Do I need to reschedule my wedding?

You may be at the stage you are asking yourself, do I need to reschedule my wedding? Most brides have been dreaming about their wedding since before they get engaged or even meet their fiancé; the thought of postponing your wedding can be heartbreaking. I am so sorry that you are going through this difficult time. Don’t panic, we know that this is a challenging time for everyone and we need to stick together to support each other. Postponing your wedding doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the process of planning your wedding so, I wanted to provide some tips for making the decision and what you do after you have made the decision during this uncertain and ever-changing situation.

First, I feel this process should begin to be discussed approximately 3 months prior to your wedding. At this time, you are setting yourself up to have all your options in front of you so when it is time to make a decision quickly, you can do so! Before this, you may find vendors are going month by month helping clients so if you are too far out they may not be able to help you yet.

01.  Review Your Deposit Clause in Your Contract

First task would be to pull out your vendor contracts, read them to see any clauses about postponements and deposits/payments. The contract may outline a timeline for when you can postpone and any fees. I have found most vendors will allow you to postpone without any financial penalties. It is important to note that deposits/retainers are always non-refundable which means if you choose to cancel your wedding or event you will lose out on this money.

NOTE: most deposits/retainers are non-refundable because not only do they secure their service for the day of your wedding but they also are used to pay monthly business expenses which are secured.

02.  Contact Your Venue & Vendors

Now that you know what your contracts state, get in touch with your venue to ask for some dates whether it is 6 months to 12 months from your wedding that they are available for a postponement. Once you have some dates, send an email to all your vendors checking their availability on those dates. Create a document to help you organize who is available or not and their deposits. This allows you to make the most informed decision of what date to choose because unfortunately, not all vendors will be able to transfer to the new date.

03.  Make a Plan B

Confirm the new date with your venue by placing a hold. Confirm that date with all your vendors. Knowing a Plan B can allow you to now relax a bit more. A Plan B may also consist of thinking about the different touchpoints at your wedding:

-Are you sharing your ceremony with another wedding? If so, what precautions are being taken?
-If you are having a buffet dinner, switch to a plated meal
-Extra hand sanitizers around the venue so guests can use at any moment
-A touchless receiving line where there is no hugging or kissing
-A guestbook that doesn’t require pens or if they do disposable ones
-Live stream your wedding (some DJ companies can offer this service!)
-Communicating to guests if they are unwell or in a vulnerable immune-compromised state to stay home

At around the 2-month mark you may decide to put the Plan B into place. At this point in the decision making process, you are in a position to feel fully equipped to make the most informed decision for your wedding with the least financial impact.

04.  Reach Out to Your Guests

Now that you have a Plan B, you can communicate through mail or electronically that you may be postponing your wedding and you will update guests as soon as a decision is made. This may be a good time to let them know what measures you will put into place to protect them and remind them you care but look forward to celebrating once things are better.

It can be difficult to think you won’t be able to get married on the wedding day that you originally planned. Rest assured it will still be beautiful and you will have your family and friends in good health there to have the best time ever! If at any point this gets too overwhelming, don’t hesitate to reach out! Even though wedding professionals haven’t gone through this before, we are well equipped to deal with these highly emotional and stressful situations relieving the pressure on you!

Classy Affairs is a full-service luxury wedding planning and coordination company based in Toronto, Canada. Classy Affairs specializes in upscale, romantic events. To inquire about your wedding or event, fill out an inquiry form.