A Journey Through Postponing a Milwaukee Wedding- Chelsey & Brandon

If you had a wedding planned that needed to be put off due to COVID-19, you’re not alone. Back in May we shared the story titled A Journey Through Planning a Milwaukee Wedding- Meet Chelsey & Brandon . Since then, due to the pandemic, the couple has postponed their October 2020 wedding. Read on to check in on what Chelsey and Brandon are doing to adjust, but still enjoy their time being engaged!

What made you decide to postpone your wedding?
This was without a doubt one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. Back in March I was so hopeful that everything would “be back to normal” for our October wedding. How naive! haha! But really, who would have thought? At first, our family and friends shared these thoughts. Everyone was positive that “we would be fine.” Then the realities started to set in that we would not “be fine.” At the end of July Brandon and I had a very difficult conversation where we laid out all of our options. After a lot of tears from me, what we ultimately decided was best for us was to postpone our wedding one year. For us, it is a decision that feels responsible. We want everyone originally invited to our wedding to attend, to feel safe, and to have fun. It was a difficult decision, but one that was made with a lot of love and care for our family and friends.

Have you been able to keep your original venue and vendors?
Beyond grateful that we have been able to keep all of our original vendors and our wedding venue! I was SO nervous. I emailed our venue first (shout out to the Pritzlaff for being amazing and understanding) and they sent back a handful of dates that were still open for 2021. Our original wedding date was set for 10/2/2020, so I feel so lucky that we were able to postpone almost exactly a year off – to 10/1/2021. I think that date still has a nice ring to it! 😉

How has the process of postponing been for you?
The process itself has actually been easy. We were really fortunate that all of our vendors were able to move to our new date. I felt bad postponing on all of them, but thankfully all of our vendors have been so understanding and accommodating which also helps.

Chelsey and Brandon decided to still celebrate their original wedding date by getting together with their photographer to honor the day and snap some extra cute and fun additional engagement photos. 

What has been the easiest part of switching your day?
I have found a lot of ease in remembering that everything is all planned. I try to reframe my thoughts to this anytime I feel sad about having to wait one more year to marry my dream guy. I keep saying “at least everything is all planned and now you get a full additional year to be engaged without the stress of planning the wedding.” … but, there is of course all the stress of the PANDEMIC so it kind of ends up canceling each other out, haha. However, it feels so sweet to know that Brandon and I get to enjoy an additional year as fiancés. Being engaged is a season of life that is often short lived in comparison to a lifetime of marriage. It has been helpful for me to look at the postponement with this in mind!

What has been the hardest part of switching your day?
All of the emotions that go with it. There have been a lot of feelings of sadness, anger, disappointment, and loss. I wrote in an Instagram caption (@misschelseylee) that it feels like I am grieving the loss of my “should have been wedding.” So I am trying to allow myself to grieve that loss without letting it overwhelm me.

What do you suggest for couples who are considering postponing their wedding day?
I think every couple should do what they feel is best for them. I think there are a lot of factors to consider such as what city or county you are getting married in, is your wedding indoors or outdoors, how many guests are invited, what are the pros of postponing and what are the cons. For us, the pros of postponing outweighed the cons. I would say that if you are considering postponing you should make your decision as quickly as possible. I wanted to wait to make the final call on postponing in August, but we ended up making it at the end of July. In hindsight I’m so glad we did because we were able to keep all of our original vendors. Most of my vendors were almost fully booked already for 2021 which would have meant postponing until 2022 or switching vendors (both sound like an absolute nightmare to me). So feel secure in your decision and rip the band aid off. Amidst all of the tears I shed over our decision, I also immediately felt so much weight off of my shoulders. Whatever path you end up taking, just know that it will be okay because one way or another you will still be marrying the love of your life and that’s the only thing that actually matters. I’m sending any bride that is struggling with this decision, or any bride that has already made this decision the biggest hug!
xoxo.

We love and adore Chelsey for the positive attitude she is having while planning a wedding throughout a pandemic. One of our favorite things she has done is taking that step to still enjoy the things she can about being a Bride-to-Be, including a Bachelorette Party!! Just because you had to post-pone your date, doesn’t mean you have to put off all the celebrations. Grab your bride tribe and close girlfriends and take a night out to celebrate!

Remember postponing is not cancelling, it is just extending the anticipation! Head on over to Chelsey’s Instagram to catch up on some other fun things they’ve been up to, like buying their first home! And stay tuned as we catch up with Chelsey again closer to their wedding day.