How do you plan for next year?

We postponed our August 2020 wedding to August 2021. We made the decision back in March. At that point in time, I didn’t have a shadow of a doubt that we’d have returned to normalcy by next summer. Obviously my mindset has changed. Sadly, it doesn’t look like the pandemic will resolve itself anytime soon. I’m anticipating some restrictions next summer, but hoping they will have been relaxed somewhat. As it stands, indoor weddings of up to 100 people are permitted in my province, provided guests “bubble” in groups of 10 and wear masks. Outdoor weddings of up to 250 people are permitted, with the same bubbling requirements but no masks. I think these rules are a huge bummer and hope they’re loosened somewhat a year from now. I would be totally fine cutting down the guest list from 200 to 100, or something along those lines. But regardless, we aren’t postponing a second time, and will have whatever wedding we can within the guidelines next year, whatever they may be.

We've pushed our reception to 2021, and sometimes I worry but it's also too early for us to worry about what we have absolutely no power over.
Before we postponed our reception I switched gears planning wise, we didn't spend money on anything that wouldn't last until 2021. We put our invitations on hold, knowing that we might pay a rush fee if things went our way but weighing that against losing money if we needed to reorder. When I ordered our cake topper I didn't get a date put on it (the seller actually thought this was an accident!). I also did a lot of window shopping for ideas for makeup and hair. If you're really worried you could wait a few months and plan those elements a little closer to the date juuuust in case.

We're December 2020 and it is very likely we will push to March 2021, even if things change for the better. We were originally supposed to be 250 people but we're planning as if Stage 3 will stick around for our backup date. We're working with the venue to see how we can go about with the restrictions in place. If things get better by March and we can squeeze in a few extras, great! If not, we won't stress about it. It's one thing if we're in Stage 1, but at Stage 3 we personally find it helpful to just plan under the circumstances rather than trying to wait for circumstances to work with what we originally envisioned. I know not everyone can or want to do this but in our minds, there's just no point in stressing something completely out of our control.

Its hard to tell what is bound to happen though the planning is something to look forward towards your special day of celebration. The guest list for many has changed for how this year has been reduced to 50 from their original of over a 100.

Circumstances can vary depending on vendors and venues on their part. Always hope for the best facing the obstacles ahead of you two.