Relax.Rethink.Reschedule

Andreas Perdiou, Wedding Cinematographer

For the past few weeks, many couples and the whole wedding industry have been struggling with growing concerns about coronavirus and the growing urgency for social distance. We don’t know what we don’t know, and what we don’t know for sure is when we’re going to be able to have weddings again, but I believe that the end of this year is going to be extremely busy. If you are considering postponing your wedding or wondering what it will look like, read on.

1. Don’t panic.
Yes, this is an unprecedented, rapidly changing situation, but with some patience – maybe a little compromise – you can still have the wedding you have been planning, just perhaps on another day.

2. Review contracts and contact professionals
Review all of your wedding professionals contracts, particularly their cancellation policies and postponements. If you need to, reach out to them for clarifications if nothing is stated in their contracts. This will help you have an idea of the worst-case scenario, from a cost standpoint. Inform everyone that your goal is to keep your entire team of professionals together and just shift the date. Discuss with them what options you may have for doing so, as well as what may happen in the unfortunate event they simply aren’t available on the new date you ended up with. Keep in mind that your goal is to disturb as little of the pre-wedding plans as possible. So contact the venue, discuss what are the financial consequences for changing the date(if any) and get a list of available dates in the time frame that you would like to reschedule the wedding for. 

3. Discuss a backup plan
Sit down with your partner and your families and discuss what’s the second-best case scenario. Would you rather scrap the original plans than moving the date? 

4. Let all guests know promptly
If your invitations have already gone out, postponing warrants a phone call. As for invitations going out in the coming months, it may be best to include a note about a possible postponement or hold off on sending them out for a few weeks. Don’t forget to update your wedding website (if you have one) so all the guests will be able to learn all the new details about the wedding.

5. Try to make a decision sooner than later 
If you are inside a two to three weeks prior to the wedding, the florist may have already have ordered the flowers, custom decor items may have been sourced or built or food might be ordered by the caterer.hotel. at that point they won’t be able to refund you for those costs they have already incurred, so you might pay for things twice. 

6. Don’t worry about disappointing people

Surely some will be disappointed, but the majority of your guests will likely be relieved that they don’t have to make the decision of whether or not to cancel their RSVP themselves