By Shayla Dablemont, RISQ Consulting Individual and Family Benefits Consultant
Planning a wedding is stressful enough by itself. Now let’s throw a pandemic into the mix! Most couples put a lot of thought into the specific day they choose to tie the knot. We wanted ours to be as close to our anniversary as possible while still being on a weekend, so that our family and friends can attend.
The average time of engagement for couples is 13 months before getting married and we gave ourselves about six. I was so excited to start planning that I jumped right in. This involved ordering everything possible with our magical date on it. Then BAM covid-19 hits.
Every possible scenario has ran through my head. I thought of postponing the wedding but what would I do with all of the awesome stuff I bought with “July 18, 2020” etched into it. We could cut the guest list down and make it more intimate. I have 200 people RSVP’d. How in the world do I choose?! Let’s get married in HAZMAT suits! Where do I get 200 hazmat suits?
I decided to be selfish…isn’t that allowed for my wedding? I called all of my vendors to get their input. Everyone said pretty much the same thing. “We will help you pick a new date and be there for you if you have to postpone, but if you don’t your wedding day will go off without a hitch.” Positive vibes!
With mandates and recommendations changing so rapidly, I watched and waited it out. I made no decision with the biggest wish being that by the time we get to July 18th we will be back to normal. May 18th rolls around. Two months to go and the Governor announces that Alaska is ready to move into a combined phase 3 and 4. I could have done a cartwheel! Not so fast! The mayor announces much stricter guidelines for opening Anchorage.
I contact my out of state guests and let them know they have to test negative 72 hours before flying here. It’s okay, it’s just another obstacle, we got this! The town is mostly open and I am still waiting and watching in anticipation as the number steadily rise every day. I am not postponing! Everything is going to go as according to planned. It HAS to!
I have kept all of my appointments. It is time to get my trial run to figure out how I will wear my hair on the big day. My hair stylist asks many questions about family and friends, where they are coming from and where they have been. I think she is just making small talk. Then she breaks the news. “Sorry, I am just not comfortable doing your hair on site. You will have to come to the salon.” Now that is a major blow. I really wanted to get ready on site, so that my photographer can get the classic “getting ready photos.” I also did not want to be in any kind of a time crunch, so I had to cancel with my hair stylist.
Again another obstacle. I am working extra hard to stay positive and just see each obstacle that comes as a bump in the road. My day will go off without a hitch and I WILL get hitched!
