Postponing your Wedding: COVID-19
After months of planning, if you have had to postpone your wedding day it can be soul-destroying to feel that you are back at the beginning of the planning process. Remember, you have already done most of the hard work. Once you’ve rescheduled your suppliers and checked your paperwork is in order, you are back where you were, and have extra time for the final touches. We have provided the following guide to assist you with postponing your wedding.
All images are courtesy of one of our wonderful recommended photographers, David Jenkins
It’s always a good idea to get insurance for your wedding. Before doing anything it is recommended to check your insurance plan and contact your provider to find out if an event like the Coronavirus pandemic is covered. Unfortunately, this will really depend on your plan. If your wedding venue is forced to close by a Government-ordered lockdown or registrars stop conducting civil services, then you may well be covered for any lost money or unexpected costs.
Major wedding insurers should soon be releasing guidelines on their position, when the Government update their advice. Right now, you should read through your contract and try to speak to someone on the phone at the insurance company. Always get them to send you a follow-up email with everything you discussed in the phone call if you do, so it’s all down in writing.
If you are having to postpone your wedding, here is our STEP-BY-STEP guide, to hopefully assist you.
1. Check In With Suppliers. Firstly we advise you to circulate an email to all suppliers. Call your key ones first or leave a message. Do also ask for an acknowledgment of receipt that they have received your email. Your email can be really concise: "Due to the unfortunate outbreak of Covid-19 in the UK, my fiancé and I have regrettably decided to postpone our wedding.” Add that you will advise them very soon on a new proposed date.
2. Speak To Your Guests! The next important step is to check with your important guests (parents, witnesses, guests) when they could be available next. A phone call is the fastest method to speak to your guests about the postponement of your wedding, but more importantly to also check how they are doing.
3. Check With Your Venue - Check with your venue on their availability for your new proposed date(s). You will usually have more leverage and more options if you decide to get married off-peak and mid-week, if you can.
4. Check Back With Suppliers - Check with your suppliers if they are available on your new date. Unfortunately, there may be a situation where some of your suppliers are not available on your new date. A solution to cope with that issue is to ask yourselves what is most important. We would say the top three suppliers are (1) Venue and Registrars/Vicar (2) Catering and (3) Photographer. If any of your key suppliers are unavailable, they may be able to offer alternative suppliers or have recommendations of suppliers with a similar style to their own.
5. Inform Your Guests. Once you’ve confirmed with your venue and suppliers that you plan to postpone (YAY!), you will need to tell your guests. The easiest way to do this is via an email. We also recommend adding a list of FAQs your guests might have including what the new date is, and if they can get transfers on their travel or hotels, etc. If you’d rather speak to everyone on the phone, split the calls up between you and your partner, your family and close members of the wedding party so it does not take as much time. It may also be nice to use this as a reason to reach out to your friends and family, and have a chat to see how they are doing at the moment.
6. Help Your Guests. Reach out to any hotels that you negotiated rooms or discounts with and speak to them about a transfer for guests. It’s one thing off your friends and families’ mind, and will be easier for one person to speak to the manager about than 20 phone calls with individual guests. As a venue Brympton House is transferring all bedrooms automatically so this is not something you need to worry about, but we do ask that you notify your guests that their bedroom has been automatically transferred to the new date for them, so this is not a worry for them.
7. Let Yourself Be Upset. It is totally understandable to feel sad about the wedding day you should be having. You are allowed to feel upset and disappointed. Yes, the world is facing problems at the moment, but your sadness is valid too. Speak to someone about this who you know will listen and acknowledge your feelings. This will help you begin to cope with your feelings and focus on the positives, like the safety and health of those you love.
8. Celebrate the Day. Even if you can’t have the wedding, that day is an important and significant one. Celebrate and honour it in a meaningful way as a couple. Some of our March, April & May weddings are doing the following:
Virtual celebration – using SKYPE/FaceTime to have an online celebration with close family & friends
Getting a bottle of wine & a takeaway
Having a date night (at home, of course) with a favourite film
9. Kickstart Planning the New Day. Now to start planning for the new date! If it has been changed to later in the year, you are probably marrying in a completely different season. Brympton Styling; Style By Design are being incredible and adapting what you already have (no need to reinvent the wheel!). Make a Pinterest board of seasonal flowers. Get yourself excited about your new wedding day.
10. Relax. The truth is that every wedding is different, and you need to assess with your venue, your suppliers and your guests what the right thing is for you to do as a couple. Communication is absolutely key: talk to relatives, your insurers, your suppliers and to friends & family. Finally, remember to breathe and be grateful for your family, friends and jobs that you have. Unfortunately, there is nothing any of us can do. A wedding is ultimately the celebration of love with your family and friends, and this celebration is just as special on any day of the week and at any time of year (even if this is not what you had originally planned). Postponement of your wedding is not easy, but your wedding will be just as beautiful and, given everything, EVEN MORE SPECIAL.