Hey Gang,
It’s safe to say we never thought we’d be writing an article on templates to postpone weddings due to a pandemic, but here we are. Our thoughts are with you as we all navigate this difficult time.
We’ve been inspired by the positivity that so many of you guys are sharing right now, and we’re so proud of our industry – the way that we’re all coming together to manage this tricky situation is, quite frankly, bloody amazing.
Deciding whether to proceed with your wedding is a question on a lot of couple’s minds right now, especially since the newly required distancing rules and the restrictions on weddings having no more than five people (being the couple, the celebrant and two witnesses). Keep in mind, the 4 square metre rule still applies. Find more information via the Government’s website here.
If you are sensibly weighing up the option of changing your wedding plans, we’d always strongly advise you postpone rather than cancel your big day. Not only will this decision mean you won’t be losing money that you’d put down on deposits to secure your wedding team, but you’ll be keeping your amazing suppliers in business. It’s a very tough landscape out there right now, with postponements due to COVID-19 meaning that much of the industry won’t see any income for months. And there’s no firm end in sight.
Also, we’d also encourage you to consider being open to rescheduling your wedding to a weekday or ‘off-peak’ day – basically, Monday to Thursday. With the volume of weddings from the first half of 2020 now being moved to late 2020 and into 2021, it means that many businesses simply won’t be able to keep the doors open if all their weekends are taken and they can’t book in new couples.
Even as we type this, we realise this is tricky for many. We completely recognise this isn’t a decision that you’re probably making voluntarily. You didn’t ask to be put in a position where you were forced to reschedule your wedding, so there may understandably be some resistance to this idea. But we wanted to share this with you, because we know for some venues and vendors, it’s the only thing they can offer right now in order to keep the lights on. We all need to be gentle with each other and work together to find compromise that will mean you get to have the best damn party ever.
On the topic of communication, there are a few quick and nifty ways of sending mass comms to your guests. We’ve outlined these here:
Have any other suggestions? We’d love to hear from you and share them. Send us a DM on Instagram or pop them in the comments on the bottom of this article.
If you haven’t made the tricky decision whether to proceed or postpone your wedding, then take a read of our article answering a bunch of frequently answered questions on COVID-19 + weddings here.
OK, here are some templates and assets we hope may be helpful for you.
Postponing Template – TO SEND TO YOUR VENUE/VENDORS
Hi {VENUE/VENDOR NAME},
I hope this email finds you well, and that you and your loved ones are safe during this difficult time. Due to the current situation surrounding the coronavirus, we’re concerned about proceeding with our wedding and putting our guests and wedding A-team (you guys) at risk. We’re sure this situation has put you under a lot of stress as we know it’s impacting many people right now and our thoughts are with you.
Due to the uncertainty of the next few weeks/months, we wanted to touch base to see what our options are when it comes to rescheduling our wedding with your team.
(IF UNSURE OF FUTURE DATE PREFERENCE:) Is it possible to postpone the date and reschedule once we’ve had an opportunity to speak to some of our guests and vendors?
(IF YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE ON DATES:) We’d very much appreciate if you could please share your availability for the months of X, X and X, 2020/2021.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Kindest,
{NAME + NAME}
Postponing Template – TO SEND TO YOUR GUESTS
To our lovely friends and family,
I hope this email finds you well, and that you and your loved ones are safe during this difficult time. Due to the current situation surrounding the coronavirus, we have been concerned about proceeding with our wedding and putting our loved ones at risk so we’ve decided to postpone our big day.
Not to worry though, once this has all calmed down and life has returned to normal, we’ll be putting on the best wedding yet. We can’t wait to hug you all.
(OPTIONAL IF DON’T HAVE DATE YET:) We’re still to reschedule the wedding and will let you know details once these have been confirmed.
(OPTIONAL IF HAVE DATE:) We’ve rescheduled the date for XX of Month, Year. We hope this date works for you and that you can join us to celebrate safely then.
We hope you and your families are well, and we’re sending lots of love your way. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Lots of love,
{NAME + NAME}
If you’re looking for some clever phrasing or headlines to have on your rescheduling note/invite v2, here are some ideas:
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We’re all in this together. If there’s anything we can do to help you, just hit us up on socials and we’ll be there to assist.
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Join our community of like-minded couples going through this together here in our private, couples-only Facebook group, ‘Wedchat by WedShed’.
Suggested reading:
We’ve brought together advice, articles, and inspiration on our Advice & Ideas blog to help you find your feet.