July 16, 2020
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Im Planning A Pandemic Wedding – These Tips Have Helped So Far
Last week, I took a day off work to buy a wedding dress – for a wedding I’m not sure will even happen. I wore a face mask during the entire appointment because, like brides-to-be around the country, I’m planning a wedding during a pandemic. It’s not a sentence I’d ever imagined typing.
The dress shopping itself was a surprise success, not least thanks to the wonderful shop owner, who diligently explained each dress is cleaned between appointments, before the (spotlessly clean) shop is re-sanitised. I could see her welcoming, smiling eyes behind her mask and visor, as she asked about my plans for the big day. 
And my mum – my one and only permitted guest – ensured the day was fun, cracking jokes to help me laugh at the whole thing, then crying on cue when I found The One. The dress might be sorted, but I still have more questions than answers about other elements of the day.  READ MORE: How To Choose Your Precious 30 Wedding Guests – And Uninvite Everyone Else How do you plan for a wedding when you have no idea what the government restrictions will be in advance?
Receptions are currently banned in England, and only socially distanced ceremonies of 30 people are allowed. We don’t know when that might change, so should you plan for the best case scenario, or get used to the idea of a more intimate affair?  
A lot depends on when your wedding is, of course. If it’s in the next few months and you’re simply adding the final touches, you might have already cut down your guest list. But if you have a 2021 wedding, it can be hard to know what to plan when you don’t know what restrictions will be in place then. 
Unsure what to do myself, I turned to leading industry names for their advice, in the hope it’ll help brides and grooms facing the same conundrums. Should you play the waiting game?  It’s tempting to wait until the last minute to plan the finer details of your wedding day, to see what the Covid-19 situation is nearer the time. But Hamish Shephard, founder of the wedding planning app Bridebook.co.uk, cautions against leaving things too late. 
“If you have a wedding due in the next few months, now is the time to work out how you’re going to adapt to the current situation,” he says. 
A popular option for couples having 2020 weddings is to go ahead with an intimate ceremony this year, but postpone the main party until 2021, he adds. If you choose this option, be aware that a big 2021 party isn’t guaranteed – it’ll all depend on a potential second wave, or the roll-out of a coronavirus vaccine. 
If your wedding or reception is planned for 2021 anyway, Shephard recommends beginning your planning now to avoid disappointment. 
“We’re seeing more people than ever getting engaged and 2021 looks set to be a bumper year for weddings,” he says. “We estimate a whopping 400,000 weddings and celebrations will take place next year, so it’s time to book in those suppliers before your ideal date gets filled up.”READ MORE: I Should Be Getting Married Today. But I’m Glad It’s Been Postponed What should you consider before booking a supplier?  Whether you’re chatting to a florist, entertainer, caterer or hairdresser, be sure to check their cancellation policies before booking, says Shephard. 
“Check the contracts carefully to ensure you have something that suits your needs,” he says. “Some [suppliers] will cover if certain guests can’t make it, while others may be less flexible.”
If you’re going ahead with a scaled-down event, remember that suppliers who need to stay on site will count towards your head count, adds Jennifer Claire Constant, founder of The Celebrant Directory. 
You’ll also want to get wedding insurance if you didn’t do this at the time of booking your venue. “There are a lot of different types of wedding insurance, so each couple will need to check their policy details to see precisely what is covered by theirs,” Shephard says. Make sure you’re covered, should the event not be able to go ahead exactly as you’d planned. Is it time to uninvite some guests? If it looks likely that you’ll need to postpone your wedding or brutally cull your guest list to 30 people, it’s best to let guests know as soon as possible, as some may be booking time off work or hotels for your wedding. 
When choosing your shortlist, Constant recommends casting family politics aside. “Close your eyes and imagine who’s a big part of your life and, if they weren’t there on your wedding day, would be a really upsetting thing for you,” she says. “Also think about people who make you feel happy and have always been there and supported you.”
Try to have the conversation in person or at least via a video or phone call, she advises, as a text feels less personable and is more likely to cause upset.
If your wedding is next year and you don’t yet know how many people you’ll be able to invite, tell your invited guests that if you need to cut the list down, you’ll let them know nearer the time. We’re in the grips of a pandemic, they’re bound to understand. 
And remember, it’s likely that everyone will need to be happy to share their contact details with your venue, for track and trace purposes. “Be prepared to assist with the collection of this information,” advises Kelly Sinnott, owner of the private wedding venue Baddow Park House. “There are a few apps out there that are starting to offer this service whilst adhering to GDPR rulings.”Related... How To Choose Your Precious 30 Wedding Guests – And Uninvite Everyone Else Should you move the whole thing outside? Emma Hla, founder of venue directory Coco Wedding Venues, says the site has seen a 9,000% increase in couples searching for a ‘garden’ wedding venue during the pandemic. 
Something to remember, though, is that mass gatherings are still banned – whether they’re inside or outdoors – so while the fresh air might make everyone feel more comfortable, it won’t necessarily fix the problem. For now, you’ll still have to keep things small. 
“When planning an outdoor ceremony or wedding, it’s important to have the good ol’ British weather in mind,” adds Hla. “Ensure your chosen venue has a suitable plan B option that you’d be equally happy to use.”
Some venues may have a marquee in place you can use, but if you’re looking at hiring a marquee yourself, there’s a lot to consider – from power sources to nearby port-a-loos. Again, all these elements require people to set up and manage – which will eat into your head count. 
Depending on where your venue is in the UK and its licensing, you also may not be able to get legally married outdoors, so do check this first.  What should you do about food?The traditional wedding breakfast is banned right now, even for 30 guests. So if you’re getting married in the next few months, you’re best bet is to plan your post-ceremony bash with food later down the line. 
Hla says the bar-restaurant venue style category has seen a +151% increase on her site, indicating a more-relaxed, cost-friendly post-ceremony celebration. But current rules state you can only mix with two households indoors. 
“A private dining room is a wonderfully intimate option post-ceremony – once the party element of a wedding is allowed,” adds Hla. If your wedding is next year and this sounds up your street, research relaxed dining venue options nearby, should the distancing rules be relaxed.
It’s hard to know what the future of food may look like at weddings, but experts say an option could be to have covered boxed meals, bento-style – designed to match your wedding decor. As ever, discuss with any potential caterer what their cancellation policy is before going ahead.  
Oh, and it goes without saying that buffets won’t be making a comeback any time soon. Is live music a no-go?Under the current rules, singing, chanting and shouting are banned at weddings, as are instruments “that are blown into”. Will you want to go ahead with a band if it’s instrumental? Or is a DJ (or Spotify) a better option? 
Organs and pianos are allowed (as long as they are thoroughly cleaned afterwards), so that might be the answer if you’re longing for some live music as you walk down the aisle. Again, check cancellation and postponement policies before paying any deposits and remember this will eat into your head count. 
“You can still create the romance through your favourite songs digitally,”  reassures Constant. “Walking down the aisle to a song that is special to both of you can have the same effect.”If all else fails...Planning for two dates might be the safest option, says Sinnott. 
“Approach your venue and suppliers to see whether you can work towards your date but have a ‘plan B’ date allocated to fall back on,” she says. “This may help to alleviate some of the stress and the unknown if you know you already have an alternative date saved if things cannot go ahead as you had wished.”READ MORE: How Weddings Are Predicted To Look In A Socially-Distanced World I Worried About Having My Wedding On Zoom, But It Was Incredible Newlyweds Do 'First Look' In The Middle Of Black Lives Matter Protest
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How much would former President Donald Trump's proposed 10 percent tariff plan actually cost the average American household?The wave of tariffs Trump enacted when he was last president caused chaos, but there are many complexities that muddy this somewhat. However, MSNBC's Chris Hayes took an educated and simple guess at just how badly the country would be hit in the pocketbook under Trump's second-term plans."We don't know exactly how much everything would cost," said Hayes, but "just add 10 percent on the back of the napkin. Here's the cost of living under the Trump Tax."ALSO READ: ‘Don't have enough’: Wealthy Trump allies balk at helping Donald pay legal bills"Start with groceries," he said. "A dozen eggs cost about $3. Once you apply the Trump Tax, that is up to $3.30, with the U.S. importing over 4 million eggs a year, but cost consumers over $1.2 million. If you like oranges, they currently go for about $1.53 per pound. With the Trump Tax, that would be $1.68 per pound, which would cost American consumers almost $71 million for the nearly half a billion pounds of the import. Bananas. We don't really grow them in the U.S., do we? They average about $.63 per pound and going up to $.69 per pound with the Trump Tax, thanks to the U.S. importing more than 10 million pounds per year, that could cost Americans at $609 million and that's a $609 million tax on American consumers. Then there's tomatoes. They go for about $2.13 per pound. Apply the 10 percent Trump Tax. They would be $2.34 per pound, potentially costing Americans $3.5 million thanks to the 6.8 million pounds we import per year. If you are spending $1,200 on groceries, add another $120 to the bill. That's more than the peak of inflation in 2022, which topped off at 9 percent. This is 10 percent."Groceries are just the start, he continued."How about the refrigerator?" said Hayes. "You need to keep the groceries fresh. The average cost of a new fridge is about $1,300. With the Trump Tax, that could go up to $1,430, costing Americans $1.95 billion for the 15 million refrigerators that we import. Again, $1.95 billion of new taxes. What about the car that you need to drive to the grocery store? On average, a new car costs about $48,808 today. With Trump Tax, it costs $53,684, with Americans potentially taking a $66.3 billion hit across the board on the 13 million cars we import. That's not including the 50 percent tariff which would make it another $25,000. Even the smartphone in your pocket cost on average about $940 right now. With Trump Tax, it can go up to $1,034, with Americans potentially paying an extra $13.2 billion for the nearly 141 million smartphones that we import per year.""Everyone hates when you have to pay more for things," he added. "Inflation is one of the biggest liabilities for a sitting president. Yet here is Donald Trump, in the Year of our Lord 2024, running against President Biden, promising to make things more expensive for every American."Watch the video below or click here. Chris Hayes breaks down "Trump Tax" www.youtube.com
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'Some prosecutor should be looking into' Trump's latest legal defense scam: expert
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Former President Donald Trump's sprawling network of ostensibly independent political groups raising money for him, much of it in service of paying legal expenses, seems to walk right up to the line of breaking the law, former prosecutor Kristy Greenberg told MSNBC's Alex Wagner — and may in fact cross it."Kristy, how is this legal?" asked Wagner. "How can he keep saying this one thing and doing another?""Well, I think the big question here will be looking behind all of this as to who is coordinating it," said Greenberg. "If Donald Trump is coordinating between his campaign and these PACs that are supposed to be third parties and independent — the Save America PAC is independent, even though he directs it, independent third-party — if there is sufficient coordination, you could prove that, then maybe you would have something to say these expenditures are not purely personal, these are really campaign contributions. And therefore they should be subject to the limits of $5,000 that campaign contributions are subject to."ALSO READ: ‘Don't have enough’: Wealthy Trump allies balk at helping Donald pay legal billsWhat it looks like, Greenberg went on, is that Trump and his allies are "just trying to do an end-run around these various regulations, and it seems so transparent.""[Special counsel] Jack Smith ... had served some subpoenas in connection with that nonexistent, as it turns out, election defense fund," Greenberg said. "He served some subpoenas and then he withdrew them and it was unclear why, because that seemed like such a clear-cut fraud. I questioned why that happened. Perhaps it was optics. Perhaps he thought like he had such strong cases, the January 6 case and the national security case, that he didn't want to seem as though he was trying to drain Trump of the ability to legally defend against those cases. Hard to say. But I questioned it at that time because that seemed like such a clear wire fraud case that it seemed like it should be looked into, but maybe they just had limited resources and didn't like the optics of it.""But I agree with you, this raises a lot of questions," she added. "Someone, somewhere, even if not the special counsel's office, because they are pretty busy — some prosecutors should be looking into this."Watch the video below or at the link. Kristy Greenberg on the legality of Trump's PACs www.youtube.com
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