Planning a 2025 Wedding

Let’s be honest. The world is burning. The world is not safe for so many people. And, celebrating joy and love is natural and necessary. Wedding planning has always evolved; however, since 2020 wedding planning has become more complicated in the US due to oppression, climate change, and politics. Below is a growing list of ways you can plan your wedding intentionally in context. Take what is helpful and leave the rest.

Dearest Photo

• Book local vendors whose values you support (BIPOC, queer, women, sustainable, etc)

• Communicate via your wedding website to keep guests up to date on any local activity (like protests) that may affect traffic and accommodations.

• Have a back up plan. Ask your officiant if they are willing to sign your marriage license now or later depending on legal threats to your ability to marry.

• Celebrate love and community. During the pandemic I heard speeches that acknowledged the fear/grief/suffering and celebrated the resilience/joy. Some choose to focus on celebrating and others choose to name reality.

• Premarital counseling / couples therapy / individual therapy. Seriously. How you navigate these moments as a partnership is informed by what came before and it will impact how you connect in the future.

• Consider moving / scaling / canceling / eloping. It’s not fun, it is often expensive, and sometimes it is the best option.

• Ask your vendors about their market rate clauses and how they think tariffs might affect their pricing, product, and services.

• Acknowledge the assumptions and power dynamics related to marriage, finances, name changes, and more.