to Valentine's Day.   Congratulations to all those couples who have taken that giant leap in their relationship this holiday season. I'm not gonna lie to you. 2020 has been the strangest year in my entire life.  COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into weddings and events across the country, and it would appear as we enter 2021, there will STILL be a great degree of uncertainty as to how and when weddings will be normal again.  Even though there are vaccines that are in the process of being deployed, it's going to take a long time for modern brides and grooms to begin thinking about their wedding and planning as they did prior to the beginning of the pandemic.  As I've always said in the past, take a deep breath and enjoy this new chapter in your relationship! Coming up in this post, I'll share with you some of my opinions as to how the modern bride and groom should plan their wedding in the midst of a pandemic.

First, let me start out by telling you that I am very flattered that you found me. Before COVID-19, I published a post about the insane amount of saturation that has come about in the wedding industry.  While you might have a lot of selections for your wedding vendors, you've got to be VERY careful as there are new wedding vendors with barely any experience creating a "wild-west" atmosphere in this industry. For more information about this post and the research I put together about the current wedding industry saturation, <--Click this link HERE. I don't want to sound like a broken record but the mere fact you found me might be a Christmas miracle.  I am a professional and polished wedding DJ who is looking for a modern bride or groom like you!  A bride and groom who is just as passionate about the music for their special day as I am!  You'll read in my post about market saturation that times got tougher before COVID because "everyone's suddenly a wedding planner, a photographer, a DJ, or a caterer". So, now when so many weddings have been shut down and we tend to have boundaries and restrictions as it pertains to weddings, the difficulty in owning a wedding industry service has just become even harder.

Just Said Yes Wedding Engagement

Let's Talk Right NOW About A COVID-19 Wedding.
Over the past few months, I've had phone calls and prospective brides and grooms have hit my website. I can assure you that traffic is down like never before to the website. It's a depressing and oftentimes sinking feeling to see this pandemic totally kill what should be a very busy time of the year with bookings. So ina very crowded world of wedding vendors, when someone takes the time to either call me or head to the website to fill out a contact form, I will be there for you. Apparently there was something that caught your eye on my website or blog. Perhaps it was one of my stellar reviews that my clients have left for me over the years. However you found me, I am very interested in talking to you about putting together an amazing wedding playlist that is going to have you and your guests talking for years about all the fun you had at your wedding reception.

Wedding Ceremony Engagement Primer

Why You Might Wait For COVID-19 To Die Down To Have Your Wedding.
In case you missed one of my last posts,  I put together sort of a Lessons Learned Post About What I Learned As A Wedding DJ.   I certainly invite you to click over and check out some of my lessons learned, but I'll tell you right now, if I were you, I would lengthen your engagement and plan your wedding at least a year in advance.  Even before COVID-19 crippled the wedding industry, I think the average bride and groom usually set their date 6-9 months in advance.  It's hard to predict where society will be in 6-12 months as it pertains to the pandemic. Back in the March / April timeframe, we didn't know about the virus and shut everything down. In April, we looked at August as a time things would be normal. Well, we experienced a summer surge, only to be followed by another surge this fall around Thanksgiving.  These surges will continue to pop up until we get the virus under control. 

YOUR wedding day is a day that you should NOT worry about a thing. It's a day that you should wake up with your bridesmaids or groomsman and begin to have a day-long celebration that you'll remember for the rest of your life. When a bride walks up on your wedding day, here are a few of the things she can look forward to: Click HERE ----> For The Best Pre-Wedding Playlist For The Modern Bride
Bride And Bridesmaids Getting Ready

1. Being around her BFF's and drinking lots of mimosas. 
2. Having her hair / makeup come over and make her look like a queen for the man of her dreams. 
3. Waking up "leisurely" without a worry in the world.

During a global pandemic these things get added into the thought processes on your wedding day:

1. Worry about whether or not your guests might be carrying COVID.
2. Worry about whether or not you have enough hand sanitizer.
3. Worry about whether or not you purchased enough masks for your guests.
4. Worry about social distancing.
5. Worry about your wedding making the news / media and becoming a super-spreader event.

 I promise you that I am not trying to be a downer about COVID-19 and weddings, but these are some of the topics that have come up in conversation with clients since weddings have resumed during the pandemic.  The attitudes of most of my clients have been one of caution, and fear of the unknown, while some don't seem to care and maybe put their fears on the backburner. Either way, if you are going to have a wedding and want to make sure you and your guests are safe, these are just some of the extra things you'll be thinking about in addiiton to all the other logistic things that float around a couple's head during their wedding day.

Avoid The COVID-19 Prep For Your Wedding And Just Wait It Out.
If I were getting engaged today and she said "yes", I would opt for a longer engagement.  You can certainly pick a date for your wedding, but I would opt for a date in the very latter part of 2021 or move into the winter or spring of 2022 to let this vaccine continue to get rolled out and the spread of the virus to die down.  And you know what, when you wait, you'll be able to plan a little smarter and practically pay off your wedding so when it finally arrives, you won't be in debt after your wedding and you'll be able to enjoy your honeymoon and new life together without a worry in the world.  Weddings were NEVER meant to have any types of restrictions. They are a once-in-a-lifetime event where everything was meant to be perfect without any worry in the world. If you want to hug your uncle, you should be able to hug your uncle without a worry in the world. If you want to dance on the floor with a glass of champagne in your hand, you shouldn't have to worry about staying 6 feet away from your closest friends and relatives. If you don't want to worry about your well being or your guests, just wait the pandemic out. It's ok. Don't let anyone pressure you into doing anything you are not comfortable with. It really is as simple as that.

Charleston Is Still Going To Be Here After The COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Holy City has been around for 350 years and was actually around during the 1918 pandemic, and is still here today! The city will be just as beautiful in late 2021 or 2022 for your wedding.  If you are a destination bride and groom who is looking at Charleston, SC from a distance and are in awe of it's beautiful wedding venues, you've got time to plan! 
The Holy City After The COVID 19 Pandemic

Did you know that Charleston is not only one of the most sought after wedding destinations over the past decade, but also has exploded into a top destination for a weekend getaway for modern couples? Oh yes! And when you don't live in the Holy City, you might find yourself coming down for a few weekend getaways to meet your wedding vendors and get to know the area while planning your wedding in a very beautiful city.  Click HERE -----> The Soundtrack For Lovers Planning A Wedding In Charleston

Couple Downtown Looking At The Ravenel Bridge
And also if you live outside of the city, this proud coastal city has become one of the most popular cities for an incredible bachelorette weekend in the Southeast. I've got the perfect playlist for you and your BFFs as you celebrate that last big weekend of being single. Check out this archived post HERE -----> The Ultimate Bachelorette Weekend Playlist.  Also, if you do plan a bachelorette weekend in Charleston, be sure to check out my preferred vendors page for one of the higher end luxury limo and party bus companies: Charleston Black Cab Company and for a place about all things Charleston, head over to Charleston.com

Bachelorette Weekend

An Engagement Season Primer For The Newly Engaged Couple
While I wrote this primer back in the fall of 2019 before COVID-19 was even an issue, the content you'll read in this post down below is still applicable even in a world of uncertainty.  Also, back during the fall of 2019, I put together the Mike Bills Podcast. At this point, I've got 17 episodes ranging with a variety of topics to provide advice and my opinions to the modern bride and groom seeking a top tier, higher-end wedding DJ for their upcoming wedding. You can find the podcast wherever you get your podcasts: Google. Apple Podcasts. Spotify.
The Best Engagement Season Primer For The Modern Bride And Groom
The Mike Bills Podcast
Coming up in 2021, I do have some other plans in regards to the podcast, and other means to reaching out to some of my prospective clients.

Save The Date After COVID19

I Almost Forgot! You Should Check Out My Spotify.
One of the biggest projects that I embarked on as a professional wedding DJ in 2020 is allowing my clients to get inside my head as it pertains to my musical tastes.  And now, I've amassed over 125 Spotify playlists that are perfect for wedding music inspiration.  I started this project before COVID-19 wrecked the wedding plans of so many in 2020.  I found myself during the lockdown back in the spring working on this project and at this time of this post, I'm about 100% complete. Now, when a couple books me to be their wedding DJ, they can gain inspiration when it comes to putting together the music for their wedding playlist.  All you need to do is head over to Spotify and search for DJ Mike Bills. But, you know what? I'll make it easier for you by providing a link ;) Just click it down below.
DJ Mike Bills Has Moved Over To Spotify.

Engaged Couple Listening To Spotify For Wedding Music

Ready To Talk To Mike Bills About Being The Wedding DJ For Your Big Day?
Unlike a lot of other wedding vendors who barely answer the phone these days or respond to an email, I can assure that within 24 hours of you contacting me, you will receive an email with information about my contract and pricing information. I'll also be reaching out to you about setting up a quick call with you to discuss your wedding. I would love to hear from you and I can tell you that there are some prime dates available in the second half of 2021 and early 2022. Discounts are available too.  Congratulations once again on your engagement and remember to just take a deep breath, and if you don't want to worry about the hassle of COVID-19, don't! Just wait it out  and get married when things are more normal. I almost forgot! One more article I wrote back during the spring of 2020 for the modern bride and groom. Thank you once again for finding me and I would love to be your wedding DJ. 
Think Past COVID-19 As It Pertains To Your Wedding