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If you're having to postpone your wedding due to the Coronavirus, 1. I’m so sorry!! 2. You are not alone (I am also postponing, along with the 7 Outer Banks couples I have as clients) 3. I am here to lend some guidance and share some freebies with you that I hope will help make you feel less overwhelmed. Below is some advice to help you through this. If you want to skip to the freebies, you can find the free spreadsheet and check list for postponing here.
I sent the checklist and spreadsheet to my clients and I wanted to make it available to anyone else struggling with postponing. My advice after officially deciding to postpone is first, email all your vendors. Keeping in touch and being on the same page with your vendors is the best way to feel less overwhelmed. Here on the Outer Banks we have to deal with postponements often due to hurricanes so I can assure you your vendors will make you feel comfortable and help you through it. I suggest emailing instead of calling so everything is in writing and you can both reference easily in a month or two.
Find out available dates from each vendor, and start to compare to find a new date that works for you and them (use the spreadsheet for this). It is possible that not every vendor will be available on the same date, especially since prime fall dates have already been booked (this STINKS but you grow through what you go through and being flexible through this will make your relationship stronger). For this reason, be open to adjustments. This could look like a weekday wedding if you wanted to assure the same vendors would be able to work your new date. This could look like a smaller wedding if your guests are less likely to travel after a month off of work. This could look like a change of venue if you have to book a new event home since the original one is already rented. Have an open mind and think of how these adjustments will help you still get married in the place you love.
Secondly, I would suggest starting to collect emails for all your guests. Ask your parents to get their sides of the family emails, you focus on get your friends, and start a spreadsheet (or use the tab on this one here). I love and use Google sheets, you can share it easily with your fiance and parents so you aren't the only one doing all this work!
Using your email list, send out an email to all guests stating the wedding has been postponed. This will help with the amount of calls/texts you and your family are probably getting. The email should include:
1. Official postponement wording. Assure them you will reach out when you have a new date so you don't have people contacting you all the time asking.
2. Wording reminding guests to cancel all their travel plans and hotel reservations so they are not charged (most hotels will call guests on their own if its during the stay at home/shelter in place order since they will not be open but it doesn't hurt to be proactive).
3. A note ensuring guests if they don't feel comfortable traveling the rest of the year you understand (some might have medical conditions and want to continue to social distance, or less travel funds than earlier in the year).
4. Thank them for their love and support!
You can use this email list to send out an evite or pretty email blast to your guests when you have a new date in place! I care a lot about pretty aesthetics and paper goods but you can bet your butt I wasn't going to pay for another round of printed invites! (I used email when we had to postpone the first time, and it was so nice to communicate and collect RSVPs that way.)
That's my main advice for now! Practice love and patience and remember what the end goal is :) For a checklist of items you don't want to forget when postponing, you can download the free spreadsheet and check list here that I'm using and find helpful.
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