Couples getting married on May 22, 2021 in Ontario

Congratulations Darla and all who are engaged at this time!

I've been planning on getting married on the same day as you since January, and I had the venue, photographer, cake, and music booked by March. I now have my dress picked and altered, but I have to say that the dress has so far been the most challenging part of wedding planning. I hadn't had to pick out a fancy dress since high school prom - so many years ago - and the few dresses I got since then have been casual. I used to dream of finding the perfect dress the first time I go wedding dress shopping, but nope, I had to go to 3 different stores and try on about 13 different dresses, go back home to the pinterest board and do more comparison shopping online, go back to the first store I went to and try on 5 more dresses (2 of them the same as the ones I tried on the first time), and decided on one I tried on the first time I went to that store. It's a beautiful dress that I'm looking forward to wearing at my wedding, but it didn't give me the feeling that it was "the perfect dress" at the time. I think those moments on shows like Say Yes to the Dress where the bride cries tears of joy when she finds her dress ruined the experience for me because that was where my expectations were, but my reality was different.

Now the next most difficult thing is trying to decide when to send out my save the dates. My fiance has a few family members in China that he wants to invite, but with the pandemic still at large, I'm not sure how my guests will respond, or if they will respond at all right now. What also worries me is the fact that my fiance's best man is currently in San Francisco, and it doesn't look like our borders are going to open for the states any time soon. Sorry to ask my questions on your thread, but what do you think?

For everyone planning a wedding next year, when are you sending save the dates?

Congrats to all you brides to be! What an exhilarating, yet stressful and uncertain time. We just booked our venue for the wedding and it’s a bit of a relief and scary at the same time! We are concerned things like having an indoor bar and dancing may not be permitted, but have asked our venue if they will allow for tents to be setup (for bar service or dance floor) or the music to be played outdoors. At this point we are just happy to have the date booked and have hopes that some regulations will continue to be relaxed as time goes on. I have my wedding dress and am waiting for my custom wedding band to be made. We have selected our wedding party, and now just going to go down the list of items to prep for the big day. Even though we are having a very intimate wedding, there is still so much to consider!! How has everyone else’s engagement experience been so far?

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I think the most challenging for me is when it comes to the seating arrangements. I have a large family and of course can't fit certain familys (example: Dad, Grandparents, Aunt & Uncles) all at the same table, so they won't be front and centre like my Mom's side of the family will be.

Other than that, everything was fairly smooth because we planned early, we planed over a year and a half in advance, and had everything completed within 10 months out. Now we have to wait another year, so all I have to do is sit back and relax until our day comes

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DJs usually package themselves in a particular set of hours. If your ceremony, cocktail, and reception can be squeezed into a typical 8 hour wedding window, then you can save that way. Otherwise, you may have to add a small ceremony package either as an add-on, or add time.

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Thank you friend. Any suggestions for planning a small but fabulous day.

Also curious about vendors that are full service in accommodating ceremony to reception.

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Thanks for the reply! What are you finding the most challenging so far?

Congratulations to you too.

I am a month after you! Woohooo!!
Also EXTREAMLY excited - Take your time planning and don't rush anything, it will help keep you less stressed.
If you need any advice on anything feel free to ask our wedding wire team, everyone loves to help!

& Congratulations! Enjoy the moments leading up to the date, its a feeling you want to hold onto for as long as you can!

Congratulations on your engagement, Darla and welcome to Weddingwire. At least by starting your planning process during these crazy times, you have more wiggle room to adapt to the extraordinary circumstances. Here's hoping a smooth planning process for you.