“We are still getting married, but postponing.” Who can relate?
It is never easy having to postpone, or even cancel, your wedding for any reason. We all look forward to big celebrations, however in recent, we have been faced with a sudden an immediate halt to everything around us. Couples postponing, venues shutting doors, and the government advising us to stay home. After this, though, we need to continue to exist. We need to continue on with life and create those same celebrations that we all once enjoyed pre-March 2020.
While the beginning of this blog sounds very familiar to everything else out there in the news and press, at Perfectly Planned 4 You we want to make sure that if you are one of those going through the back and forth of rescheduling your very own wedding day, it is important for us to help you in this process. That said, let’s get right to it and make sure you all know what the steps and procedures are that you need to do to make this a seamless process for everyone.
Postpone, but don’t cancel
First and foremost, talk to your partner about what you should be doing and take into consideration the health and well-being of the two of you, your families and your guests. If any of this seems a little weird and uncertain, it may be best to come up with an alternative. Change your date, and postpone. You shouldn’t cancel. There is no need to do that. Your wedding day is still super important and it needs to be celebrated. Your friends and family members will definitely agree.
Contact your Suppliers
Inform your wedding planner if you have one. You may want to do some things on your own, keep in mind that we are hired for coordination. That means coordination of all things related to the wedding; postponing, communication etc. You are likely not the first one to be doing this so let us help you by making this a super simple and easy transition.
If you do not have a wedding planner, contact your venue first to understand their policies and procedures for what is happening. Remember, this is a national emergency, we’re all in this together, so everyone is understanding. Next is to consider a new date/dates. Keep in mind, LOTS of dates are changing right now so you want to make sure you reach out as soon as possible. Once you have established this, it is time to move on to your other suppliers. If they are all available, great! If not, keep track on a spreadsheet of the conflicting suppliers to see if there is anything that can be done to ensure you are able to keep them. Ask your wedding planner for tips on what to do if not everyone is able to make the switch.
Contracts
It is important to get an agreement in writing from your suppliers with the new date, some may issue you a revised contracts to reflect this. This should be done so that there is documentation of all of the changes. Do not be worried. Be cautious in making sure that is going on within the wedding industry, you are protecting yourself. Another contract to consider updating is your wedding insurance if you have this.
Communication is Key
After all is settled and you have landed on a new date, it is time to inform your guests. Do not forget about them. If you have already sent out your invitations and save the date cards, you will need to follow these up with a wedding postponement card via email/text/paperless post as soon as you know your new date so guests know exactly what is going on and can plan accordingly. This is similar to a save the date, short and to the point. It allows guests the chance to understand what is going, make travel adjustments and inform the necessary accommodation people of the changes.
Don’t forget, keep your wedding website up to date and as current as possible. You may need to extend your subscription so that it does not expire.
After this, you may want to plan to send out another invitation closer to the wedding for rsvp’s. Keep this simple and to the point – probably just one card including the new date and food options available for selection. You need these rsvp’s to be as current as the first round of them. If you have a stationer speak to them for help.
You can find our Covid-19 Wedding Postpone Email Templates here.
Don’t forget
You are likely in the home stretch of everything, so appointments are made and booked. Don’t forget about them. Things such as dress fittings, facials, manicures/pedicures and more have to be rescheduled. Make sure to pick up your dress from your seamstress so that it is in your possession. The honeymoon is likely at a standstill as well so make any necessary adjustments to these travel plans as well.
Take care
Stay hydrated, stay active if you can, sleep as much as you need. Postponing a wedding is awful, and a pandemic is deeply frightening. This is a scary time. Stay safe out there.
If you are feeling very shocked and upset by the turn of events and especially if you begin to feel depressed don’t be afraid to ask for support. Lean on your close friends and family, they will want to help you through this so let them, don’t be too proud.
At the end of the day, you were planning this day as a celebration of two lives coming together as one – we need to make sure that happens still. We also need to make sure that the celebration continues with the people you care most about.
For couples getting married beyond Summer 2020. Don’t let these recent events scare you. Have patience, understanding and most of all, faith. There are still a lot of unknowns in this uncharted territory, and you still have plenty of time before your big day.
You can checkout the rest of our ‘COVID-19 Series’ here:
Don’t Let Covid-19 Stop You Planning
I Am Postponing My Wedding, What Questions Should I Be Asking My Suppliers?
