If the year 2020 has taught us anything, it's that intimate weddings are hella fun to plan!

You get to focus on the tiniest of details without worrying about all the overhead cost of extra shenanigans that couples generally pull off at a grand wedding. And you get to enjoy every moment with the closest of your loved ones. Plus, you can hone in on the skills of your team to help plan this wedding with you. After all, with an intimate wedding, it's easier to plan with your family as tasks can be designated with ease. 

But given all the restrictions and precautions one has to take to hold a wedding in 2020, especially during the winter season when things are wee bit difficult because of the chilly weather, having a checklist at hand is helpful. So, to help you focus better, here's a basic checklist of things you need to keep in mind while planning a wedding during the upcoming winter wedding season!

An Intimate Winter Wedding Checklist

✅ Sanitization Equipment & Stations

Because of the ongoing pandemic, we're all supposed to maintain a certain level of hygiene at weddings, irrespective of whether they consist of 10 people or 50. Thus, you need to plan and procure sanitization equipment, which should include large stands for the entrance, and smaller bottles for the guests at every corner and every table. This particular detail has to be at the top of your wedding checklist. After all, you do not want to take any risk with yourself or your guests.

(Also Read: 15 Sanitiser Stations At Intimate Weddings We're Head Over Heels For)

✅ Communicate With Your Vendors Throughout

Are your venue managers taking the necessary precautions? Is the caterer being careful while preparing the food? Are the decorators adhering to strict protocol of social distancing and sanitization rules? Are your alterations being done on time? Is your makeup artist following all the necessary precautions? Well, all of this can be assured with optimum communication between yourself and the vendors that you've hired. Keeping in constant touch with them is important, especially when you're close to your wedding date. And make sure that the communication between you and your vendors is straightforward and not confusing in order to avoid any kind of mishap on the wedding day. 

✅ Planning Travel

If you're heading out of town for your wedding, or if the groom's side is travelling in from a different city or state, then planning the travel is extremely necessary. Air travel is limited, and the hassle is unimaginable. Road travel is manageable with certain precautions and train travel is ill-advised. Therefore, based on the distance and the number of people travelling in, you need to plan your travel to the very last detail. 

✅ Plan Your Venue Types

When it comes to winter weddings, choosing your venue wisely is very important. So, for evening or night functions we suggest that you should opt for an indoor venue. Whereas for day time functions like mehndi or haldi, you can go in for an outdoor venue like a large lawn or terrace or roof-top. The point is to plan your venues accordingly and ensure that you know the blueprint of your venue so that at the last day it's easier to place sanitization supplies. 

✅ Segregate Your Wedding Guest List

Okay, this is the hard part, we know. Slashing your guest list is probably one of the biggest, most heartbreaking thing, couples have had to do during the summer and monsoon wedding season. But the rules remain mostly the same for the winter wedding edit, with a slight increase in number. Now, you can have about less than 100 people at your wedding function if it's an outdoor event. For indoor, it's still 50. So, based on the venue and your function's need, you'll have to cut down on your guest list. So, once your list is ready, you may need to send out a message to the ones who couldn't attend. But it's alright since everyone will understand. And to the guests who are attending your wedding, you need to intimate details of the safety precautions you'll be taking including simple rules like not getting extra people to the wedding, wearing masks at all times and maintaining general hygiene. 

✅ Procure Equipment For Temperature Checks

If you're planning to have the temperature checks at your wedding, then you need the right equipment for it. And even though it may sound a bit excessive for a wedding, but planning a wedding during COVID-19 means having these fever checks for everyone's safety. So, for this you need to do two things- buy infrared thermometers for the checks and hand this task to one person who will be responsible for this task. If one person is not enough, give it to two people. The point of this precaution is to make sure that if anyone shows symptoms of fever or anything else, then the situation can be managed with care and properly. 

✅ Double Check With Vendors

Your wedding vendors will always be working towards giving you a perfect wedding experience. However, it's always better to assign a friend or family member to check in with each vendor a few days before the wedding and on the day of the event. This way, if the vendor is facing an issue or is stuck anywhere, they can be helped out without going through multiple channels of communication. 

✅ Have Dedicated Spaces

When you're planning an at-home wedding, then you need to ensure that certain spaces are cordoned off for yourself. Which mean at least one bedroom should be dedicated to your dressing up and makeup and hair and no one should be allowed in there except for certain people. There is a chance that many of your guests might want to come and meet you while you get ready. But trust us, you do not want people crowding in your room while you get dressed. So make sure you have a certain space to get ready without any interruptions!

✅ Ensure Your Venues Are Equipped With Heaters

Though this one is a given, you should still check with your venue partners for an ample supply of heaters for your winter wedding. After all, it's going to be cold, and you don't want any corner to be freezing. Having an all over toasty environment makes a wedding easier to enjoy. So, make sure you have that conversation with the venue!

✅ Back-Up Plans

Trust us, your backups should have backups. Especially during this time. Think about it- what if it rains during your outdoor wedding? Or what if the caterer cannot make it due to some reason? Or maybe something spoils your wedding outfit. Yes, we know it all sounds very morbid. But as the planner of your wedding, you shouldn't take these chances. The anxiety of such situations ever happening is uneasy and unbecoming. Thus, always have a rough backup plan so that you do not have bouts of anxiety before your wedding!

Have anything to add to this checklist? Let us know in the comments!

---