Postponing Your Wedding
In this uncertain time, we are having to make some hard decisions. I know that deciding to postpone your wedding is not something that anyone wants to do but sometimes things happen that require us to do so. I am writing this blog to help you walk through some options you have and explain the steps to postpone your wedding.
The first thing I want to touch on is when you should decide to postpone your wedding should be. We wall want to be safe and not put loved ones in danger. If you have hired a wedding planner, you are probably very thankful. Having a wedding planner at this time is incredibly helpful as they will have an insight to your situation. Every situation is different but, speaking in general, I believe the decision to postpone should be made about a month before the original wedding date. This gives enough time for your wedding planner to contact all vendors and start looking at new dates. If you decided not to hire a wedding planner, the next couple of paragraphs will walk you through a rough to-do list.
If your wedding is going to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a few things you will have to look at before deciding to postpone your wedding. The first thing I would recommend doing is looking at all your contracts. Some vendors have clauses in your contract that require extra money to change the date. If you decided to postpone after that, the first vendor to reach out to is your venue. Venues are going to be the hardest to find when COVID-19 passes because everyone who had to push their wedding will now want to get it down. If you are open to changing your venue that will give you a couple more choices leaving outdoor spaces available.
The second vendor to reach out to is your photographer/videographer. Normally, a photographer/videographer is very booked during the wedding season, so when every wedding needs to be rescheduled it will be hard to find a weekend that they are open for. The next vendor would be your decorator if you have one. Decorators will run into the same problems as your photographer. Other vendors such as caterers, florists, DJ, make-up/ hairdresser, and cake can normally do more than one wedding per weekend.
If you aren't keen on postponing marrying your best friend, you do have another option. The first option would be having a small intimate ceremony with your family and then moving your reception to your first anniversary or a different date so everyone can still celebrate with you. Although this doesn't get rid of all of the work to postpone your whole wedding, it does cut down on the expenses. I know everyone wants their big day to have all the bells and whistles (the big reveal, the wedding party, and of course the big dance) but you can have that later when it is safe for everyone and you can still be married to your best friend.
I know this is a hard time for everyone; I wish no couple had to make these hard decisions but try to remember the reason you decided to marry the person you did.
