We decided, after postponing out October 2021 wedding, to do ceremony and celebration separately.
Within 24 hours of postponing (August 2021), we were able to reschedule everyone for the same weekend the following year. Around Christmas, we decided we didn't want to wait and just wanted to be married already!
We had an incredibly intimate ceremony with only immediate family and bridal party in May, with photos and a nice dinner following. Our reception is still in October with all of our extended family and friends.
Honestly, the stress was so much less doing it this way! In all reality, you are still planning two events on the same day doing everything 'traditionally'. But really, (especially in covid times), what is traditional anymore? My husband and I were able to breathe and actually focus on each other on our wedding day. I wish we could have had everything closer together, but with the amount of postponing and rescheduling that so many have endured, we knew that would be impossible.
Overall, I do recommend this to friends getting married, and anyone. I would say weddings don't have to be stressful, but there is no way around that. But breathe, take a step back and decide what you truly want out of the day. After all, it's about you and your spouse.
Congratulations to everyone, and happy planning!
