The world that we are living in today is almost entirely different to that of two years ago. During that time, weddings and celebrations have adapted and evolved to suit, although not without challenges. We thought it was time to sit down with some of the experts in our industry to get their perspectives and a few pieces of advice for couples currently planning their weddings. This week we have our very own editor and founder, Greta Kenyon.
Brand bio: Tell us a little about your brand for those who may not yet know much about you:
Together Journal is a modern, niche wedding magazine and digital platform if you have just tuned in. We have a wonderful community of contributors and couples from all over the world. We are not mainstream; we don’t want to be everything to everyone. We are non-traditional, and we target creative modern couples and brands.
Who / what inspires you?
Every day I work with creative brands and talented people who span fashion, jewellery, florals, styling, photography, graphic design, beauty, entertainment and more. Seeing what they do and telling their stories is a well of endless inspiration.
Outside of Together Journal I am inspired by mid-century modern interior design and architecture. I love colour and graphic design, especially modernist graphic design. And I love fashion! Clothing, shoes and accessories with a nod to the seventies in particular.
What is your number one piece of advice for couples in this climate when booking and planning their wedding:
You need to be ready to adapt.
At the moment, if you are a couple due to marry in the next 6 to 12 months in New Zealand or Australia, there is a chance that your wedding plans could be affected. Be prepared for that, have a plan B (maybe even a C). Try not to let it get you down too much. Remember that the most important thing is that you are already with the person you love, the way you celebrate may alter, but you can and will get married. Look at it as an opportunity to do something new and different.
Advice for wedding businesses?
I understand you may have your hands tied and that it is a really hard time. But ask yourselves; can you still thrive in some areas? What could you be doing on social media to engage or help your community? What can you plan and develop for the future? This is life now; it’s up to us to be dynamic and rise to the challenge. In some cases, it might even be a chance to get ahead and to do some of your best work? Be creative, be tenacious. Treat COVID like a game or a competition; how will you win?
How are you handling COVID affected couples and clients within your own business?
We are on hand to offer advice; drop us an email or DM us on socials. Our content offers comfort and inspiration. A year ago, it was mainly the Northern Hemisphere struggling with lockdowns and mass postponements of weddings. Now we are seeing them come out of it, and the weddings we are seeing are some of the best I have ever seen, very suited to our audience and full of hope. For those in lockdown now in Australasia, the content they see via Together Journal gives them hope and lets them know that their time will come.
We also have some wonderful planning products like the Wedding Planner we created in collaboration with An Organised Life to help people keep the planning process going. And we have an inspiring new planning and wedding tool due to be released on October 1st, which will help all wedding couples with planning.
Thoughts on the future and how weddings and your business may change or evolve?
Weddings have already changed. Everything has been stripped back, and couples are choosing new and unique ways to marry, less traditional attire and styling. Restriction has been the catalyst for change in most cases, but the weddings often end up being far more beautiful than the couple could have ever imagined. And many I have spoken with would not go back and change to the original plan if given the chance.
People will always get married, but how they do it and plan will evolve. Software and leveraging digital platforms are areas we are pushing into more and more. But we still have a love of the tangible too, there will always be a magazine as well as a small collection of other key products.
What do you do personally to cope with the stress of COVID and Lockdown? Any rituals or actions that help get you through?
Mindset: Part of me has surrendered and another part has become stronger than ever. I can’t change what is happening; it’s a global pandemic. This is a huge life-altering event for the entire world. But how I choose to frame the change in my own mind and react to it, is my choice to make. There are still many great opportunities.
Routine: Having some kind of routine works for me and focusing on the positive things within my world. Spending more time with my children and husband, cooking, running, yoga, calling friends. I’m using this time to refresh and recharge; the past six years with launching and running Together Journal while being a mum to three kids has been wonderful but exhausting. This extra time allows me to sit back, plan new things, and assess my business and purpose.
Perspective: I am very aware that my personal circumstances are not nearly as bad as so many others who have been in lockdown for far longer or those who are struggling with losing loved ones or having family stranded overseas. My problems are trivial compared to this.
