If you've decided you want to postpone your wedding, then you probably have many emotions going through your head. This is because you'll have to do a lot, including telling everyone from guests to vendors that you will postpone your wedding. For starters, you have to take a deep breath and stay positive.
Remember, it doesn't matter when your wedding takes place. Your wedding will still be a celebration of the love you share with your partner. With that said, we'll help you through the process of learning how to go about postponing your wedding.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on plans for many couples. If you find yourself affected by the crisis, then you'll want to keep a few tips in mind, as they will help make it easier for you to change your wedding date. Sure, these are stressful times, but the below guide contains info you'll want to take into consideration.
Tips & Advice
Contact your vendors, as some of them might rollover your deposit, but you might have to pay a fee for changing the date. Paying the fee is better than losing all of the money you currently invested into your wedding. Your wedding is a big day, so don't throwaway the chance to celebrate due to changing the date.
Postponing your wedding will be easier if you have a wedding planner, as they can contact the vendors and take care of organizing everything. If you have not hired a wedding planner, then don't worry because there are several things you can do. Here are a few tips to take into consideration when it comes to rescheduling your wedding:
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Insurance
One of the things you should do is check your insurance. Wedding insurance might give you an option in regards to postponing. Check the terms and co conditions of your insurance, as well as any contracts you have with vendor contracts and venues. There might be a safety net you can take advantage of.
Some insurance policies allow you to cancel or postpone weddings due to various factors. This may include injury, severe weather or illness to name a few. However, it really depends on your policy, so definitely check it.
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Contact Vendors
Reach out to vendors after you have checked the specifics of your policy and contracts. Make a checklist of your vendors, and then contact them all. Your list might include the band, DJ, venue, catering, rental services, photographer and your florist to name a few.
You can write down other important info such as how much you have paid towards everything and write down any details you think your vendors will ask you. This might include a reference or confirmation number and things of that nature. It might be worth sending over an email to vendors and telling them about your situation.
The key is to not stress out if you don't receive an answer to your emails or calls. Simply go through your checklist and contact everyone, and if necessary, then contact them again. Remember, the COVID-19 crisis has disrupted many businesses, therefore your vendors might be busier than usual. Also, some vendors could be reached via social media, so check to see if your vendors have social media accounts you can contact them on.
The goal when contacting vendors is to either request a refund if you can't reschedule or to successfully reschedule your wedding. Tell the vendors you want to change the date of your wedding, and if they are able to, they'll tell you they can do the date. If that's the case, they might just charge you a small fee for the change.
Vendors are running companies. This means they are busy on most days, but the pandemic has probably made them much more busy than they normally are, especially when it comes to postponements and cancellations. Just be patient, calm and professional at all times.
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Prioritize Your Vendors & New Date
You'll have to decide on what date you want your wedding to take place. During these unprecedented and unnerving times, settling on a new date can be stressful. Bear in mind you have to take action quickly because the chances are other couples are trying to change the dates of their weddings too.
Some vendors have been prioritizing couples who have made bookings prior to the pandemic, but you still need to settle on a new date as soon as possible. If your vendor allows you to use your previous deposit for the new date, and they are willing to schedule you in for a new date, then you'll feel more at ease.
Before choosing a new date, you should speak with family and close friends because you want to make sure everyone is on-board with the new date. If you plan on having the same wedding officiant, then you have to make sure the new date works for them. When it comes to choosing a new date, always keeps potential conflicts in mind.
If you are strongly for having your wedding on a specific date, then choosing that date in a year or two can be difficult if that date doesn’t fall on a Saturday or Sunday. Sure, you might get a discount if the date falls on a weekday, but your guests might find it difficult to attend your wedding. If you do decide on having your wedding on a weekday, then check with guests to see if they can make your wedding.
Conflict between vendors could potentially arise. Some vendors might not be able to work with your new date, while others will have no problems. If conflicts occur, then decide which vendors you should prioritize. Here's a few tips to keep in mind:
. You should prioritize vendors based on how much you're willing to spend (your budget)
. Your venue should be one of the first things to prioritize
. Try to be as flexible as possible with some vendors, but it's a good idea to have backups in mind
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Refuse On Certain Stuff
You should refuse on what you can. Depending on how things are, you might have ordered stuff such as food, decorations or printed goods. Some stuff you can hold onto, while other things might have to be repurposed. Here's a few tips to help you with that:
. Do not waste any food. If there is food you have ordered, then give it away to friends. Check with your neighbors to see if they want any food you have on hand, but won't use for your new date.
. Donate flowers or gift flowers. If you have flowers that you can't use for your wedding, then give them to a hospital or a nursing home. You might be surprised at how many places will accept a gift or donation of flowers, but the last thing you should do is waste them by letting them wilt away.
. Cover the date the wedding was originally going to take place on. You can cover up the dates via different methods, such as using monograms, floral accents, wax seals and things of that nature. By doing this, you won't have to buy new prints or order anything new. You'll save time and money by covering up the original date.
. Verbal corrections should be made because sometimes certain designs don't do the trick on their own. If certain details can't be covered up, then you should make the corrections verbally known to your officiant. Nobody is going to judge you for anything, so don't worry.
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Request Help
Trust us when we say you're not alone. You should get help, regardless of who it is from. This can be someone from your wedding party, your partner, a close friend or your family. A little bit of help can make all the difference in the world, so do not be afraid to help.
If you have a wedding planner, then that's great because they can probably help you out. However, if you don't, then speak to your loved ones and let them help you. Tell them you'd like them to help you as you work on changing the date. You might be surprised at how much people are willing to help when you ask.
As for what volunteers can help you out with, some of the things include:
. They can help with deciding on a new date for the wedding
. Look for new venues that are suitable for your wedding
. Contact vendors on your behalf and reschedule them for your new date.
. Find ways to re-purpose current supplies
. Find places that your food or flowers can be donated to.
There are a lot of ways people can help. The above are only a handful. The bottom line is to always ask for help because it can go a long way and it can make things a whole lot easier on you.
Announcing The New Date
Now that you have postponed your wedding, you'll have to contact your guests. Your close friends, the wedding party and your family should already be in the loop, but you'll have to let everyone else know. All you have to do is send an email to everyone, as well as post an update if you have a wedding websites. If some of your guests aren't tech savvy, then call them instead of emailing.
Just like you did with the save the dates, you can send out the new dates via invitation. This gives your guests a physical reminder of when your wedding will take place. Just make sure you tell them where the venue is, and inform them if the venue is the same place or if it has changed.
If the wedding is being held on a different day of the week, then let them know. The more info you provide your guests with, the better. This will make things run more smoothly on your big day.
Helps Guests When Postponing
If there are guests who will be visiting from afar, then you should tell their accommodations about the postponement. Your guests might have to make changes to their bookings themselves, but this depends on where they are staying. Whatever the case is, keep your out of town guests in the know.
Your Guest List Might Change
The bad news is the chances are your guest list will become shorter due to some people not being able to attend the wedding on the new date. Don't get angry. Instead, be understanding and do your best to coordinate with guests as far in advance of your new wedding date.
On a positive note, you might actually end up having more guests being able to attend your wedding. If this is the case, then things could balance out, but you should be prepared for a change in your guest list, which also means leaving space in your budget to accommodate guests who don't show up. There might even be a chance that everyone will show up, or the list could be longer, but in any case it's a good idea to have space within the budget.
If your guest list is shorter than you expected, then you might try to fill in the gaps by inviting people on your backup list. This is a good idea, but you could end up making a mistake because sometimes guests from the B-list might wonder and ask you why they weren't invited in the first place. With that said, when you're inviting friends from the backup list, you should do the following:
. Send invites to everyone in a circle of family or friends
. Invite everyone from the backup list
. Don't let them know they are on the backup list
A lot of the time, guests on a backup list will be understanding. This is especially the case when it comes to postponements. The chances are guests on your backup list will just be happy to be able to go to your wedding.
Postponing a wedding is hard enough on a bride and groom and everyone else involved. We at Azaria Bridal's Boutique understands this and we will be happy to help you choose the perfect wedding dress for your big day. This will remove one more thing you have to do from your to-do list.
It doesn't matter if your wedding is now taking place in a completely different season than originally planned, we can help. We can guide you through the selection process. Before you know it, you'll have the perfect wedding dress to wear.
We invite you to book an appointment today. If you have any questions at all about finding the ideal wedding gown, then feel free to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you find the perfect dress.