If you are considering how to postpone your wedding or have your wedding plans interrupted as a result of the pandemic, my heart truly goes out to you. I know it wouldn’t have been an easy decision to consider, but hang in there, the sun, will shine again and you will be walking down the aisle in no time at your beautiful wedding. (See my thoughts on living through the pandemic and making the most of the times we find ourselves in)
Following the outbreak of the pandemic and all the restrictions imposed on us (for our good, might I add) and having recovered from the shock of having to even consider postponement let alone doing it, here are key things to do set the wheels in motion to postpone your wedding.
- Decide on a new date – have a few options in case your venue can’t make the first option
- Check with your venue that they have availability on the dates you have chosen.
- Check with your suppliers that they are available on the dates you have from the venue – my advice is to limit it to 2 dates so its easier for them to make a decision and easier for you to manage.
- You may have to do a few back and forth between the venue and suppliers to find the best date fit for all especially if they are not available on your initial dates. My personal preference would be to try and be as accommodating and understanding as you possibly can with your wedding suppliers, this has affected both you and them.
- Go with the best date fit for everyone as you postpone your wedding. Where you have a conflict or one of your suppliers is not available on the date you have chosen, then it’s time to discuss your options as they might have assistants or other colleagues who could stand in for them, whose work ethos they trust and can deliver the same level of service. Refunds and insurance claims should be discussed as the absolute last resort, in my view.
- Since autumn and 2021 dates are in high demand at the moment, be sure to act fast and lock down your date with the venue once you have consensus with your suppliers.
- Send out a postponement notice and a new save the date notice to your guests. There are lots of new designs by talented designers available online that you could customise for your needs.
- As you are on lockdown and have some time, it’s a good time to research insurance companies for your postponed nuptials (especially if you didn’t have one initially – it’s never advisable to not have insurance but it’s something that can get overlooked in all the excitement of wedding planning so now is a good time to fix it!)
- Now, that you have rebooked your wedding venue and suppliers, it’s time to start planning the final details of your big day. If there are outstanding suppliers that you haven’t secured, now would be a good time to research and book them.
- A brief heads up, wedding suppliers are getting booked up now in anticipation for when we are out of lockdown and back to ‘normal’ life so do get your bids in with them, early!
Your wedding planner should work with you on all the above points so be sure to keep the communication lines open. If you need help to navigate the uncharted waters of postponing your wedding then contact me, I’d love to help.
All the best
Cynthia x
Images by Benedetto Photos
