Step one: Keep calm!
If Your Wedding Is Planned in the U.S. in April, May, June, or July
What to Know If You've Decided to Postpone
What to Do If You're Waiting to Postpone
When considering the right time to officially make the call, Here at the Wedding Coach we agree that there are a lot of variables to keep in mind. "Every situation is different, but generally speaking, to allow for a process with far less stress, we are recommending that the decision be made approximately three to five months out," she says, meaning if your wedding is scheduled through the summer, it's likely in your best interest to plan for a postponement. In order to make the decision that is best for you, your wedding, and the safety of all of your guests, consider taking the below steps.
1. Consult With Your Team: We encourage couples to speak with your entire creative team in the same swoop—your wedding planner, the venue, catering team, musicians, video and photography team, basically anyone involved in the day. "Get a pulse on a potential back-up plan and have alternate dates in place sooner in case regulations or your outlook shifts," she says. "The goal is to have all of your loved ones safely attend your big day so everyone can celebrate you. Try to think about changing a date as just that—picking up your wedding and simply moving it to a date that feels good for everyone involved so everyone can safely celebrate."
2. Recognize Your Priorities:"When we postpone a wedding, we are first and foremost determining if the venue and hotels can accommodate the new date, and after that, we’re reaching out to all vendors simultaneously to see if they can do the same, Chances are slim that your entire plan and team will be able to be carried over without any changes, and you’ll have to consider any extra fees that may be associated when determining whether to postpone later in 2020 or move to 2021, but in general you’re aiming for the least amount of changes and financial impact as possible.
3. Consider Your Guests: "Where your guests are traveling from is definitely a huge factor, Just like the availability of your venue, if your guests have made travel plans, you need to think about how much time they’ll need to make adjustments. If your guests are primarily local, she says you can likely make your final decision closer to three months out but says it's important to keep in mind that invitations should really be sent at three months to allow for an RSVP deadline of eight weeks before the wedding date. "We always recommend eight weeks to allow for seamless production (availability of décor, the printing of day-of materials, sourcing of welcome gifts, et cetera),".
If Your Wedding Is Planned in the U.S. After July
Here at The Wedding Coach, Cleveland premier wedding company we agree that "Right now is a weird time where wedding plans are either moving lightning fast or we’re all incapable of making any decisions whatsoever." The best thing you can do is create a roadmap of options so that once more info comes in, you can make quick and informed decisions."
What does The Wedding Coach recommend?
Whether your wedding is affected by COVID-19 is really up in the air right now, depending on when and where it's planned. That said, it's important to stay informed and make educated decisions as more (reliable) news becomes available. It's a waiting game right now. Things are changing day by day and week by week. Don’t do anything drastic before you have a chance to be properly informed.” Right now, our experts are recommending the below.
Weddings Planned for August: We recommend that the postponement of August weddings be determined no later than the end of April because of the timing of invitations. "We would honestly consider calling it earlier, but we think there’s a lot of crucial information coming in these next two weeks, and we want to understand the full picture before making any serious decisions."
Weddings Planned for September and Beyond: For weddings in fall, we all have a little more time, but keep in mind that it all depends on whether or not guests are traveling for your wedding, as well as your venue’s availability to accommodate a postponement.