Let me start by saying this, I know you've all heard it before, I know you unengaged ladies think it will be different for you, I know you married girls are sitting there like "mhm I told ya so" but here I go...
Wedding planning is NOT easy.
Planning a wedding during a global pandemic, LOL. Didn't sign up for that.
But before I get to the wedding planning, or should I say at this point, re-planning, let me tell you a little about our pre-pandemic plans. We're set to exchange our vows this September at a gorgeous church on the Upper East Side, followed by a celebration of over 250 guests overlooking the New York City skyline. Of course, this sounds like a dream come true under normal circumstances but under COVID-19 circumstances, it's a recipe for postponement.
I'd rather not be social distancing from my loved ones on a day that is all about bringing friends and family close together. While I can admit I have been praying for an excuse to chop the guest list, I certainly don't want to be forced to do so because of regulations. And finally, walking down the aisle with a custom ITES beaded mask just isn't the look I was going for.
We got engaged within 5 days of me starting to run ITES full time. Remember when I said planning a wedding isn't easy? Well planning a wedding within a year in NYC is next level. Planning a wedding when you just quit your salaried corporate job to run your business full time, that's a challenge I could have done without and one that I will elaborate on at a later date. Now, replanning the whole thing due to a global pandemic, checkmate. I'm out.
While I definitely have ITES vision boards galore, I've never made one for my dream wedding. In fact, it took me about 6 full months to figure out what kind of bride I wanted to be. Who knew there were so many aesthetics to consider? Am I a Metropolitan bride? Chic bride? Ethereal bride? Bohemian bride? Luckily by the beginning of March I had finalized my vision just in time to be told I was nothing but a... Corona Bride.
I mentioned in my first blog post that I am a bit of a control freak. I also am a very decisive person. You could ask me to make any business decision and I will do so without looking back or second guessing. Something about making decisions for our wedding was different. I guess I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure it would be perfect, especially because we would only plan a wedding once in a lifetime. Little did I know, I shouldn't have been so worried because I am most definitely getting to plan this wedding twice, thank you corona.
Interestingly enough, while the stress of being a brand new full time entrepreneur made the stress of wedding planning even more overwhelming, owning my own business gave me a helpful perspective in the process. I knew off the bat I wanted to work with people who were striving to provide the best service and most importantly wanted to make our day special. I was looking to surround myself with a team of vendors for the wedding that run their businesses with the same values that I run Island to East Side. Now, as I embark on the replanning process, I'm humbled to experience how amazing some vendors and fellow business owners have handled these unprecedented circumstances. For the most part, everyone I've spoken with has been immensely understanding and helpful in terms of cancellations and postponements. Unfortunately, I have experienced firsthand working with some businesses that have a pretty disgraceful tone about this situation. It's disheartening to hear and experience this, both as a business owner and as a bride affected whose wedding is impacted by COVID-19. I hope to be a sounding board for all of you and to help my ITES brides navigate this situation. I look forward to continuing to shed some light on my own experiences, both favorable and unfavorable.
Above all, I'm writing to tell you that I, too, am in the same uncertain boat that so many of you, our customers, unfortunately are in. Since the start of the pandemic in early March, I have watched hundreds of emails roll in each week from our ITES brides requesting to have their wedding bags remade with new dates inside. Truth be told, six weeks ago I thought my biggest challenge was going to be sticking to the wedding diet through quarantine. I didn't think I'd eventually be in your shoes, but here I am! I guess on a brighter note, I don't have to be so worried about the wine I am drinking daily and the explosion of cooking and baking that is happening over here.
I think that last statement best describes my outlook. We have to find the bright side, the silver lining, to all of this. It's a hell of a lot to process and I just want to say, I hear you and I'm here to remind you that it's going to be ok. I have already connected with several of you on this topic over Instagram and invite you to continue to reach out to me as your COVID-19 wedding saga continues. I can promise you I will share an update on mine. Until then, as you keep changing your wedding dates on your calendars, we will keep changing them on your bags.
With so much uncertainty, I'll leave you with this. I have absolutely no idea when we will get married, all I know for sure is that when I do, my bridesmaids are going to have some gorgeous bags.
Stay safe, stay sane.
xoxo
Christina
Comment below if you would like me to get more into detail about any wedding related planning, topics, or postponement tips.
Am Cynthia from the UK
HOW DR. TONY BROUGHT MY EX LOVER BACK TO ME… EMAIL: drtonylovespellcaster@gmail.com
Am Cynthia by name, am from UK. After been in a relationship with my Boyfriend for 1 year now and we were planning to get married soon and all of a sudden he left me for another girl. of a truth, I really love this guy and never can I imagine life without him. I further tried all my best to get him back but all my effort to get him back in my life did not work out. It was on this faithful day, I came across some Testimonies on a website about this great spell caster called (Dr. TONY), so many persons claimed that he help them to renew their relationship and bring their ex lover back, I had to contact him because he was my last hope. I contacted him through his email and he assured me that in three days time my boyfriend is going to leave the other girl and come back to me and it was a very great surprise to see my boyfriend coming back to me after three days the spell was done. I am so very happy today that he came back to me and i achieved this with the help of Dr TONY, and I equally want to use this opportunity to Tell/Advice to as many who need their ex back, if you need his help you can Contact him through his,
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Am Cynthia from the UK
HOW DR. TONY BROUGHT MY EX LOVER BACK TO ME… EMAIL: drtonylovespellcaster@gmail.com
Am Cynthia by name, am from UK. After been in a relationship with my Boyfriend for 1 year now and we were planning to get married soon and all of a sudden he left me for another girl. of a truth, I really love this guy and never can I imagine life without him. I further tried all my best to get him back but all my effort to get him back in my life did not work out. It was on this faithful day, I came across some Testimonies on a website about this great spell caster called (Dr. TONY), so many persons claimed that he help them to renew their relationship and bring their ex lover back, I had to contact him because he was my last hope. I contacted him through his email and he assured me that in three days time my boyfriend is going to leave the other girl and come back to me and it was a very great surprise to see my boyfriend coming back to me after three days the spell was done. I am so very happy today that he came back to me and i achieved this with the help of Dr TONY, and I equally want to use this opportunity to Tell/Advice to as many who need their ex back, if you need his help you can Contact him through his,
EMAIL: drtonylovespellcaster@gmail.com OR
CALL/WHATTSAPP: +2348154900380
https://drtonylovespellcaster.blogspot.com
Thank You Once Again Dr.TONY
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Karen West
My husband and I have been married for over 10 years. We met when I was 18 and he was 21. We’ve been through a lot emotionally together. There were several HUGE fights and painful situations in our marriage, but we always seemed to come out stronger on the other side. Out of the blue my husband just sprung the divorce talk on me, I was totally depressed until I found the Dr.Todd website online and I ordered a Love spell. You won’t believe my husband called me at the exact time this spell caster finished his spell work in 24hours. I was totally amazed! He is wonderful and his spells work so fast. His contact: manifestspellcast@gmail. com
askel henni
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