Alexandra will be marrying Ian on 10th May 2020 at La Corte Dei Messapi in Ostuni, Puglia, Italy. Click here to read all Alexandra’s planning posts to date.
THREE FACTS: THREE FACTS: (1) Alexandra and Ian are planning an intimate black-tie destination wedding for 60 of their nearest and dearest in Puglia, Italy. (2) Alexandra is Jewish, and Ian is in the process of converting to Judaism. (3) Alexandra is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!
Planning a wedding is always stressful. You never know what is going to happen between when you put down the deposit and the actual event. Sometimes there are unexpected pandemics in the country where your wedding is being held.
When I first heard about COVID-19 or as it is colloquially known Corona Virus, I was concerned like most people, but I never thought it would affect our wedding. We had already received all of our wedding clothing which seemed to be an issue that most people were encountering, with many dresses being manufactured in China.
We never thought that where we were getting married would cause any issues. As I have admitted multiple times in this process: I was wrong. When the first reported case of COVID-19 was reported in Italy, we and some of our guests got a bit nervous.
As many of you know I am getting married in Italy where as of this moment the death toll has reached 107 and over 3,000 people have been diagnosed. While the cases have all been in Northern Italy thus far, and our wedding is in the South, there’s no telling how the virus might spread between now and May.
Beyond the health risks lie the much more unpredictable responses that countries and companies might take. One of the issues we are currently grappling with is that our guests are all flying through Rome. We are concerned that flights are going to be cancelled.
With Italy sitting high in the travel advisory numbers, we’ve had to try to comfort our guests with what little knowledge we have at this point and let them make whatever decision they feel is best. We knew that having our wedding in Italy, we were not going to have every single person we wanted there in attendance; but now I am worried that no one is going to show up!
A fun fact I recently learned is that wedding insurance does not cover the moving of your wedding due to a pandemic, terrorist attack, or an act of god. I am sort of curious what it does actually cover…
Planning our mini-moon to Sicily
Planning a short honeymoon after our wedding in Sicily has been stressful as well. It is hard to put money down for a trip that has a chance of not happening. We were able get trip insurance though. Also the one silver lining is that hotel prices have gone way down in the region, so if you really want a trip to Italy, book now!
At this point we have been told the virus will die off in Italy by mid April just in time for our May 10th wedding. With the high degree of uncertainty that is inherent in any wedding planning, all you can do is try not to speculate and hope for the best. At the end of the day I am marrying Ian which is what matters but I still want this wedding to go off without a hitch.
Click here to read all Alexandra’s planning posts to date.
Alexandra and Ian’s Wedding Vendors booked so far:
Venue – La Corte Dei Messapi
