Your engagement and future wedding plans are meant to be a happy and exciting occurrence. Unfortunately, sometimes things happen that can disrupt that, and the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 is one of those situations. If you happen to be planning a wedding during this time, we’re here to help. Here we’ll be sharing some tips and tricks about how to proceed with your planning and resources available to you from Zazzle to help.
Understanding the Impact on Your Wedding
When a global crisis like COVID-19 comes up, brides and grooms should first decide how their wedding will be effected. In most cases, that is dependent upon the originally planned date of the big day. In this article, we’ll go one scenario at a time and give you some helpful hints for each.
If You Haven’t Picked a Date Yet…
Congratulations! Because you don’t have a set date yet, the best course of action for you is to continue exploring. Although no one can predict the future and say exactly when the world landscape will settle, choosing a date at least one year out should be adequate. From there, you might decide to continue planning or to hold off until the COVID-19 scenario is somewhat resolved. Keep in mind that many small businesses and vendors are eager to book future events right now, given that they are heavily impacted by cancellations and local restrictions. If you do choose to make plans and book a venue or vendors, make sure you discuss a plan for postponing or cancellation should your wedding date still be effected later on down the line.
Take this time to celebrate your engagement together! While you might not be able to enjoy the company of family and friends right now, send out engagement announcements so they can see your joy for themselves.
If You’re Mid-Planning…
If your date is reasonably far out (say, more than 12 months away), continue your wedding planning. Check-in with any vendors you’ve already booked and let them know you are still going forward with your plans. For any vendors you are close to booking, ask about their cancellation or postponement policies should something change down the road.
If You’ve Picked a Date and Sent Out Save the Dates…
Don’t freak out. Take a look at your date and try to decide whether you want to cancel or postpone your wedding. You don’t necessarily have to make a decision right away, but if your wedding is in the next 6 months, it is more pressing that you do so.
If you aren’t changing your date or making any major adjustments to your wedding, you don’t need to communicate with your guests urgently. Should you feel the need to, let them know that your date and the original plan isn’t changing, but you will continue to stay in communication should something change in the future.
If you decide that you are going to postpone or cancel your original wedding date, you next need to figure out if and when you are postponing it to. As mentioned above, no one holds a crystal ball, but picking a date at least one year out should be a safe bet. Once you’ve chosen the new date, call your wedding venue and vendors and see if they can accommodate your new date. You might have to trade off some of your original preferences, so prepare to be flexible.
After you’ve secured the date and spoken to your venue, it’s time to communicate the changes to your guests. You can do so in a few different ways:
- Update your wedding website
- Send a mass email to your guest list
- Create a private social media group
- Individually communicate with each guest
Once you’ve chosen a new date, send out postponement cards. Make sure to include all the information you have to give – If your venue is changing, if the time of your wedding is changing, etc.
If You’ve Picked a Date and Sent Out Invitations…
Again, don’t panic. You’ll want to first and foremost let your guests know your date change if there is one. Depending on how far out your wedding is, you might want to take a more aggressive communication strategy for notifying them. If you decide to reach out to everyone directly, enlist the help of your family and bridal party to give you a hand in doing so.
Depending on the location and venue for your wedding, you might also need to consider restricting your guest list. If that is the case, let your guests know that you have made the tough decision to reduce your guest list. Although they might be sad at first, they will surely understand that you are making this decision with their health and safety in mind.
Once you’ve settled on a new date, you’ll want to send out new RSVP cards too.
When it comes to your bridal showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, use similar processes as you do when it comes to the actual wedding plans. Keep your guests in the loop as much as possible and update them as soon as you’ve made any decisions. Some events may even be possible to do virtually!
The realization that you have to adjust your original wedding plans due to COVID-19 is a tough pill to swallow. Thankfully, if you find yourself in that boat, you are not alone. The team at Zazzle, your family and friends, and other brides and grooms are all here to alleviate the confusion and frustration in any way that we can. If you need additional help or just have questions, feel free to reach out to our customer care team. If you have any tips of your own or just want to share what is helping you through this time, share them in the comments below for other couples to see.
Erika focuses on email marketing, copywriting and merchandising at Zazzle, but she has a secret obsession with all things wedding! During the week you can find her writing punny subject lines while also pinning the latest wedding trends, and outside of the 9-5, she is usually cheering on the San Jose Sharks, reading a good murder mystery, or hunting for the best Philly Cheesesteak in the Bay Area.
