What You Need to Know About Postponing Your Wedding During the Coronavirus
Life everywhere looks very different today than it ever has before. These are unprecedented times and if, like many engaged couples around the world, you’re wrestling with the possibility of postponing your wedding, we want you to know that we’re here to help and support you through that process.
Most importantly, here’s what we at Strawberry Milk Events want you to know:
You WILL still marry the love of your life! Your wedding, whenever and wherever it ultimately happens, will be magical and beautiful and the memories will be full of love and joy, not stress and anxiety.
We are here to pivot with you, adjust plans and work with our network of seasoned, professional vendors to move the wedding you’ve been dreaming of, to a brand new date.
First things first, we want to answer some of your most pressing questions and provide you with additional resources to help make this big decision a little bit easier.
Should we postpone or should we cancel?
First and foremost you need to do what is best and safest for you and your guests. Right now that means abiding by recommendations from the CDC and WHO, and not holding gatherings of more than 10 people.
Assuming your ideal celebration will be spent surrounded by many more loved ones than that, you’ll need to choose a new date and wait this out.
However, that does not mean that you need to scrap all of the time and effort you’ve already put into planning, cancel your event and then start over from scratch. Consider the fact that if you do cancel — as opposed to postponing your wedding — you will likely not only lose your deposits, but also may not be able to re-book the ideal vendors that you love right now, for your new date.
Some of you are considering throwing in the towel – you felt so close to the wedding planning finish line and now there is no exact end in sight. The thought of pushing to summer and fall with no guarantee this will all be over by then is daunting – and God forbid you have to push it again if this thing doesn’t get better soon.
PLEASE, please don’t give up – don’t get discouraged. Don’t get us wrong – it’s definitely not ideal, but we’re all in this together.
Just think of how much sweeter the celebration will finally be once you have all your family, friends and loved ones in the same room. How highly anticipated this moment will be – not only for you, but also for your family and friends!
If you need/want to legally get married for any reason on or close to your original date, some are considering an intimate ceremony with an officiant or trip to the courthouse, while still saving the wedding and celebration for later when everyone can join you. This is the difference between a marriage and a wedding/celebration. We think this is fine if necessary!
Our sincere belief is that the best course of action is to keep the planner and team of vendors that you have right now and work closely with them to choose a new date, and hopefully, this will be the path of least change for everyone.
How the Postponement Process Will Work:
Your wedding team is still open for business and working hard behind the scenes to accommodate all of the necessary logistical changes that come along with changing a wedding date and/or location.
Even if you do not currently have an experienced planner to help you, remember that it is not too late to hire one to make the postponement process go more smoothly. We know this is a stressful time and would love the opportunity to serve you and your family through it. If you are ready for professional help, please contact us here.
We will help you work with vendors to set new dates and create a look and vibe you’ll adore, even if it is different than what you originally anticipated.
Benefits to Booking Now, for Future Events:
They say there’s a silver lining to every cloud, right? We think getting your choice of late Summer, Fall or holiday wedding dates and vendors is certainly one in this situation!
Even though there is uncertainty at this moment, the one thing you and your fiancé are certain of is that you want to get married. That is not going to change, so why not maximize the time at home to interview and hire a planner and begin your planning process?
Not only will it put you ahead of the game when this crisis has passed, but it can also be a bright light and a happy distraction during the next several weeks.
Additional Resources
For even more information, we are pointing you to some of our most trusted and beloved industry publications to help make this process a little bit easier:
Martha Stewart Weddings
https://www.marthastewartweddings.com/7682327/coronavirus-covid19-wedding-planning
Harper’s Bazaar
Vogue
If you do end up postponing your wedding, please know we sympathize with you and know it wasn’t easy – whether you had a choice or not. These are unprecedented times and we’re sorry you had to experience this!
To everyone during this time: whether your family has had to postpone a wedding, funeral, birthday (or have a baby with no visitors allowed), or you’re out of work…our hearts and prayers are with each of you! Together, we will get through it. We can’t wait to celebrate with you all soon!