There are plenty of reasons to postpone a wedding. While brides and grooms everywhere dread this idea, you never know when life will throw you a curveball. The recent coronavirus pandemic led to couples all over the world delaying their weddings. Still, it isn’t only a contagious virus that might cause you to postpone this event. Whatever the reason might be, it is important to follow the right steps in order to cover all your bases and feel confident in your decision to change the date.
Keep Calm
After months of intense planning and difficult work, the decision to postpone your wedding can lead to some serious emotional whiplash. The most crucial thing to remember during this time is to stay calm. Some circumstances are beyond your control, and canceling your event is not a reflection on you, your relationship, or your decisions. Whatever your fears or frustrations about the situation might be, use this time to talk to your significant other. Openly discuss whatever emotions you’re experiencing and work through the situation together as a team.
Understand Your Contracts
Before you start making any official announcements, take a moment to compile all of the contracts you have with your various vendors. It is likely you have your vendor information in a folder or binder, which will make this a lot easier. Go through the contracts and read the fine print in regard to cancellations. If you already know your new wedding date, you might be able to work out a new deal with the vendors for this later date. Expect to pay fees and lose deposits, however.
Create a Plan
Depending on your specific reason for delaying the event, it can be helpful to create a plan for the future wedding arrangements before reaching out to vendors or guests. It is a lot easier to keep people in the loop when you provide them with the notice of delay along with information on when the wedding is rescheduled for. If the situation is complicated and you’re not sure about future dates, then there’s nothing wrong with figuring out all of those details at a later point.
Tell Your Guests
The biggest undertaking is going to be notifying all of your guests. Most people invite around 200 friends and family members to their wedding. While you probably have a list of people who responded to your invitations, you may not have access to the phone numbers or email addresses of some guests. Since you don’t want to inform anyone of this decision through a written letter, do as much research as you can to get this info. Keep track of everyone you tell, as this will help you manage the process.
A wedding website is a great place to provide guests with information about your event. If you are using a site for your wedding, be sure to update it to include all details about postponement. Should you be unable to contact a guest for one reason or another, this website can act as a guarantee that everyone will stay in the know.
Additional Advice
While it isn’t an easy decision, you definitely need to choose whether or not you’re canceling your event sooner rather than later. Guests often need to arrange travel plans in advance to attend a wedding. The longer you wait, the more pressure you are placing on the people you care about. If possible, consider reimbursing guests for money they might have lost due to cancellation fees at hotels or through airlines.
Postponing a wedding can be a headache, but there are ways to make it as uncomplicated as possible. Stay calm and follow the right steps to make your decision easier on everyone involved.
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