After months of planning, the last thing you want to do is reschedule your wedding. I get it. In these unprecedented times though, we may have to do some things that we don’t want to do. Facts are facts. I wish there was something we could do to make this magically go away, but there isn’t. Only time will tell what will be safe to do when. If you end up needing to postpone your wedding, this post should help you figure out how to start the process.

A SPECIAL NOTE | Venues must adhere to all state and national regulations. At this time (04/14/20) national restrictions limit the size of gatherings to 10 people, but in Kentucky all non-essential businesses are closed. Therefore, venues are not allowed to host events of any size. As restrictions change venues must comply accordingly.  We have no way of knowing when or how these changes may impact our business and thus, your wedding date. Until restrictions are known for your specific date, most vendors are standing by their standard cancellation policy. Therefore it is best to wait until it is clear that you cannot legally host your event before finalizing your new plan. Vendors are making every attempt to reschedule weddings instead of canceling.

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Adjust Your Mindset

Start by taking a second to feel your feelings. It is okay to feel disappointed, sad, frustrated, annoyed and whatever else you feel about having to reschedule your wedding. Feel those feelings then let them go. Move on so that you can focus on making the most of what you CAN do. Dwelling on things you can’t change isn’t productive or healthy.

Once you’ve shifted your perspective, you’ll be ready to jump into action with a clear mind. You will get married. You will celebrate. You will be okay. Things may not go exactly as you imagined, but choosing to make the most of the changes will bring you peace.

Consider Your Options

There are several ways to celebrate even if you have to reschedule your wedding. Here are some options to consider:

• Reschedule your wedding for a later date. Literally, all the plans are the same except for the date.
• Get married at a tiny ceremony on your intended wedding date (or any other date). You could even do live streaming so that your guests can tune in from home. Then host a vow renewal and reception at a later date.
• Tie the knot at a tiny ceremony then throw a big party at a later date to celebrate!

Think about what will work best for you, your guests, your budget and your vision for the coming months. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all best answer.

Read Your Contracts & Communicate with Vendors

The contracts you signed with your wedding vendors should have covered what happens if the event needs to be rescheduled. That being said, vendors have NEVER EVER been faced with a situation like this before. Most vendors are doing their very best to be as accomodating as possible. Open communication is key to understanding exactly what your options are and what the implications are for each option.

Find Your New Wedding Date

Coordinating all your vendors doesn’t have to be overwhelming. To keep everything organized, we use a simple spreadsheet to identify new date options. You can find the template >HERE<. Send this to your vendors to collect their availability for alternate dates. We use Google Sheets so that you and your vendors can view the document in real-time without confusion over different versions of the document. The hope is that once everyone has filled in their availability it is clear that all your vendors are available for at least ONE other date! Note that vendor availability is changing all the time so this is a time to make decisions quickly.

BONUS | You can use the same spreadsheet system to make sure your wedding VIPs will be able to attend your wedding on the new date. >HERE< is a template. You could even reach out to your VIPs to narrow down which new date to select.

Communicate with Your Guests

Keep your guests in the loop by communicating openly. You can send a mass email or post updates on your wedding website. If you don’t have concrete plans yet, it is okay to simply say that you don’t know what you’re doing yet. People just want to know what’s going on.

Once you’ve decided on a new wedding date, send out an official change of date notice. You can do that with a paper invitation sent through the mail. Whoever designed your original invitations can probably help you out with this new design or you can go with an online shop like Minted, Paper Source, Etsy or Paper Culture. If you have a tech-savvy crew, you could even go paperless by sending your postponement announcement via Greenvelope.

SPECIAL TOUCH | If you have a little time on your hands, you could reach out to some of your guests with a phone call. All of us are searching for connection in this crazy time. A call from you may brighten someone’s day and give them something to look forward to!

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I hope this information is helpful and comforting. Rescheduling your wedding obviously isn’t ideal, but it is NOT the end of the world. Everyone in the wedding industry is passionate about helping you safely celebrate your wedding. We’re here to help!

If you liked this post, you may also like our post, How to Protect Your Wedding Post-Coronavirus!

*Feature Image by Lyndsey Boyd Photography | Floral Design by Sunkissed Blooms | Glam by @hairbybriduncan & @lashiradavidsonmakeup | Dress from Gretchen Reece Bridal Couture.

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