By Lizzie Momebllo, SPW March 24, 2026

In the midst of an unprecedented and chaotic airline travel moment, we’ve compiled a few recommendations for navigating these disruptions—including ways to adapt, how to communicate changes, and taking care of yourselves and your guests. Scroll to find our recommendations for centering your plans and experience through this stressful shutdown.

Check the Details

Be sure to check departure and arrival airport and airline details in advance of your travel. With different disruptions popping up each week, it’s worth keeping an eye on airline webpages, checking early and often for any changes. You could also delegate this task to a member of your wedding party, so they can monitor the websites, and you can cultivate excitement for your wedding travel—even if changes occur. Lastly, If you haven’t already booked travel, you can look into refundable or creditable ticket options that offer flexibility if you need to change your travel plans, or travel insurance that can support in the event of further changes.

Communicate with your Guests

Your guests are also likely considering their travel plans! While it’s not your responsibility to be their travel agent, you can utilize your wedding website to communicate any known changes that may impact travel to your location. Update your wedding website to include a tab specific to travel, or include a clear statement on a primary page that provides any updates or recommendations. As your wedding planner, SPW can share a memo via Aisle Planner to out-of-town guests, which reduces the messages you need to send, and ensures all travelers receive the same information.

Make Note of ICE

Most recently, ICE agents have been sent to 14 airports across the US, abusing the long wait times to disturb travelers and further aggravating the situation. These agents are not related to TSA and often misrepresent their intentions. Understand your rights and protections and open the dialogue with your guests as needed to keep everyone safe. Check ICIRR to stay up to date in Illinois.

Ask About Backups

Communicate with your planner and vendors about guest count! Losing your guests to travel changes can be disappointing, but keeping your vendors updated about any changes can ensure a smoother day for everyone. Ask your vendors for deadlines related to guest count changes, as you may be able to submit a more accurate number should any travel issues occur. You can request flexibility on decreasing the guest count, which may decrease costs for some aspects of the day. Your planner can be an advocate for flexibility, and with an organized plan and timeline, guest adjustments can be accommodated where contractually possible.

Add a livestream!

While a throwback to the 2020 COVID-wedding style may not be what you had in mind, you can incorporate the wedding livestream option into your existing plans. This is different from a videographer, and booking a livestream vendor ensures that the guests who couldn’t travel are still able to join the celebration. There are a few vendors offering this specific service in Chicago, including Chicago Sound & Backline, Leap Weddings, and MDM Entertainment, with a typical investment beginning around $1,200. These vendors offer professional AV equipment and an operator, and you can build a package to include additional camera angles, downloadable livestream deliverable, or even pre-shot videos to be incorporated in the livestream. Lastly, as part of your vendor team, they could collaborate with your venue to ensure they have a great camera location and angle to maximize viewing for your remote guests.

Avoid Shipping Delays

This shutdown impacts more than just travelers moving through airports—it’s impacting goods too. Items purchased for your wedding and their delivery timelines can’t be guaranteed, and you don’t want to be stuck hoping for the unique guest gifts that never arrive. Your best option right now might be shopping locally! Review your neighborhood’s chamber of commerce website to find a shop or service you maybe didn’t know about. Or stop into your neighborhood gift shop, and ask if they offer customization or bespoke services. Depending on your shopping needs, some of our favorite shops include Foursided, Merz Apothecary, Paperish Mess, Humboldt House, The Silverroom, and Gucha Gucha for designed, branded items.

Consider Wedding Insurance

While wedding insurance providers such as Wedsure and Wedsafe do not provide coverage specific to travel changes, they do offer coverage for wedding cancelations and postponement protections. If you’re worried that travel issues might create too great an obstacle for your set date and plans, you might consider coverage that helps mitigate the cost of your event.

Lastly, know that you’ve accomplished as much planning and preparation as you can, and at the end of the day, you should focus on yourselves and your day. Offer grace to yourselves and your guests in the face of this stressful issue, and remember that at the heart of this celebration is your commitment to each other. Please reach out if you're seeking further guidance in navigating wedding travel, timelines, or other plans.

Something Profound Weddings, a full-service wedding planning company based in Chicago that creates personalized and meaningful celebrations for couples. With over a three decades of combined experience, SPW has a passion for bringing each couple's unique love story to life, ensuring every detail reflects their vision. They believe that a wedding should be more than just an event—it should be a profound and joyful start to a lifetime of love. Inquire for wedding planning, coordination, or officiating support for your profound moments.