When you said “yes” to the love of your life, you probably didn’t anticipate that a global pandemic would thwart your wedding plans. But because the coronavirus is a health crisis that gets worse with social gatherings, events such as weddings with hundreds of guests are now discouraged.
Unless you want to take a weekend trip to Vegas (Elvis is still marrying couples), you might not have any other choice but to postpone your wedding. Here’s how you can do it efficiently:
1. Let your vendors know ASAP
The first thing you have to accomplish once you’ve decided to postpone your wedding is to tell your vendors. Your caterer, photographer, and A/V rental provider are small businesses that are also affected by the pandemic. The earlier you notify them of your change of plans, the more likely it is that they will let you make changes to your contract to adjust for your postponed dates. Of course, these changes are likely to incur additional fees, so you must prepare for them.
2. Check on your wedding insurance
Plenty of couples get wedding insurance in case something goes wrong. A wedding insurance policy typically includes liability and cancellation coverage. So, if you need to cancel on some of your vendors, your insurance may cover the fees the vendors will ask for. But, since the pandemic was an unforeseen event, cancellations because of it might not be covered. Talk to your provider to be sure.
3. Notify your guests
By now, your guests probably already know that the wedding isn’t happening when it was originally supposed to. But, it’s still important to give them the courtesy of letting them know you’re postponing the wedding. If you haven’t decided on a date yet, let them know you’re still considering and taking into consideration their welfare. You can accomplish all these either by sending them an e-mail or calling. You can also update your wedding website to reflect the changes and provide updates, then share it on your social media so it reaches your friends and family.
4. Be flexible on rescheduling
After the initial phase of the postponement of your wedding is done, you can start planning when to hold your wedding. If you’re still working with your original vendors, though, try to be flexible and keep an open mind. Plenty of people are also rescheduling their events, so if your original wedding date falls on a Saturday, the same day of the week might not be available anymore. Consider doing your wedding on a weekday or a Sunday—you’ll have a better chance of securing your vendors.
5. Consider doing a “minimony”
If you’re one of the many couples who cannot wait to say “I do” all hope is not lost just because of the pandemic. You can still do a “minimony” or mini matrimony. This means going through with the wedding but scaling down the number of your guests. Consider only inviting yours and your fiancé’s immediate family and the best man and maid of honor. This way, you can stay socially distant from each other in your venue and adhere to your states’ rules about the pandemic.
These solutions may not be ideal, especially if you’ve daydreamed about your wedding since forever. But remember that you still have your partner whom you can marry in a fabulous event once all this blows over.
