To those of you navigating wedding planning during the COVID-19 pandemic, we want you to know that we see you, and we are here for you. During this time, the wedding industry has been hit very hard for both vendors and couples, and we are aware that so many of you are facing tough decisions regarding your upcoming wedding plans.
We are truly sorry that you are going through this and are here to do our part to help you through the journey to the best of our ability. Today, we are walking you through the 5 steps to take when postponing or re-working wedding plans during this pandemic and providing you with as many resources as we can to support you all the way through.
1. Breathe
Take a deep breath and find a calm center. As disappointing and frustrating as lost plans, hopes, and potentially lost finances may be; we want to remind you of the most important thing in all of this: that you are going to marry the love of your life, regardless. As much fun as the surrounding details may be, that's truly all everything else is, just details supporting that main essential event. While plans may need to be re-worked, remember the most important thing in all of this is the fact that you are making promises to each other, and at the end of the day, will be a married couple!
2. Pick Your Plan as a Couple
Ultimately, you as a couple have to decide what's best for you, but there are a few options we believe you can take regarding your wedding plans:
- Keep planning, and wait it out
It may be wise to create a plan B for your wedding festivities, but don't give up too soon. In 3-4 weeks, we could be looking at mandatory gathering restrictions being released, and ultimately vendors and guests alike will be understanding of holding out and waiting to see if you change your wedding plan approach. You have the option to keep planning and continue to keep your vendors in the loop - maybe even creating a buffer period with vendors for you to make your final decision if your wedding is still a little way out.
- Try to move your wedding date
Postponing your wedding date may be an option to pursue if needed or desired. Keep in mind that if you still want to get married in 2020, availability will become more limited the further out into the year you wait. We will get into the hows of going about postponing further down!
- Continue with a new, creative celebration
We have seen some couples keep their wedding date and celebrate in a smaller way with only a few immediate family members surrounding them. Some are celebrating with an intimate ceremony now while planning a larger reception, gathering friends and family at a later date. Lately, couples have adopted unique ways to celebrate their special days, such as video-calling loved ones so that they're able to witness their ceremony via technology, along with many other creative methods.
Whether you decide to move your wedding date entirely, move pieces of it, or celebrate differently altogether, talk and decide as a couple what is best and explore your options.
3. Contact Biggest Vendors First
If you decide that moving your wedding date is preferred, start by contacting your biggest vendors first. What we mean by that is vendors who are solely committed to your wedding day, such as your venue, photographer, caterer, or DJ. Other vendors like florists, bakers, attire, etc. should be more flexible to work with on dates, as they most likely can accommodate multiple weddings in one day. Start with your biggest vendors, and see if a day can be found that works for you and, hopefully, the majority of them. Once a new date has been set, be sure to update all vendors at this point. The key here is to postpone, not cancel, to hopefully avoid losing out on any deposits you may have put down, helping both you and your vendor as well.
4. Need a New Vendor?
Your new date or new plans may not work for all of your vendors. If you come to the point where a new vendor needs to be found, try referring back to the initial ones at the top of your list when you were first searching for a specific service, and reach out to them next! The team at Wedding Planner & Guide is here to help if you need connections with local vendors due to any problems with rescheduling. You can check out our Vendor Page on our website, or, if you need us to do a mass email to a particular category to speed up the process of filling in a specific need for a certain date, email our WPG Manager, Dana, at [email protected], and she will be happy to help you in any way she can to connect you with a new vendor!
5. Inform Your Guests
Once your vendors are confirmed, most of the stress should, hopefully, be alleviated for you. The next step would be informing your guests of the date change if save the dates or invites have already been sent out. Change the Date cards or magnets have become popular options for couples in this situation. If you're in need of a stationer to help you achieve this, you can visit our stationery vendors here.
Wedding Planner & Guide is here for you during this difficult time and in all your seasons of wedding planning.
