How to Postpone Your Wedding
Before this year, wedding postponements were rare, but they did happen, usually because of an ill family member or a military deployment. But now, it has become the norm for all 2020 weddings unfortunately. If you are now wondering how to postpone your wedding, some of our tips are below.
1. Check with your venue
How is your venue handling postponements? Check in with them first. If your current state/county guidelines have been released, and your day is impacted, your venue should be allowing you to reschedule and they will provide you with their availability. If your wedding is in the fall, you probably don't know yet how your wedding day might be affected. In that case, your venue may or may not be allowing rescheduling at this point. Check with them to see how they are handling it.
2. Check with your VIPs and Vendors
Once you have available dates from your venue, check with your VIP family and wedding party members. Then, draft an email to your vendor team. BCC each vendor. Your email can be short and sweet, straight to the point, like this:
Dear vendor team,
I am reaching out regarding my wedding on XXX at XXX venue. Due to the current pandemic, we are rescheduling our day to 2021 for the health and safety of our guests and vendors.
Please reply with your availability for the following dates:
April 3
April 10
April 17
Please also let me know of your rescheduling policies. And if you are not available for these dates, how you are handling cancellations. Thank you so much! We will be in touch within the week with our decision.
Don't forget about hotel room blocks and your rehearsal dinner or brunch contracts.
3. Select a date
Once you have everyone's availability, it's important to move quickly before it changes! Contact your venue and vendors for their addendums. Again, short and sweet email with a BCC to the whole team:
Thank you for providing your availability.
We have chosen to move our wedding day to Saturday, April 17, 2021.
Please send me your addendum. Thank you!
You will need to have the hotels cancel your current room block reservations, and setup a new booking link in their system. Update new payment dates in your payment tracker.
4. Update your wedding website
Update your wedding website with the new date, hotel and travel information, and weekend events.
5. Update your guests
There are lots of change the date paper options now available. If you worked with a stationery designer, they can design a new change the date in your current design. Or, go on Minted, Zola, etc, to order one to mail to your guests. If you have already sent out invitations, be sure to note a new, formal invitation is to follow.
6. Planning the rest of your wedding
Much of your wedding can and should stay the same. There shouldn't be any reason to change things now, just because you have a new date. The only exception to that is with your florist, if your flower availability might change due to the new month or season. Or if you are using local farm to table catering, your menu might be impacted, so check in with your caterer. If you have already purchased personalized decor with the original date, up to you if you want to change it or not! If you're on a tight budget, there's no reason not to use it. It's not a secret you had to change your date!
7. Marriage license
If you already obtained your marriage license, check the county rules of expiration. This varies by county and state. You may need to re-apply if it will expire before the wedding. Or, if you have a change of officiant, you will need to re-apply with the new officiant's name if this was required on the application.
8. Honor your original wedding date
Plan something fun, or many couples are still getting married on their original wedding day. This could be something low key in your house and done on Zoom for your guests to watch. Or could be a little more elaborate with wedding vendors and a much smaller guest count in line with your current regulations. At least pop some bubbly on this day and order a small cutting cake or cupcakes from your wedding baker!
I hope these tips were helpful for you in understanding how to go about rescheduling your wedding day!