Countless weddings have been upended by the COVID-19 crisis. Here are 5 strategies to help rescue your wedding from COVID-19 with as little stress and financial burden as possible.
5 Ways to Rescue Your Wedding From COVID-19
Wedding planners have the ability to foresee and avoid potential hazards during the planning process. However, we and many other wedding professionals didn’t see this one coming. We’ve been working on several “wedding rescues” during this unprecedented time, and here are a 5 strategies we’ve employed to get weddings back on track:
1. “We’ve Postponed, More Details To Come Soon!”
If you have decided to postpone, it is okay if you need more time to work out the details and pick a new date. Your guests will understand that this wasn’t an easy decision for you to make, and it will take time and effort to rescue your wedding from COVID-19. Send out a simple communication that announces that you have postponed and will circle back with more details. This provides your guests with the clarity they need, and you will have peace of mind as you tackle next steps.
2. Plan for a “Non-Linear” Comeback
At this time, if you’ve chosen to postpone, we recommend that you postpone as far out as possible. We’re not trying to be pessimistic or paranoid – we just want to make sure your dream wedding is secure and only needs to be rescued once from COVID-19. We certainly hope that the roll out to re-open businesses will take place in a linear fashion. However, we may take a step forward to take two steps back. We want our couples to have the wedding they dreamed about without having to compromise.
3. Negotiate As Needed
Our community of wedding professionals has been going above and beyond, helping to seamlessly rescue weddings impacted by COVID-19. Most are rescheduling without financial penalty, however, it is a challenging time to be in the wedding business. We would encourage you to be understanding of a nominal rescheduling fee or request to pay based on the original timeline.
However, if you are being asked to pay an exorbitant amount to reschedule your wedding due to COVID-19, it is not unreasonable to negotiate. Reach out and confirm the mandates and protocols being set by your local county government and health officials, and lean on the guidance of contract experts well-versed in Force Majeure. In our experience, they’ve been quite responsive and willing to help!
4. Ask For Updated Contracts
When your vendors agree to a new wedding date, ask for an updated contract for your records and any related deadlines for head counts, floor plans, payments, etc. Rescuing your wedding date has a trickle effect and you’ll need to update your planning calendar accordingly!
5. Pivot And Re-Imagine
This situation isn’t ideal for any bride, but it does present a unique opportunity to pivot and re-imagine your wedding day. If you had to postpone to a cooler month, how can you incorporate more winter-y flair? Should your menu reflect more seasonal ingredients? Revisit and refresh your mood board – or keep it the same! It’s your wedding!
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