This one goes out to my countless fellow brides who have had to postpone their weddings due to the Coronavirus crisis. Although none of us ever thought we would be in this position, there are definitely steps we can take to make the process easier, and a little bit more fun! Now that I’ve had time to experience it for a month or so, I wanted to share a few things I’ve learned from our postponement that will hopefully be helpful to you, too.
If you want to go back to read about our postponement process up to this point, check out this postponement announcement blog post, and this blog post about our new wedding date!
1. Contact each of your vendors immediately when you decide to postpone
This probably doesn’t apply to most of you (assuming the people who are going to postpone have already decided to do so!), but I think this is so important if you’re still deciding. We made a little chart of the vendors who were most important to us (mainly our ceremony and reception venues) and worked backwards to find a new date.
AKA, we found all the dates that our ceremony and reception venues lined up, then cross-checked that with our band, photographer, caterer, florist, etc. and picked the date where MOST of our vendors lined up. Next: Work quickly to replace your unavailable vendors and secure new contracts! I found that my unavailable vendors were all helpful in suggesting new ones.
2. Try to celebrate your original wedding date in a special way
Sadly, Rudd and I were forced to be apart during our original April 4th date – the lockdown and state line travel bans had just been put in place. BUT, my sweet family still made it a fun day for me with a little wedding brunch and it was still very special. If you can’t be with your fiancé due to Covid-19 or long distance, plan a Zoom or FaceTime date! Do a virtual-champagne-cheers and play your first dance song. Anything to make it fun! If you can do that in person – even BETTER! You could even get a cake frosted in white icing from a local bakery and practice feeding each other a bite – lol!
3. Use this “extra” planning time to refine details that slipped through the cracks
Did you plan on personalized wedding favors but never got around to it? Maybe gifts for your wedding party got pushed to the last minute and now you have extra time? Or maybe you wished you could have one more trial run for your hair style, but it seemed too close to the big day? Do that stuff NOW! This extra little bit of time can make all the difference when it comes to the details – try to view that as a blessing!
4. Don’t sweat the RSVP’s
With a new date, it’s inevitable that people who could come for your original date, won’t be able to make it on your new date, and people who couldn’t come before might be able to come now! People in your wedding party might even have prior commitments, especially if your postponement date isn’t too far from your original one. One of my bridesmaids might not be there for our new date and it definitely makes me sad, but is one of the things that is out of our control! Go ahead and decide that you won’t worry about who can and can’t come, because no one could have ever planned for this.
5. Stay on top of your thank you notes
This has been my rule of thumb even before we had to postpone, but I think it’s so helpful to write thank you notes as you receive gifts! (I use these embossed, monogrammed notecards.) In other words, don’t let your list pile up until you have 50 to write all at once. You’ll likely get more gifts before your wedding than after your wedding now that there is more time to do so! When you receive a gift, just write the thank you note and drop it in your mailbox that same day!
6. Shop for honeymoon outfits
All I’m saying is that more time before your wedding just means more time to shop for honeymoon outfits! ? Check out my recent blog post with some honeymoon outfit inspiration. Speaking of honeymoons, your plan for your post-wedding trip has likely changed dramatically as well! If your wedding is in the very near future, hopping on a flight might not sound so fun (or safe) anymore.
My advice: Think about spending your honeymoon somewhere stateside, within driving distance! It might not be what you originally pictured, but I promise you’ll have just as much fun wherever you are – it’s the person you’re with that matters most! Alternatively, you could always think about postponing your trip for the future which will give you something to look forward to (and even more time to shop – haha!)
I’m so thankful for all of my fellow brides who have reached out to me through this process – we’re all in this together! Wishing all of you the very best as you navigate this challenging time to be a bride – I’m always just a DM or an e-mail away!
