2021 and Covid: Which Month Is Good for an Islamic Wedding? Advice from Araya

Covid is back again in ’21 — which month is good for a wedding, postpone or push through?

With the new wave of Covid in 2021, which month is a good time to hold a wedding? Let’s hear the recommendations for planning an Islamic wedding in this situation from the Wedding Consult team at ArayaweddingPlanner.com.

Our team has divided this year’s wedding planning into 5 phases.

Phase 1: January – February — concerning, but the government’s stance is fairly consistent
Even though this is during the second wave of Covid, the government’s announcements have been fairly steady, so the overall situation is unlikely to change much from now, making coordination with other teams fairly reliable and easier to plan. Couples who originally planned to marry this month and can reduce the guest count to under 100 are advised to go ahead without postponing. But if you have 200+ guests, you may need to postpone and look at Phase 2 or Phase 3 as additional options.

Phase 2: March – mid-April — if things improve, weddings will definitely get chaotic
Even though the situation may not be that different from now, this month is jointly assessed as the period when confidence is likely to improve and people return more to normal life, thanks to news of vaccines coming in or a better understanding of how the outbreak spreads. For couples marrying this month who have already booked their date, past statistics show most have not had to postpone. However, for those planning this month who haven’t yet booked their vendors, if the situation improves, our consulting team predicts it will get chaotic, because everyone — both newly planning couples and those postponed from last year — will be competing for space to finish their wedding before the fasting month begins, and many venues and vendors may already be fully booked. So if you want to hold your wedding before the fasting month and are eyeing March-April, book early. If you’re unsure whether you’ll need to postpone, talk to your vendors about their postponement policy — ArayaweddingPlanner does support this.

Phase 3: late May – early August — not traditionally popular, but may be the best option
This is a loosely interesting option. Our team assesses that the situation will settle and improve compared to April, while there’s still plenty of time to book venues and vendors, and it’s a period when people aren’t focusing on weddings as much, allowing full choice of vendors and venues. Following this phase, our team believes that for new couples currently planning their wedding this year, this period may be the best in terms of both outbreak likelihood and availability of wedding resources. That said, being early has an advantage — if bookings run late, couples who missed Phase 2 will look at this period instead, and competition for booking may occur.

Phase 4: August – October — another interesting option, rain beats Covid
This is the next-best period after Phase 3, but because it’s the rainy season, weddings during this time haven’t traditionally been popular. However, given the situation in Phase 5, this option may become the 2nd or 3rd best choice, especially for new couples. Choosing this month, you should look toward venues such as restaurant function rooms or banquet halls.

Phase 5: November – January ’22 — traditionally the most popular, but nothing is certain
Since Covid and cold weather tend to go hand in hand, and if vaccine rollout is still incomplete, there’s still a chance that Covid outbreaks and dust pollution could return again. For both new couples and couples who postponed their wedding, our consulting team recommends avoiding a wedding in this month is best.

This is just an initial guideline for planning your event. Covid is like an obstacle and a test at the start of married life. Even if the wedding changes or gets postponed, the love and goodness you have for each other doesn’t have to change. Plan carefully so that Covid doesn’t affect the good relationship between you two. For couples who suddenly want to marry this year but don’t know where to start, feel free to ask our team — we’re very happy to help.

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