by: ELD Team

Pantone’s color of the year, Classic Blue, gets a twist in these out of this world celestial wedding ideas from Folie à Deux Events! The whimsical details designed by Folie à Deux Events are so on point. From the constellation inspired invitation suite by Revelry + Heart to the geode dotted tablescape, everything is elegant with a sprinkle of magic. Plus, we love the two brides’ unique style- the ultra chic jumpsuit is a perfect pairing with an embellished tulle gown. Get your pin button ready to save all of the dream-like details captured by Ariel Kaitlin Photography!

Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com

Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com

Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.comWhimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com

Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com Whimsical Blue Celestial Wedding Ideas via TheELD.com

Vendors who made it all happen…

Planning + Design/Florals/Cake: Folie à Deux Events // Photography: Ariel Kaitlin Photography // Venue: The Barn at Reynolda Village // Stationery: Revelry + Heart // Hair + Makeup: Modern Alchemy // Attire: Uniquely U Bridal // Rentals: American Party Rentals // Planning Assistant: Artfully by D

Exclusive ELD Vendors

Like the post above? Here are the Every Last Detail vendors that participated making this post beautiful! Featured vendors are hand picked and approved by Lauren. Get more information by clicking on them below:




by: Lauren

One of the common questions I’ve been seeing about weddings and COVID-19 has been “Can I get my money back for a canceled wedding?”

 

Initially, I was setting out to create a blog post answering multiple questions about weddings and COVID-19, which is coming next. But I decided that due to so much misunderstanding around this topic, it needed it’s own dedicated post.

The short answer to this question is that there is no definitive YES or NO as to whether you can get your money back for a canceled wedding. This is a situation that is going to be entirely unique to each and every vendor you have hired, and each and every contract.

It’s important to understand that this current situation that everyone is dealing with is one that has never happened before, and therefore, there isn’t a set precedent regarding the standard of what to do (or not to do). This applies to everything across the board, not just weddings- the government, retail, your workplace- everyone is taking it day by day, and we all need to have some compassion regarding that


CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR CORONAVIRUS WEDDING RESOURCES PAGE.


One of our wedding experts, Claudia of A Day To Remember in Houston, shared these words of wisdom: “Weddings are a celebration that you have chosen to host. Our current situation is forcing us to make a choice on how to proceed. As vendors, we are here to help navigate the process of finding a new date. You may have chosen to postpone your date, but you weren’t forced to cancel your wedding. When you are canceling your wedding, the ripple effect will affect so many businesses.”

We 100% want to encourage you to reschedule your wedding and not cancel it– you deserve to have the wedding that you have planned for and dreamed of! But, I do realize that there can be circumstances in which rescheduling can’t happen, and you may have to make the decision to cancel your wedding altogether.

So as much as it breaks my heart to say this…

let’s talk about whether you can get your money back for a canceled wedding… 

 

Can You Get Your Money Back For A Canceled Wedding? via TheELD.com

 

Before we dive into whether you can get any of your payments back, it’s important to first review a few things…

SIGNED CONTRACT


When you book a wedding vendor, you sign a contact. This document lays out the terms of the service that you are securing, expectations, and yes, also what happens if there is a cancellation or inability for a service to be performed. Reading your contracts, while it might be a tad bit tedious, is SO important so you can ensure that you’re on the same page with the vendors you are hiring. [Sidenote: I failed to pay attention to my own wedding photographer’s contact and completely missed that I only had a certain number of hours of coverage, and hence, was a bit upset when she told me at 9pm that she was leaving my reception.]

Moral of this story: READ YOUR CONTRACTS and ABIDE BY THEM, regardless of whether or not we’re experiencing a Pandemic situation!

 

NONREFUNDABLE RETAINER


It is customary to pay a “nonrefundable retainer” when you book a wedding vendor. This retainer is reserving your wedding date (hence the term “retainer”). You are paying to retain their services, and the wedding vendor is making YOUR WEDDING a priority for that day. Which leads me to…

 

TIME & AVAILABILITY


When it comes to wedding professionals’ services is that most wedding professionals can only take a certain number of weddings per year. They have limited AVAILABILITY due to the fact that TIME is limited.

Weddings usually only occur 3 days of the week- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (although most couples do prefer Saturday weddings). Add in the fact that there are “seasons” that weddings typically occur (of which we are sadly entering into for much of the US right now), and you now have the reality that in a normal year, a wedding vendor’s available dates for weddings are already limited. When you book a wedding vendor for your wedding date, they (usually) cannot book another wedding that same day- sometimes even that same weekend.

Needless to say, your wedding date that you book with a CONTRACT and a RETAINER means A LOT to your vendors.

 

So now that we have that base information laid out, here’s the deal with getting a refund for a canceled wedding.

Don’t get me wrong- as a consumer, yes, I want to ask for my money back for a service that has not been entirely rendered. BUT, when it comes to weddings and events, there is often quite a bit of work that has to be done prior to the event date (and sometimes after as well).

We could compare it to… building a house:

An architect draws up plans to build the house. That floorpan is then brought to the contractor, and you start the process to officially build. You break ground on a piece of property, and then, you have a change of heart and decide you don’t want to go through with the build. But, you don’t go back to that architect and say, “Hey, we decided to not build the house, so we’re going to need our money back now.” Because that portion of the larger project was already completed, and the work was done.

 

So, how do you know whether you can get your money back for a canceled wedding?

READ (AND ABIDE BY) YOUR CONTRACT.

 

A wedding professional’s contract should include information regarding what happens if your event is canceled, postponed, or if the wedding vendor is unable to perform their duties. The challenge that many people are encountering is that this particular situation that we are currently experiencing is one that has likely not been explicitly accounted for within a contract. Neither party within the contract is responsible for the changes that are being mandated.

The best option if your wedding is being affected by Coronavirus is to postpone your wedding. But, if you must cancel, please understand that it is very likely you will not get all of your money back.

 

Each and every wedding vendor’s contract is different, which is why it’s so very important to read them.

Some contracts may state that any payments made cannot be refunded. Some contracts might say that you can receive a refund for any amounts paid outside of your nonrefundable retainer. Some might outline a percentage of payments that can be returned, or some might say you can’t get anything back if your wedding is within X number of days. I’m hearing about many different clauses- there truly is no right or wrong way for something like this to be handled. As I mentioned at the start of this article, whether or not you can get your money back for a canceled wedding is entirely unique to each vendor and the contract you have with them.

 

And the thing is, this goes even further than just this period of quarantine. My friend Amber Anderson, a wedding planner educator for Refine for Wedding Planners, had some excellent insight about this:

“Please know that vendors across the world are broken for you. We are doing our best to keep a strong front but behind closed doors, we are crying with and for you.

We are also having to consider couples getting married in the fall or next year and the harsh truth here is that the decisions we make today about refunds and leniency in our contracts have a long term impact on whether our companies will even be here when the postponement rolls around, much less for those that already booked for 2021 prior to this all coming unglued. Everyone truly is doing the best they can.

Industry leaders are begging vendors to stick to their contracts. Plain and simple, it’s the only way we will be here as an industry a year from now. We are also talking non-stop about ways to be creative, flexible and helpful. It may not look as desired but it’s really from the heart. Any amount of flexibility is backbreaking for vendors. We are small businesses, we are not recession-proof.

Here is what I really struggle to share with couples but I do hope it brings balance to the conversation. I would like to be the bad guy so your planner or vendor doesn’t have to be. This message is not personal. It’s not meant to cause pain. It’s meant to help our economy stay afloat. You see, it’s hard to understand how ingrained the event industry is to our economy, but really and truly, everything from corporate meetings to t-ball field assignments are all handled by the events community. Wedding planners are ranked in the top 5 highest stress jobs in America, year over year by Times magazine… above C-Suites and among first responders. So at this time, it’s exponentially higher. With that being said, I hope to create some understanding here that wedding budgets are created independent of paying bills, buying food or medicine and diapers.

On behalf of vendors everywhere, I beg of you to keep your promises. Comply with the agreement you made when going into this. We didn’t foresee this any more than you did. Though, we have already paid our bills with the money paid to us. It’s not there to return. Vendors aren’t being mean spirited; they are keeping the lights on and feeding their children.

Again, rest assured, we are all doing everything we can to be flexible and give breaks where possible. You may find one vendor on your team in a position to give more than another. Please don’t bully the one that doesn’t or can’t. Quite honestly, your most prominent and most financially sound vendors are likely the ones sticking the strongest to their contracts. They are in a position of success because they have been smart in their business. But they will still come out of this in a hole”.

Again, I know that this is such a hard situation to be in. And I realize that it’s a bit difficult to understand. There is so much beauty and happiness associated with events that it’s easy to forget that those associated are running businesses too, just as your local restaurants, stores, and services. The entire event industry is a very unique and complex one. It’s also one that is oftentimes forgotten, misunderstood, and overlooked. So in all of this, please keep in mind that a wedding vendor’s product or service that they are providing is what puts food on their table, and you booking them and paying them is their paycheck.


CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR CORONAVIRUS WEDDING RESOURCES PAGE.


 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me on Instagram. Additionally, I’d love to invite you to join our FB group where you can ask questions and have them answered by ELD’s wedding experts! Stay safe friends, and keep planning those weddings! :)  



by: Lauren

Wedding pros, I know this is a very uncertain time for you, and this post is for YOU.

 

If you didn’t know already, the reason why I started my business in the first place was to HELP.  The phrase of “how can I help?” is something that is constantly running through my head- even when we’re not in a pandemic situation. This applies for both engaged couples and wedding vendors, and it’s what keeps me going every single day.

So of course, the very first thing that came to mind for me when all of the current happenings started was, “How can I help?”

Now that we’re a few weeks into things, I’ve been seeing mentions of other wedding websites offering discounts or giveaways (or not), and I just want you to know that I have not forgotten about you. ❤️ 

 

So, I wanted to share a few ways that I can help you during this time:

*FREE CONSULTING

I’m doing free live website and Instagram reviews inside of my ELD For Pros Facebook group! The group is free to join, and to receive a free review you just need to be present when I go live!

Click here to join the group.

 

*EDUCATION

I will be running a replay of my Instagram For Wedding Pros Virtual Summit next week! It will be FREE on the days that it’s happening- April 8th + 9th.

Click here to be notified when tickets go live.

 

*MARKETING

I’m discounting ELD’s vendor marketing membership, The V List, by over 50% for new members (and existing members can take advantage of this discount too). I’m increasing social sharing and features for all V List Members over the next few months- basically, I’m just going to be sharing the heck out of everyone no matter what. 😄

Click here for details. 

 


I haven’t shared any of this until now because I’ve been waiting for things to settle down a bit. But I want to help more than anything, so I decided it was time to put all of this out there into the world. ❤️

If you have any questions about anything, please don’t hesitate to let me know!



by: Lauren

Okay friends- I promise we’ll get back to normal wedding planning info and wedding inspiration soon! But right now the questions and comments are still rolling in regarding how COVID-19 can affect your Fall or 2021 wedding, and I exist to HELP, so here we are.

Today, I want to touch on how the Coronavirus can affect your wedding planning, even if your wedding isn’t happening right away. If you are just getting started with planning or your wedding is in a few months or next year, I want to encourage you to KEEP planning your wedding! Things might be just a little different than they were a month ago, so here are a few things that you need to keep in mind regarding the current situation we’re all in…

Having a Fall or 2021 Wedding? Heres How COVID 19 Might Affect You via TheELD.com

Grab Those Wedding Dates!

Dates that were available later this year are now being booked by couples having to reschedule their weddings. In other words- if you are wanting to get married later this year, or even early next year, get your venue and vendors booked! The bonus to this is that some vendors are actually doing specials right now, so you could luck out too!

We love what Claudia of A Day To Remember has shared, “If you were debating whether to even start the planning process [survivor’s guilt, unsure of what the future holds, etc.], don’t stop living! No storm lasts forever — this too shall pass. As we have been rescheduling new dates for our couples, 2021 dates are filling up faster than normal, so a desired date for you may NOT be available.” Read more of her insights about planning during COVID-19 here. 

 

Meetings with potential vendors

If you’re still looking for vendors or you’re in the process of inquiring and scheduling meetings with them, expect that these will not be happening in-person, possibly for quite some time depending on what your area ends up looking like over the next few weeks (or months). Everyone needs to be staying safe and considerate in this difficult time that we’re all navigating.

Yes, establishing a “connection” with a wedding vendor is very important to do. But trust me- you can absolutely still do that with a wedding vendor via a virtual consultation! (I’ve established great friendships via video chats in my 10 years as an online business owner.) Zoom is becoming a very popular meeting platform, and there’s also Skype, FaceTime, or even Facebook Video chat. The vendor you’re looking to have a consultation with will be able to give you instructions about what to do for your virtual meeting.

 


SEARCH OUR VETTED + VERIFIED VENDORS

Having a Fall or 2021 Wedding? Heres How COVID 19 Might Affect You via TheELD.com


 

Hire A Wedding Planner

If there was ever an example (and sign) of why you need a wedding planner, this is definitely it!

Couples with wedding planners are able to have them deal with all of the communications with their venue and vendors for rescheduling. Not only that, but they’re able to have the guidance and sounding board of their planner too. Fingers and toes crossed that you won’t have to experience anything like this, but a wedding planner is most definitely worth his or her weight in gold! You can go here to see a few more things that wedding planners can do for you, and here to see our vetted and verified planners.

And as our friend Brooke at RSBP Events + PR said:

Having a Fall or 2021 Wedding? Heres How COVID 19 Might Affect You via TheELD.com

If you didn’t have a wedding planner, or a coordinator (oftentimes referred to as Wedding Day Management) at the very least, now is the time to get that pro in place! And if you do have a coordinator already, you may want to consider upgrading to more of a full service package so you can enlist more help if it becomes necessary.

 

Wedding dress shopping + alterations

If you were planning on shopping for your wedding dress sometime soon, you may want to be aware of where the dress is being made. Tali of The Bridal Finery in Winter Park, FL shared with us, “An international designer could take 4-8 months and I would count on possible delays. I would recommend shopping for a North American designer if possible. Another option would be buying a dress off the rack so you don’t have to worry about the production timeline. Our boutique focuses on designer dresses for off the rack. They are available now and you don’t have to rely on a supply chain.”

If your dress will be arriving in the Fall, it’s going to be pretty busy, so Tali suggests, “booking an appointment with a seamstress the day after you buy your wedding dress. Alterations should start eight weeks before the wedding.”

Alternatively, if you’re looking for a combination of online shopping and shopping for a dress in a store, our friends at Luxe Redux Bridal have a pretty amazing solution for you called “Luxe In A Box“! Think like… StitchFix for wedding dresses! Yes, it’s pretty awesome, and such a perfect option for a time like this. Learn more about this unique way to shop for a wedding dress online here.

 

Having a Fall or 2021 Wedding? Heres How COVID 19 Might Affect You via TheELD.com

Image via Brooke Images

 

Get Wedding Insurance

Now, wedding insurance is likely not going to be covering a pandemic for quite a while, BUT this is an excellent example of why you should absolutely be purchasing wedding insurance. You never know what is going to happen, and it’s always best to be prepared for that “just in case” situation that no one actually wants to think about.

 

Look At Your Guest Count

No one knows how long we’re going to be socially affected by COVID-19. It may end up being that group gatherings are limited for a little while. With that in mind, you may want to consider an “essential” guest list in case you have to keep your guest counts down. Or, if you end up needing to decrease your spending a little bit due to the economy, my recommendation would be to cut your guest count. After all, guests do have the BIGGEST effect on your wedding budget!

 

And a little note if your wedding is in late summer or the Fall…

Please pause on contacting your team to talk about postponing or cancelling until we all know more information. The prime focus for wedding professionals now is to care for couples who are affected immediately in March, April, and at least the beginning of May. Everyone is being dealt with based on their existing wedding date, right now, so please be patient and understanding.


We seriously hope that none of this is going to come to fruition, but it’s best to have knowledge and be prepared. And if you have any other questions, please let us know

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE OF OUR COVID-19 WEDDING INFORMATION