Wedding Planning – Bark.com Blog

Five tips for planning a wedding during Covid-19

Covid-19 caused many couples’ dream weddings to been postponed or at the least dramatically altered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Coronavirus has impacted on every single one of our lives in many ways and it can be crushing to learn that the wedding you’ve dreamed of for so long needs to be changed.

Whether you’re planning a small and intimate wedding within the Covid-19 restrictions or planning ahead for a more lavish affair once restrictions have been lifted, you’ll want to read our top five tips for planning a wedding during Covid-19.

Consider your budget

Even without Covid-19 hanging over us, budget planning should always be your first port of call. Carefully consider what finances you’ve got to work with so that you know exactly what you can afford and where you might need to compromise.

Try to avoid paying out large amounts of money to any supplier in the current climate. Deposits are fine but make sure you’re clear about terms and conditions relating to postponement and cancellation – and get it in writing. You don’t want to lose money if anything has to change.

Be realistic about dates

No one knows when large gatherings such as weddings will be able to recommence. Choosing a date in early 2021 may be risky so don’t get your heart set on it. Planning for late 2021 or even 2022 may be more realistic. No one wants the stress and uncertainty of wondering whether their wedding is going ahead and potentially having to rearrange it.

Review your guest list

There’s always a chance that things could change at the last minute, no matter how far in advance you’re planning your wedding. As well as having your ideal guest list, it’s useful to also write a core guest list of people that you wouldn’t want your wedding to go ahead without. If you are forced to cut your guest list down at the last minute, you’ll have your core list already planned out to fall back on.

Plan ahead with suppliers

With many couples being forced to postpone their wedding, many suppliers are quickly becoming booked up well into the future. If there are specific wedding suppliers that you plan to use, get yourself booked in as soon as possible. Otherwise, you may run the risk of your chosen supplier being fully booked, leaving you to scramble for an alternative who has availability.

Hiring a wedding planner for your Covid-19 wedding

Planning a wedding at any time is stressful, but there’s no doubt that the stress will be greatly increased if you need to plan your wedding during the coronavirus pandemic. Hiring a wedding planner can remove some of that stress. They are highly experienced in planning almost any type of wedding with connections in the industry which may go in your favour when booking suppliers.

If you’re thinking of hiring a wedding planner for your Covid-19 wedding, you can find a wedding or event planner on Bark.

The easy way to save £1,000s on your wedding

With Brides Magazine putting the average cost of a UK wedding at £30,111, it’s hardly surprising that the internet is awash with articles suggesting ways to save money when you tie the knot.

These cost cutting measures tend to focus on which bits of your big day you could do without – such as ditching the free bar, having fewer flowers or baking your own wedding cake.

But there is another way to save hundreds – or even thousands – of pounds on your wedding without cutting back on the things that will make your special day special.

How to get the best deal on your wedding day

While it’s true that hiring the best venue, photographer and entertainment for your wedding can be expensive, there are also some great deals out there that could save you a small fortune.

So the best way to save money on your wedding without cutting important corners is to shop around to find the best value suppliers – and that’s where Bark comes in.

We’ll do all the legwork for you to contact potentially thousands of pros on your behalf to get you quotes fast and free.

Save up to £800 on wedding photography

The best wedding photographers provide a comprehensive service, complete with a wedding album and second shooter to assist on the big day – and will often charge in excess of £1,200 for their wedding packages.

But there are plenty of more affordable photographers who will still do a great job of capturing your special day on film, and finding the right one for you is easy with Bark.

On average, our wedding photographers quote around £700 for wedding photography, with some offering their services for as little as £395!

Book a great DJ for half the usual price

Premium wedding DJs in London and the South East will often quote £450 or more for their services – and if you want to get the best money can buy, you might feel that’s very reasonable.

But there are also many great DJs out there who will play your wedding for a fraction of that price and still keep your guests dancing all night long.

For example, the average quote for wedding DJ services on Bark is £300 – with the cheapest DJs costing as little as £200 for the night.

Find wedding caterers to suit any budget

Gourmet wedding catering can easily set your back £35-£50 per head – so, even with a relatively short guest list, it’s easy to end up spending a ton on food and drink.

Luckily, there is a wide range of different wedding catering options out there to suit all budgets and tastes, from traditional three-course meals, to hog roasts and beyond.

Most Bark pros quote around the £12-£15 per head mark for wedding catering, with some budget caterers quoting as little as £6 per head.

Compare pros for your wedding and get quotes fast

With dozens of wedding categories at your fingertips – from wedding cakes to venue hire, wedding flowers and more – finding everything you need for your wedding is easy with Bark.

Simply let us know what you want and we’ll reach out to recommended service providers on your behalf to get you quotes fast and free.

Click the link below now to find great professionals for your wedding and start saving money with Bark today.

Planning your wedding is easy with Bark

Your wedding will be the single happiest day of your life. But with expectations sky high, the pressure of getting it all sorted can easily take the shine off proceedings. Luckily, Bark is here to help.

With thousands of registered pros providing everything from wedding photography to wedding makeup, venue hire and more – we’ll do all the legwork to make planning your wedding a breeze.

Placing a Bark is quick and stress-free, and with all your quotes in one place choosing the right pros for your wedding couldn’t be easier.

“What a fantastic site!” writes Emma Williams on our Trustpilot page. “I’ve used this to find room decor, flowers, photographers and hair and makeup artists for my wedding.”

She continues: “Type in what you need and the professionals come to you. It’s an easy way to compare prices and to check out people I wouldn’t normally have been able to find through search engines!”

*Another happy couple ties the knot with Bark – photo by Laine Apine Photography*

“After searching for a wedding photographer without success we fell on Bark much by accident really,” adds another happy couple.

“Very pleased we did. Within a few hours we had several contact us and through these we got just what we were looking for.”

Brides Magazine estimates the average UK wedding costs upwards of £30,000, and with big decisions such as theme or venue typically being made up to 12 months in advance, planning one by yourself can be a huge commitment.

Finding everything the old fashioned way can take months of hard work and graft, but with Bark it couldn’t be easier. As soon as you’ve placed a request on our site you can sit back and relax, and the pros will come to you.

You’ll often start receiving quotes within hours of placing your request, saving you bags of time if you’re planning in advance – and and making us great for last minute emergencies.

“Our wedding planner had to resign for health reasons two months before the wedding,” writes one Bark user. “[We] found a replacement on Bark in 24 hours! Amazing.”

“I’ve posted several ‘Barks’ over the past six months or so while planning my wedding and have found it really useful,” adds Ami Stoppard. “It makes a big difference when you’re having to organise a lot that companies are able to reach out to you, as opposed to you having to send off multiple emails.”

*Lovers kiss on their wedding day – photo by Laine Apine Photography*

With hundreds of categories at your fingertips, planning your perfect wedding is easy with Bark. Whatever you need, we’ll scour the internet to get you quotes from the best local pros available on your big day, so you can choose the one that’s right for you.

So whether you need a great wedding DJ, dress rental, wedding cake bakers, makeup artists or anything else – we can help. Click the link below to place your Bark and we’ll start contacting local pros for you right away.