Update from West Coast Weddings & Events about Weddings During COVID-19

A Message from Suzanne to my Valued Clients

June 04, 2020

During these past few months, I have been working with my lovely couples with a heavy heart during what has been going on in our world. Many of you have been dreaming of your wedding for years and have finally chosen a town, a beach, the date, your planner to help bring your beautiful celebration to life- and I am honoured you have chosen me!!

Since day one of creating my own wedding planning business I have said “that I can fix anything but the weather”. Unimaginably, I now have a Pandemic that has been thrown into our way of life, dreams, new reality; an umbrella can’t quite weather this storm!

Sadly, I have had to say goodbye to more than a few of you as we can no longer safely host the wedding of your dreams in this current climate. Some of your families live out of province or even country and due to COVID-19, international and provincial rules do not allow them to come to BC – thus leaving couples either postponing or drastically shrinking their guest list.

The Current Situation in Tofino & Ucluelet

Here is a brief summary of how weddings in Tofino & Ucluelet are looking over the next few months under the shadow of COVID-19:

I am currently booking smaller Elopement Weddings of twelve guests and under for new BC clients for the remainder of 2020.
I am working with current clients to reschedule those with a larger family & friends style West Coast Wedding to reschedule to 2021, or to reduce their group count allowing them to say “I Do” in either Tofino or Ucluelet in 2020.
For 2021, I am confirming bookings for up to 40 guests.
- All vendors need to be included in the 50 number that Dr. Bonnie Henry has implemented for social gatherings
The situation is extremely fluid so I am working with my couples on the understanding that this might have to change depending on how the next few months go in BC.
Each individual resort & venue has a range of different protocols and codes of conduct for their guests to follow which are also likely to change at short notice, and which could have implications for wedding plans.

Recommendations to Help You Decide

With this being a very fragile situation, I have tried my best to compile resources and recommendations to help you to come to the right decision for you and your guests.

Guidelines and protocols are continuously evolving so please check the links to the website resources below – I can hardly keep on top of it all, so I am sure it all seems overwhelming to you too!

According to BC’s Vital Statistics Agency, who oversees the legal proceedings of marriage in British Columbia, while restrictions on gatherings are in place, couples wishing to proceed with a legal marriage ceremony may do so keeping within the BC Guidelines.
There is a provincial order in BC which prohibits gatherings in excess of 50 people.
Restaurants are starting to reopen under the very strict regulations laid out by Worksafe BC. They can only have table of maximum of 6 and each table has to be 6’ apart- with no more than 50% occupancy. They can offer take-out, so if some of you are with your families this is a great option!

I realize this is an emotional rollercoaster for you and I want you to know that I am only a phone call or email away if you would rather chat with me about your dreams and how they may look now here on our beautiful West Coast.