Some Advice About Rescheduling Your Wedding Because of Covid 19
Some Advice About Rescheduling Your Wedding Because of Covid 19
When plans don't always work out!
Hi
I hope you are all keeping well and safe at the moment. All our lives have been turned upside down and planning a wedding at the best of times can be stressful without the added uncertainty of Covid 19.
If you are in the unfortunate position of having to reschedule your wedding due to the outbreak of Covid 19 I hope the below will point you in the right direction of making the rescheduling a little less stressful. All advice is purely my own opinion from my own life and conversations with couples and other suppliers over the last few weeks. I've divided it up into a few sections and probably won't cover everything.
Do You Have To Reschedule Your Wedding?
As of April 6th the country is as close to lockdown with restrictions on a lot of movement. My guess would be when the restrictions are lifted they will be done gradually and possibly the last item to be lifted will be the pubs and large gatherings. So if your wedding is in April or May then I would bite the bullet and reschedule. Even if it is allowed to go ahead everyone will be on edge and guests may not want to attend particularly anyone that has elderly relatives.
If your wedding is in June then I would wait until the next review of the restrictions by government which will most likely be the end of this week. If the restrictions stay the same or increased I would look at rescheduling a June wedding.If you are a July wedding I would wait for another couple of weeks. If you do have to reschedule I would suggest having a winter wedding or planning for the first half of next year. If you postpone for a few weeks you don't want to have to postpone again.
If You Do Have To/Want To Reschedule Your Wedding
So you've bitten the bullet and decided to reschedule. Before you do anything read the contract with your venue and other suppliers and talk to them about your concerns. They are probably expecting the call so don't worry about that bit. Ask your venue about what is involved. Will they give you a similar new date. EG if you had a Saturday will they give you another Saturday. If it's not available what are your options. Can you change venue and get your deposit back if a suitable date is not available. If you move to a weekday is the price lower? Is there a choice of dates?
When you have a possible new date then get in touch with your other suppliers and see if they are available for the possible new date. They will want to fulfill it but depending on the supplier they may not be available. A supplier for your cake can service several weddings in one day so might not be an issue but for the band or the photographer they can only be in one place at a time so if they already have a booking there may be an issue. An experienced supplier should be able to put you in touch with possible alternatives for you to choose from. Deposits are normally not refundable but most suppliers will transfer them to a new date. Any money paid over and above the deposit should be refundable but please check your contract with your suppliers
If you have bought accessories for your original wedding date with the date written on the items why not still use them. Make a thing of it. No need to spend the money twice. There will be extra cost in changing so may as well save a little bit
Let Your Guests Know
As soon as you have decided to reschedule let your guests know as soon as possible. Flights and hotels may be booked. Most accommodation can be refunded and if the airline cancels their flight then they would be entitled to a refund. There may also be guests just about to book so you may be able to save them the expense.
On The New Wedding Day
The new wedding day will be different from what you originally planned. Some guests might not be able to make the new day. The band/Photographer you had your heart set on might be different. Try not to let that worry you. Focus on your day and your partner. It is your day and everyone there is there for you and to make your day as good as it possibly can.
The Bigger Picture
It is terrible that you are in the position that you have to postpone your wedding and all the stress and possible cost involved. However, you will still get married and all the current restrictions are to keep us all safe. Just as an example I was meant to be in Spain this week and if the restrictions were not in place I would have considered going which would have been a terrible idea. The restrictions are to keep us all safe. If we don't catch the virus then we won't spread the virus. So weddings is the most important day in someones life but at the moment we need to look after each other. The wedding day will happen and hopefully all this will be a bad memory.
If you need any help rescheduling you wedding and you think I may be able to help please contact me at [email protected] or phone/Whatsapp +353 86 8137668 or if you are going ahead with a micro wedding and want to have it captured then please have a look at micro wedding photography package available from July 20th 2020 here Micro Wedding Photography Package During Covid 19
Thanks for reading
Simon
