EEEEE and Hello!
It’s January, and there are a good number of you who got engaged over the holiday season. So first up: congratulations!
If you’re just getting started planning, you’ve come to the right place. If you poke around APW a bit, you’ll be able to find tips and tricks for just about every step of the wedding planning process. Start by reading this letter written by a COVID bride to herself. You can get access to all of our planning tools, download a wedding planning checklist, and take a look at our vendor directory when you’re ready to start building your team. Plus, I wrote some books that just might help you (A Practical Wedding and the A Practical Wedding Planner). 
And also, some of you are here planning your wedding, for I don’t know: the 70-millionth time since the pandemic started. You’re trying to figure out what exactly to do now (again), and what you even want at this point anyway. And we have resources for you, too. Take a look at all of the real COVID weddings we’ve shared in the last two years for inspiration, and join the conversation (right here) in the comments with all your questions, worries, and wins.
In short: here we are again. In the middle of the biggest, most infections COVID outbreak yet… In January 2022. How?
I remember when in March 2020, I was suggesting to folks that they might want to think about postponing their big May and June 2020 weddings, and everyone thought I was being insanely pessimistic. But even I didn’t think that in 2022, we’d not only still be IN it, but still be thinking about being in it long term.
The good news is this: we know a lot more than we did then. We know that COVID seems to be a seasonal virus that gets worse in the winter. We know that we’re seeing variant waves, but they do end. We’re learning that just vaccinations are not enough for bigger weddings, that we should also layer additional protections like rapid testing and masking. We know small pandemic weddings can be awesome. We know we have to be flexible. We’re starting to learn how to plan around this awful pandemic, and that’s a much better place than we were in two years ago.
But still: two years. We’re all exhausted.
But the amazing news is that you’re going to marry your human. And damn it, we all need joy and love and hope right now. And we’re here to help you plan it every step of the way.
For now, here is your January (2022!) open thread. How is your planning going? What problems are you trying to solve? And if you’re newly engaged, we are SO HAPPY FOR YOU.
xo
Meg & The APW Team
