How to navigate wedding planning during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Postpone or Cancel
Times are hard for our couples right now. Planning a wedding during a pandemic isn’t what we’d call exciting. However, we want you to remain hopeful and still feel warm and fuzzy about the big day!
We are personally feeling super positive and optimistic right now. We truly feel for everyone going through this and that we are praying for and concerned for our first responders, essential workers and medical professional.
If you are in the stage where you are determining how to best proceed with wedding planning or wedding postponement, we have a few pieces of advice for you!
So, first up, IF your wedding is after August 24, 2020, we urge you to consider waiting to make a decision.
Now, we know that it feels like you’re waiting until the last minute, BUT new government policies & CDC recommendations are being updated almost daily right now. At this point, a lot of companies and venues are not allowing postponement because there isn’t anything in effect for after those dates.
SO, although you might be fearful about what is to come, it’s an unknown situation. Postponing at this stage may cause you more worry and heartache than just staying the course. Take a deep breath and take it day by day. Your vendor team WANTS your wedding to be perfect and will do their darndest to ensure it all goes as planned. We’re here for you!
If you are considering postponement and you’re working with a planner, it’s important for you to reach out and talk to them first. Sometimes having someone to talk to and bounce some ideas off of is all you need to feel more prepared about making a decision.
Secondly, reach out to your venue and vendors because each vendor and contract is going to be a little different.
A lot of contracts have cancellation policies, but they are a little bit vaguer on the postponement side of things. So it’s best if you reach out to them instead of simply reviewing the language, as you may interpret it differently. Once you’ve gathered the information, start a spreadsheet to track the information.
Side note: Please keep in mind that many vendors are in a difficult spot in this situation because they are trying to stay in business. Keeping the communication open and understand that asking for refunds is a really difficult ask for many people right now. Although it seems “fair” to you, you may be one of many couples asking for this refund. If they honor all of the requests, their business likely won’t survive. The best thing that you can do for your vendor team is to have a lot of grace for them. Everyone is in a difficult situation right now - they may also potentially be at home with kids or having to work a second job to make ends meet.
If you’re able to keep your regular payment schedule, we urge you to do so, as it will help many vendors stay in business and continue on as normal as possible.
Now, if we are your planner, we will obviously be handling this task for many of you! If you are planning on your own and you do not have the time to dedicate to organizing the information, you can also request that we handle this through our hourly package option. Simply email us to verify what is included within your package. We’re here to assist you in any way that we can! Sometimes just talking it out is what you need.
The next thing you want to be sure to do is to keep your guests informed.
Use this time to reach out to collect emails, phone numbers, address updates, etc.
Here are several ways to communicate with your guests with the most up-to-date information about wedding plans.
Email notification
Text or Call
Mailings
If your save the dates have been sent, but not your invitations, consider a post card with the extension details.
If invites were already sent out then you may need to call/ text and/or email to communicate what is happening. You would then need to update your invitations with new RSVP requests as well. If they are having online RSVPs then no need to reprint those. Work with their paper designer or planner to figure out new dates of when to inform them of postponement/new dates.
When communicating with your guests, be sure to let guests know where they can expect updates regarding the big day, for example: via your wedding website (be sure to add the caveat that “if you are sick or have been around someone sick, please stay home” ) or through email.
There are also special circumstances that may change the way you should inform your guests. Again, seek advice from your wedding planner or designer.
If you are going to continue with your wedding or event, but are decreasing your guest count, we highly recommend looking into live streaming. This is a great alternative that allows your guests to partake in the festivities - especially for the super important moments, such as the ceremony or toasts.
We, of course, are following the recommendations ourselves as planners we want to make sure that we are healthy and able to perform our jobs as well. At the time of this post, Minnesota is saying that through the end of April, 10 people or less may gather. We’re predicting that they will begin increasing that number in stages. The CDC is recommending less than 50 person gatherings through mid May 2020.
Please watch for updates on the CDC website, MN department of health and any updates from our President and MN Governor. Shelter in place order for MN was extended from 4/10/2020 through 5/4/2020.
We truly believe that if everyone stays calm, stays positive and follows the rules then we are going to get out of this a lot stronger and better in the end! We know the media can cause anxiety and worry, so we urge you to just listen to the recommendations from trusted sources like the CDC.
We are all in this together- if you need ANYTHING, please email us at <jenn@rosetreeevents.com>