Recently engaged - do i book a venue for 2021?

I think this is really a personal choice. Many people still believe that 2021 is too uncertain- and the rest of us feel it will be fine. It depends on what you want (100 guests vs 300 guests) and depends on how you feel about planning with the need for flexibility.
If you want things to go off “without a hitch” then of course waiting is a great option. It’s all about what feels best for you!!! Good luck with your planning! ❤️

Hey fellow Toronto bride! I also got engaged in October. We are looking at 2022 dates. I feel like 2021 is still a little uncertain at this point. At least it allows for more time to plan!

View quoted message Very good decision I think, well done!! Congrats on the decision, I know it's not an easy one to make. And thank you so much, my fingers are indeed crossed!

View quoted message Incredibly helpful! We’ve decided to postpone until May or June 2022 with all of this uncertainty! Fingers crossed this vaccine rolls out quickly and you’re able to have your dream wedding in 2021!

Congratulations on your engagement, such an exciting time!

As for a 2021 wedding, all I can say is NO! My wedding was supposed to be July 2020 and is now July 2021 but I'm still dealing with so much uncertainty. My guests will be in masks and all of the photos from the day that were supposed to be beautiful and full of emotion will instead be filled with faces covered by masks. No dancing either. Between the restrictions constantly changing and mourning the loss of all the things I looked forward to the most about the wedding, all I can say is that I wouldn't recommend this to my worst enemy. I think it would be crazy to go into planning for a 2021 wedding knowing how awful it is. Wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy!

Hey! Congratulations, we got engaged at the end of September!

We decided to post pone past 2021, from research/work discussions it is said that the earliest prediction for herd immunity is fall of 2021! If youre planning to do a larger wedding I would suggest postponning!

View quoted message Great point!! I have received a few packages from venues and their covid clauses. It’s great to see they are open to flex dates pending the state of the world/economy. Thanks for the advice!

View quoted message Very helpful!!

Booking for 2021 would be suggestable right now unless you do want to go 1 year more to 2022 to be on the safer side of Covid. The ways things look and go, it seems uncertain for changing many times and not getting the date of your choice. I hope all goes well for your choice of date booking.

I personally postponed to summer 2022 just to be on the safe side

I think you're getting a lot of good advice here that it depends on your plans. Our reception was originally planned for June 2020. We had already separated the ceremony from the reception for various reasons so we still had the smallest ceremony possible, then just postponed the reception. We have about 90 guests on the list and told everyone tentatively June 2021, but I'm thinking we're just going to postpone another year again. We have guests coming from Peru and the US, as well as different parts of Canada. Even if they're legally able and willing to come here, I don't want them here any sooner than necessary, especially all at the same time.

If you're ok with a small wedding, and the potential to change your plans and roll with the punches I would book for 2021. If you want more than what gathering restrictions allow, don't want guests wearing masks, etc I would honestly wait until 2022.


Waiting until 2022 will, in my opinion, reduce your stress level. You'll have more time to plan, more time to save up, and the potential to have a "normal" celebration. Waiting an extra year might not be fun but it could be worth it!

If you are planning to have a small/intimate wedding, many venues are offering packages and deals during COVID which could save a lot of money. That being said, if you are looking for a larger wedding, it may be better to wait until 2022 or 2023. Many venues are also allowing a one time reschedule in the event more restrictions occur. Good luck!

It’s so difficult to answer these questions because who knows what is going to happen. If you book for 2021, I would suggest you book a plan A, and a plan B (plan B being covid restrictions). See, a lot of people think the vaccine is just going to solve the problem, but really by the time they get it out to everyone it could be months or even years. If you can hold out, I would wait until 2022.

Another thing to consider is that many people who were to be married this year moved to 2021 (myself included) and so 2021 might be harder to book at this point for your preferred vendors. Just something to think about ! I would check in with places/vendors on availability if you already haven’t

View quoted message Totally fair. I think the biggest struggle is making the decision if I’m ok waiting until 2022. I just want to get married!! I saw a few other chats about having small weddings next year and bigger celebrations in 2022, which would be the worst case scenario IMO. I’d rather just do everything once, you know? Very helpful though - appreciate your perspective!

View quoted message So true! Helpful to know what others are thinking/planning!

Pretty much what Aimerance said. We're getting married on the same month as you but are planning with the expectation that restrictions will be in place. I wouldn't count out physical distancing, masks, and other restrictions on "high-risk" activities until most people are vaccinated and we have solid evidence that community transmission is practically nil.

I think it depends on what you want. Are you looking to plan a small wedding? Are you willing to wait until 2022? Do you have family flying in? All of that play a part in planning a wedding in 2021 or 2022. Ideally 2022 weddings will hopefully be closer to the "norm". If you choose to plan for 2021 you will be planning with some unknowns probably not as many as we have right now as by then the vaccine would have been more wide spread.