How to postpone your wedding during the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)

In these unprecedented times, COVID-19 has forced couples to make decisions they never dreamed off having to make, such as postponing their wedding.  It is not only an emotional and time consuming task, but an overwhelming one as well!  Combine all of those together and where do you even begin with such a large task that took months, for even years to plan?  And so today I want to share a comprehensive and easy to read guide to walk you through the steps to take in order to postpone your wedding due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. 

First things first: talk to your future spouse.  Be in this together and be a team.  You are both grieving and stressed and so sit down and put a date on the calendar to go out to dinner, do something fun or plan a weekend away after you’ve completed the tasks of postponing your event. You still love one another and want to be married (and eventually will!). 

Next thing on your list is to talk to your venue.  If you want to reschedule your event at the same venue then I recommend talking to your venue first and getting a list of 3-4 dates in the future for your new potential wedding day.  Don’t be opposed to Fridays or Sundays (hey, you might even get a discount!) or maybe even a different season from your initial day. 

Then talk to the rest of your vendors.  Prioritize your vendor list so you know who is the most important (or maybe most expensive if some of them are paid in full or larger retainers) and hopefully you can align all your vendors to a new date, or at least majority of your vendors! I recommend reading through your vendors contracts and rescheduling policies so you are prepared in advance for some potential rescheduling fees.

Talk to your close friends and family about the postponement and let them know your new date or potential date options.  Make sure the most important people you want there are also available for that date. 

After that it is time to sign contracts to reschedule, postpone or re-book your new date with your vendors. 

Then update your wedding website and find a way to communicate the changes to your guests.  Maybe consider a virtual announcement to let guests know about the postponement or even a new Save-The-Date. 

Consider hiring a wedding planner to help plan your new date or even to help walk you through the entire postponement process as well!

Grieve and find a way to still celebrate with your fiancé on your original wedding date. It is ok to grieve and be upset.  Go ahead and cry. Yell if you need to. This absolutely sucks and shouldn’t have to happen.  And then, take some time to enjoy with your fiancé and close friends and family. 

Consider a small elopement and reception later. Another option in the postponement process would be to still have a small ceremony with close friends and family and move your reception to next year. 

Check out more resources related to COVID-19:

Covid 19 Wedding Resource Guide

What is an Intimate Wedding versus an Elopement?