Oh my goodness! My heart is breaking for all of you couples who have had to postpone or cancel your weddings because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I know there are even more of you that are totally in limbo right now - not knowing whether to cancel and postpone until later in the year or until next year or if the date you've planned and booked will be safe for gathering. Here is my advice.
1. Get in touch with your venue and your vendors (or have your Wedding Coordinator/Planner contact them on your behalf) and find out what your options are. What is their refund policy? How soon before the wedding day will they need your final answer? What other dates does your venue have available in case you have to postpone? This pandemic will force many, many weddings to postpone, and due to the uncertainty in the near future, a lot of couples will be trying to book their venues for the same time next year and as you know... many couples who got engaged early this year have already booked their dates for 2021 so if you are considering postponing, get a new date on hold soon. (Remember, even if you think it will be safe enough to hold your wedding, the Government might say otherwise. Better to put down a deposit on a new date just to be sure.)
2. If you are postponing... check out Studio Creative Things in the UK for some beautiful, virtual Wedding Postponement Notifications. Send these out to your guests as soon as you know that you can't make your date work safely. You can send an updated notification when all of the new details become available.
3. Make sure that you find some way to celebrate in 2020! Whether it is a Zoom get together on original wedding date with some family and friends (Cue the veil, bow tie and champagne) or plan for a small, local girls getaway later in the year when it's safe to travel and gather.
4. Take a deep breath and count your blessings. Although the thought of having to postpone your wedding is discouraging, it's not forever, and just think... you've got more time now to make those cute little favours and hand letter the guest's name tags! The whole world is in this together and everyone will understand your decision and your disappointment. But what a crazy story you will have to tell your grandkids.
Stay safe!
Jill
