Wedding Bells & Baby Bumps
You’re expecting! But should you expect to change your wedding plans?
Congratulations! You're expecting a little one, and amidst the joy, the potentially scary question arises: “Do we keep with the original wedding plans, or do we need to alter them a bit?”
Here's a breakdown to help you decide!
1. How far along will you be and how are you feeling?
This is crucial. The first trimester often bring fatigue and morning sickness, while the two later ones may involve a beautiful bump and potential travel limitations. But if you are feeling good, you have that pregnancy glow, and your hair and nails are longer than they have ever been, go for it! Make your bump a celebrated part of the day!
2. Is this a destination wedding?
If your wedding is at your dream venue only an hour away, (and you don’t get so car sick that you can’t handle the roads) or you’re planning to get married across the country, but you’re still safely able to make the journey and feel great while doing it, no biggie! Yes, travel restrictions during pregnancy can vary by trimester. Obviously consult your doctor and research airline policies for pregnant passengers before making a decision.
3. Rescheduling and Vendor Flexibility:
If you choose to postpone, consider your vendors' policies. While non-refundable deposits are common, many vendors understand major life changes and may try to accommodate a date change. Some even have written in their contract that you can reschedule within a certain amount of time of your original date for a range of reasons. If you have booked a venue that you love and put a $6,000 deposit down, but if you cancel you forfeit that deposit, that’s a hard hit to take. Especially with a little one on the way. But if they are able to change dates for a fee, or if you are able to still make it work, you can still have the wedding of your dreams! (Just with a little higher guest count.)
4. Wedding Timeline:
Is your wedding this year or next and how far along are you? If you find out in May that you’re pregnant & your wedding is in September, chances are you’ll be just past the “I look bloated and like I had a large lunch” stage and finally have some energy back. At that point you’ll be in the midst of the second trimester with all the baby glow and probably with very little of the morning sickness remaining. (And not to the point where you are waddling yet!) This would most likely still be a good time to go ahead with your wedding plans. However, if you find out in October that you’re due in July and your destination wedding for next August is 3 plane flights away, you may want to reconsider. If you’re going to have to travel with a newborn, that may be a really good time to look at alternative dates.
5. Remember, Love Endures:
This is an event celebrating the union of your love and your growing family is simply another chapter in your beautiful story. Finding a new dress or adjusting the timeline doesn't diminish the magic of your wedding day.
6. Time of Day:
If you find you have lots of energy in the morning but come 3pm it is nap time and there’s no rallying for the rest of the day, it may be a good idea to look into having a morning/ early afternoon ceremony! This will have to be communicated with your vendors about the feasibility of that option. But there’s nothing saying that if your vendors can’t make it work, why a morning ceremony followed by a delicious brunch won’t be a great option! That way you still get to have an amazing wedding, and you don’t have to miss out on nap time.
Additional Tips:
Embrace the Bump: Maternity wedding dresses are stunning! And you can even buy a fake baby bump to wear when trying on dresses to get the right fit.
Prioritize Comfort: Choose comfortable shoes and delegate tasks to avoid overexertion. (this is where your planner comes in handy, wink wink!)
Bonus Tip: Practice wearing your wedding shoes before the wedding to make sure they are comfortable for you. If your wedding dress is maybe a little tight, or you find the beading bothers you, or maybe its just heavy – have a backup dress in place! It’s popular right now to have a different dress and pair of shoes for the reception that’s easier to party in anyways. It may be a good idea to invest in a more comfortable outfit for after the dinner that gives you more ease (and space!) to enjoy the night in.
Communicate Clearly: Be transparent; inform your vendors and loved ones about your decision.
Mocktails Anyone? – Looking to have specialty cocktails at your wedding? Make one a mocktail! They are still delicious and it’s amazing how many of your guests you’ll find enjoying them too.
Many of us in the wedding industry are parents ourselves, we have kiddos at home too! We must run our business, but we care about you! I have personally had two brides announce their unexpected, but blissfully happy, pregnancies just this spring. One couple decided to cancel their wedding as they were doing an adventure-filled micro-wedding for next summer, which would just not feasible with a newborn. But we did have the conversation that when the time does come for them to tie the knot, we can pick back up exactly where we left off and keep moving forward. My other couple announced they are pregnant but still plan to have their September wedding; the bride is just going to wait a little longer to buy her wedding dress. Either option is okay! Being a mom myself, I have pretty good insight into when you may need to put everything else on hold and take care of yourself for a short while or when you may just really need a snack if we’re going on a tour!!
Remember, a surprise pregnancy doesn't have to derail your wedding dreams. It might just mean a few adjustments leading to an even more special celebration of your expanding love.