If your St. Augustine wedding was canceled recently because of the Coronavirus, you are probably pretty stressed right now.
Will you be able to find another venue? Will your photographer be available? Will you fit into your dress after a couple of months of isolation snacking? (Just kidding on that last one).
We get the stress. It’s always our goal to have our brides say “yes” to less stress…and that is true in the pandemic era as much as any other time.
One of the things we can do is offer a couple of suggestions, as well as a pretty good deal on a stunning wedding venue (we’ve just renovated it this year, so we have lots of open dates!) But more on the second part later. Here are some suggestions we have to help you keep your sanity, even if your wedding has been canceled.
Finding the right partner is the hard part. The wedding is easy!
Focus on the Big Stuff.
When our brides start to get nervous about a detail or two, we remind them that–though the wedding is important–the big story is the marriage. The hardest part of any ceremony is finding your person…and if you’ve already done that, the rest is (literally) icing on the cake.
Plan Something Small.
Wedding licenses expire, and if you already have yours. you might feel that the clock is ticking. (Florida licenses are good for 60 days).
Why not have an intimate ceremony now, and a big blow out later? That way, you can wait until the weather is beautiful, or the azaleas are blooming, or the virus is a bad memory.
We’ve literally done hundreds of weddings where the guest list is 10 people or less (and that is in line with current CDC requirements!) It’s a beautiful, intimate way to say “I Do”, among your closest friends and family. You can still take lots of pictures–in fact, you can take more pictures than usual because you don’t have to worry about holding everyone up back at the venue while you walk to some of the most picturesque locations in St. Augustine.
If you’d like, you could even do 2-3 horse carriages–with the bride and groom in front, and the party in the two behind. We’re happy to help you arrange that; it’s a great way to see St. Augustine at a leisurely pace.
And the beautiful pictures that you take? You can blow them up and put them on an easel at your blow out picnic/party/barbecue. You can also show a video or slide show from your special day–so that even the people who weren’t there will feel like they were part of the fun.
Just the Two of You.
It can be hard to take a large wedding down to 10 people or less. There could be hurt feelings, especially among guests who couldn’t be included in that small number.
One way to address that is with a micro-small wedding–just the two of you. That way, your license doesn’t expire (remember–you have 60 days), your dress still fits, and you are able to focus on the most important person in the world–the person you’ve agreed to marry. Order take out from your favorite restaurant and enjoy it in your room for a truly intimate affair.
We are sanitizing all of our rooms, and blocking the rooms for 72 hours between each guest, for your safety and comfort.
The Sanchez House has lots of magazine-worthy-photo-spots–like this historic door and stoop.
St. Augustine Wedding Venues.
St. Augustine is a popular wedding destination, and we have some beautiful wedding venues. Unfortunately, many of them are booked up to a year in advance–meaning that if you had to cancel your ceremony, you might have to wait 16 months or more to reschedule it.
Late last year, we purchased the Sanchez House, a historic home built in 1790. After months of renovations, we finally opened it in late February for events and overnight guests. As the coronavirus hit us all, our business–including the Sanchez House–slowed to a snail’s pace.
The good news is that we have a perfectly STUNNING wedding venue in St. Augustine, it is completely unique and completely renovated, AND it has a bunch of available dates!!
Contact us today at 954.298.2290, or complete an event interest form for your St. Augustine wedding and one of our wedding concierges will contact you.
The Sanchez House is not like any other venue–you’ll love the historic stone walls (perfect for pictures), the coquina fountain (great as a backdrop to your ceremony), and the view of the bay from the house’s lawn. We’re sorry that your wedding was canceled…and we’re here to help make your Plan B the most beautiful option ever.