In this Article:
- Get On the Same Page With ALL Your Wedding Vendors
- Pick a Date That Works for You and Your Family/Wedding Party
- Keep Guests Informed
- Sending a Change of Date Card
With recent CDC recommendations as well as the overall uncertainty surrounding this global pandemic, many couples have decided to postpone their March and April—even May—weddings. While that decision is not an easy one, knowing your next steps allows you to focus on your new wedding date and make a plan. We’ve outlined the best course of action for you to take once you’ve made the decision to reschedule your wedding date, below.
We strongly recommend RESCHEDULING your wedding and not CANCELING. Canceling will often result in lost deposits, so if it’s possible we always encourage couples to move ahead with their wedding plans for a later date!
Get On the Same Page With ALL Your Wedding Vendors
You’ll want to get in touch with all your wedding vendors prior to making any definitive plans to not only get a list of available dates that you can reschedule for, but to go over a contingency plan should your date change again. It’s best to make sure all your communication with your wedding vendors is done via e-mail so it’s in writing (and you can both refer back to it). It’s important during this time to have an open line of communication with all your wedding vendors. Talk to them about whether or not there are any fees associated with rescheduling and make sure you get a list of dates that works for all of them. Once you have those dates you’ll want to…
Also Read: Here’s what you need to know about Manly Bands
Pick a Date That Works for You and Your Family/Wedding Party
Your new date might not work for all of your wedding guests, but at the very least you’ll need to find a wedding date that works for those non-negotiable guests on your list, such as your parents, siblings, close friends, etc. Let them know the available dates you have to choose from, and make sure to pick a date that works for those you love as well as you and your partner.
Keep Guests Informed
Your wedding website is a great way to update guests on your new wedding plans. Whether it’s just a change of date or also a change of venue, your wedding website is an easy way to provide ongoing updates to your guests. Just be sure to let guests know initially about your new change of plan (and that they can check your wedding website going forward) via e-mail and/or phone calls or text as some guests (especially older ones) might not know how to access your wedding website or might have forgotten the password if you have one.
When it comes to language to include on your wedding website or in a mass e-mail, you can write something along the lines of:
Dear Friends and Family,
Due to the uncertainty we are all facing right now, we have decided to postpone our wedding to [IE: later this summer]. We will be updating this website as soon as we have our new date confirmed, and hope we get to celebrate with you all soon! Thank you so much for your patience, and stay safe!
Lots of love,
Lindsay and Cory
OR, if you have your new date, you could write:
Dear Friends and Family,
After much thought and consideration we have decided to reschedule our wedding to July 15, 2020 in accordance with CDC guidelines. Your health and safety is our utmost concern, and we want to make sure a fantastic time is had by all! Our location details remain the same. If anything else should change (including the date) we will let you know as soon as possible. In the meantime we look forward to celebrating with you soon!
Lots of love,
Lindsay and Cory
Once you’ve informed guests about your new plan, you’ll want to consider…
Sending a Change of Date Card
This is a type of invite you might not have known existed, but they do! And a lot of couples are currently scrambling to get one. Zola is offering free Change the Date cards to all customers who have purchased Save the Dates or Invites. While a Change of Date card is not necessary, they are a nice touch. If you do not want to budget the extra money for one, you can always mail out a handwritten note or use a DIY Save the Date template and modify it for a Change of Date.
If your wedding invitations are currently being printed with your old date, don’t worry! Do not spend more to get them changed. Updating your wedding website and informing your guests of your new date along with an insert is all that you need to do. Guests will understand!
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