Blog
April 14, 2020
Let me start by saying this… reschedule don’t cancel.
The fact that this blog post even needs to be written completely saddens me. With all of the craziness going on with the COVID-19 pandemic that’s quickly sweeping the globe, it sadly means that many couples are being forced to reschedule their wedding day.
Though this is, undoubtably, a difficult decision to make, and thought of re-planning the celebration you’ve already worked so hard on for months (& sometimes even years!!) can feel overwhelming, you will get through it. Instead of panicking, it’s time to plan.
But where do you start? Now that can be scary too! Your first question is most likely… where do I even begin?! So here are some tips to help you start this new journey of rescheduling your wedding day.
01. ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE UPSET
The day your guy got on one knee & asked you to be his forever was likely the best day of your life. A day you’d always dreamt of & from that very moment, you started planning for the other day you’ve always dreamt of… your wedding day! The first step… picking a date! Once you two decided on the perfect date to say “I do,” you immediately started planning and everything revolved around that day. So now that the world has gone crazy and the government has put limits of social gatherings, you’re realizing that you have to change your wedding date. But it’s okay to be upset, changing plans is totally overwhelming, scary & honestly, annoying! Give yourself time to grieve before jumping right back in & don’t let anyone tell you that’s not ok!
02. FREEZE ANY CUSTOM ORDERS
It’s likely that you’ve placed some custom orders with your wedding date on them. Whether it’s invitations, napkins, cups, signs, artwork, etc. First thing you should do, to save you money & time, is to freeze any of those custom orders.
This also includes your flowers. Make sure you give your florist a call & let them know you’re rescheduling so that they know to hold off on ordering your fresh flowers that you won’t be using.
03. CONTACT YOUR VENUE
The next thing you’ll want to do is contact your venue(s) to find out which future dates they have available. It’s really important to stay flexible and be open to picking a Friday, Sunday and/or an off-peak month. Because this situation is growing bigger & bigger, many people are going through this with you which means picking a new date with your venue can be very competitive, even in off-season. So be open to all your options and choose wisely!
Tip: If you’re planning a destination wedding, you may not want to choose a new date right away. Instead, wait until you have more information about how international travel may be affected over the next few months, then go from there!
04. BE OPEN TO UNEXPECTED CHANGES
At this point, you’re probably realizing that your wedding day (although it’ll be beautiful) will be different that your original plans! If your wedding was planned at two different venues (one for the ceremony, one for the reception), finding a new date with both of those venues might not be possible. Consider your options! Maybe you need to hold the ceremony & reception on different days or consider holding both of them at the same location instead. Be flexible and find what works for you!
05. PRIORITIZE YOUR VENDORS
It’s important to let your vendors know that you’re working on rescheduling your wedding. Once you choose a new day (or narrow it down to a few options), let them know! A good starting place is your photographer. Chances are, especially if you’ve done an engagement session with them, you likely have a relationship with them already so losing them shouldn’t be an option (unless it has to be). Reach out to confirm their availability! Then follow up with the rest of your vendors from there, lucky for you, most of them are being really kind & flexible throughout all of this so they should work hard with you to make it work.
If there is any vendor that you absolutely cannot imagine your wedding without, contact them early & let them be involved in this process. You don’t want to regret anything in the long run.
06. GET IT IN WRITING
Once you confirm the new date with your vendors, get it in writing. Ask for a corrected contract or at least a confirmation in email. You want to make sure everyone is on the same page with the reschedule!
07. TELL YOUR GUESTS
Likely, one of the biggest reasons you’re choosing to reschedule your wedding is because you want to have guests there to celebrate with you. So don’t forget about them!
The best thing to do is send a quick email to friends and family to keep them in the loop. Or, if you do have a new date officially confirmed, you can send postponement announcements in the mail. Doing this allows guests ample time to cancel travel plans and reservations.
08. DELAY WEDDING DRESS ALTERATIONS
If your wedding dress is with your seamstress, make sure to let them know that you have chosen to move your wedding date and will be postponing your alterations. Once you have a new date, get back on schedule with your alterations. Make sure to try it back on at about eight weeks out and schedule appointments as needed.
09. DON’T FORGET PAYMENTS
Postponing your wedding generally means putting off the official due date for your final payments, but I encourage you to pay whatever you can according to your original payment schedule; it’s in your best interest to help your vendors stay afloat. The truth is, along with most of the world, wedding vendors are having a very difficult time throughout this pandemic, and you should do what you can to ensure everyone stays in business so that you actually have vendors to rely on when this passes.
10. ENJOY YOUR DAY WHEN IT DOES COME
After all of this, I encourage you to ENJOY IT! Although your wedding day is later than you imagined & it may not go completely according to your original plan, it’s still your wedding day! Take it all in & live it up! You are finally marrying the love of your life & that’s really all that matters!
