Starting early 2020, the wedding industry had to take a big 180 to accommodate the changes brought on by the global pandemic. Venues and vendors now have to revisit how to safely accommodate guests while keeping their businesses afloat, and couples have to continually reassess how their dream day will pan out. From the need to downsize and change timelines—sometimes at a moment’s notice—you can say that wedding planning has become much more involved. Here are three things you probably haven’t thought of (that you definitely need to) while you’re planning a 2022 wedding.

Black Bear Lodge Wedding

Get insurance.

If you haven’t noticed, we’re not living in “post-pandemic” times.  The pandemic comes in waves and variants, and safety protocol will inevitably continue to flux overtime. So do yourself a favor and lock down some wedding day insurance. Why? Well, perhaps a global pandemic has surged right before your day and you decide it’s in your best interest to postpone the wedding. While most of us vendors were flexible with couples who booked with us BEFORE the pandemic started, we can no longer stay afloat with those same policies for those planning a 2022 wedding. Most of our policies for clients who are planning a wedding after the start of the pandemic are far less flexible and significantly more restrictive. We now live in a world where pandemics and environmental disasters are more common and you need to prepare for that. For example, under my post-Covid contract, Acts of God are no longer refundable because my business simply would have to close if they were due to the sheer amount of them and every time you reschedule your wedding it’s going to cost an additional $500 to offset the cost of reserving multiple days that I could have booked other clients and income on.

Stateline Lookout Elopement
Tahoe Elopement Packages

I had a number of clients who were forced to reschedule or cancel this year in Tahoe due to the Caldor Fire – had they purchased insurance, it would have covered their loses.  Vendor payments are non-refundable for a reason: from the minute you start talking to us, we are working. It covers the amount of time that we put in over the course of your relationship with us.

The nitty gritty of what I’m saying is this: prepare for the worst and understand that smoke and wildfire is a threat and likelihood every single summer in Tahoe. If your venue or vendors won’t allow you to reschedule, insurance can cover the money you would otherwise lose.

Tahoe Elopement Packages

Create a Plan B.

When you’re planning your dream day, it’s hard to think about all of the things that could go wrong. But coming up with a solid Plan B that you wouldn’t be disappointed with is crucial and, honestly, realistic, when planning a wedding today. Say your Plan A is a 200-300-person guest list in a ballroom venue with a served six-course meal. Your Plan B should include what it may look like to cut that guest list in half (at least), have it outdoors, and hire a food truck. Seriously, consider all the possibilities, that way you’re not surprised when you need to bend a little. If you’re not sure how to go about that, read my post on how to downsize your wedding without downsizing your expectations.

Tahoe Covid Wedding

Check your sources and book early.

We all remember the great toilet paper shortage of 2020. Since then, the world’s supply-chain issues have ebbed and flowed. When planning your wedding, especially when it comes to items you’ll be outsourcing or products you’ll be purchasing through retailers, plan way ahead and expect delays. Consider reaching out to their customer service to understand their refund policies in case your order needs to be canceled due to delays. Ask them what their confidence is in their ability to deliver on time and what their policies are. It may seem tedious, but if it’s important for you to have invites to send out on time or wedding favors to give on your wedding day, you need to double-check your sources.

The research firm the Wedding Report is estimating that there will be 2.5 MILLION weddings in 2022 – a staggering number that will far surpass yearly totals in recent history. The U.S. hasn’t seen that many weddings since 1984. Be prepared and book your vendors EARLY and remember that this doesn’t actually equate to dollars in our pockets – many of these weddings are going to be rescheduled events that we were paid for years before so rather than new profit and revenue generating opportunities, we all have to keep doing twice the amount of work in order to keep our heads above water.

planning a 2
planning a 2022 wedding

This post isn’t here to scare you, but if it does and you’re planning a 2022 wedding, might I reccomend just keeping it simple with a micro wedding?  If you’re planning an elopement or last-minute, low-key wedding, check out my small weddings and elopement packages—they’re my jam. Reach out to me to get the ball rolling.