Planning a Last Minute Wedding During Covid-19

Would you believe me if I said this microwedding was planned and brought to life in less than 48 hours? You best believe it! Planning a last minute wedding may not feel like the ideal situation to be in, but these days we’re seeing more and more couples tie the knot amidst smaller circles and with less lead time. And while you may wonder how a runaway elopement approach might turn out (both visually and experientially), we’re saying you can eliminate the guesswork because today’s feature will give you the 4 key steps you should take to end up with a wedding day as beautiful as this one. My Sun & Stars Co conceptualized this heartwarming pop-up wedding featuring the styling talents of Always Flawless Productions and floral genius of Moonlight Floral Co. We cannot wait for you to not only fawn over these images from Ball Photo Co below, but get an insider’s look at how you can make this happen for you too.

From the photographer, Ball Photo Co: With COVID- couples are having to change their plans at the drop of a hat. We pulled together this styled shoot in less than 48 hours and we want to show you how to pull together an epic and beautiful celebration- even if it’s last minute!

Planning A Last Minute Wedding

Step 1: Set the date

Tuesday night, we decided we were going to do a shoot on Thursday. The florist got some roses from Grace Rose Farm for an event that was cancelled. We weren’t going to waste the flowers, so we decided to have an editorial! For most couples, the date will be hand in hand with the venue (unless you’re celebrating in your backyard!)

Step 2: Venue and Vendors

If you have the budget to afford it, hire a planner, ASAP. They’ll be able to navigate all the little things, they’ll be able to contact vendors directly, and they’ll make sure everything runs smoothly and on time. We got ahold of Ashley at Always Flawless Productions who managed the styling for us!

You’d think that the next step ~has~ to be to finalize the venue, but it doesn’t! If you’re planning a super last minute shin-dig, the venue doesn’t have to be set in stone while you continue planning. It can be a backyard or a restaurant, a national park or an official venue. As long as it’s relatively close (so your vendors don’t have to charge travel fees) – they can adapt.

Your next priority should be the vendors with perishable goods that need to be ordered and purchased. This is the florist and the food!

Wednesday morning, the florist goes to the market to buy flowers, and spends the rest of the day arranging and transporting flowers. We spent most of the day emailing and calling vendors. Our priorities were venue and decor. We emailed and called maybe 6 venues and ended up going with Flora the Venue in downtown San Diego. They responded the quickest (in the evening/afternoon before the shoot!). Many venues are closed right now because of government restrictions, so don’t get your heart set on any one specific place.

Step 3: Decor and Rentals

Pro tip: Don’t micromanage

While we were trying to find a venue (still didn’t have one nailed down yet!) we worked on finding our decor and rentals. We had a specific color palette, but specific shades and exact matches didn’t matter. We found a table and chairs from Adore Folklore, and because we had such a small ‘guest list’ we were able to afford luxury rentals like velvet chairs instead of cheap ones like plastic folding chairs. We got our tabletop decor (plates, glassware, cutlery) from Hostess Haven- and we didn’t have time to go through every option. So we just sent a color palette and requested golds- and they chose an amazing combination for us! It would have just taken too much time and stress so we decided to put our trust in the professionals.

Thursday Morning: we picked everything up and enjoyed the day! We let go of the stress, and just let everything fall together and had fun!

Bonus: Insider deets about the florals

The biggest issue we see brides having with florals is just not knowing the cost. For this shoot we used ultra luxury materials, like Garden Roses from Grace Rose Farm and cafe dahlias. You can get a similar look in terms of size and scale if you have the items be less lush.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the pricing for the floral elements at the shoot (with the super and expensive lush florals!):

Bouquet: $325
Bout: $16
Ceremony arrangements: $500 x 2 (they got repurposed for bar/cake)
Table Arrangements: $250 x 2
Bud Vases: $15 each
Plate Flowers $2 per plate
= rough total of $1850 + tax

And here’s what the pricing might look like if everything was the same size, but there were less luxury ingredients (no specialty garden roses, etc):

Bouquet: $175
Bout: $16
Ceremony arrangements: $200 x 2
Table Arrangements: $125 x 2
Bud Vases: $15 each
Plate Flowers $2 per plate / $0.50 pp for greens
= rough total of $850+ tax

We hope this gives brides and grooms planning during these Covid times some hope and inspiration that it can absolutely be done, even under the most difficult circumstances.

Okay, didn’t this last minute wedding look like it had been planned for 48 weeks? Definitely not 48 hours! It’s so encouraging to know that a look this colorful + creative is in fact possible for couples who are finding themselves like Ross from Friends right now and having to pivot, pivot, PIVOT! Now that you know planning a last minute wedding can be done, be sure to consider some of these out of the box venue ideas for your microwedding or elopement!

Wedding Vendors:

Concept: My Sun & Stars Co

Photographer: Ball Photo Co

Stylist: Always Flawless Productions

Florist: Moonlight Floral Co