How to Reschedule, Postpone or Cancel Your Wedding | COVID-19 Coronavirus
Were you scheduled to get married in the next twelve months? If so, that may not be happening due to the recent outbreak of COVID-19. This virus is sweeping through the United States, and it currently has no cure or vaccine. The soonest a vaccine can be available to the public is in eighteen months!
Dozens of countries around the world have forced their citizens into a mandatory quarantine, and some states in the U.S. have done the same. Even if your city isn’t under a mandatory quarantine or social distancing regulation, it’s still probably time to think about canceling or postponing your wedding.
5 Tips for Canceling or Postponing your wedding
1. Keep yourself informed. There’s a lot of information out there, and not all of it is accurate or informative. Right now, the CDC is recommending weddings be canceled for about eight weeks or until May 15th, 2020. However, that can change at any moment. If you have a wedding planner, then they will be up to date on all these details, but if you don’t, then it’s up to you to stay informed.
2. Talk to your insurance company or wedding planner. If you have wedding insurance, this should be the first call you make once you decide to reschedule your wedding. There are so many costs that come with preparing a wedding that you need to check with your insurance company before you start reaching out to all of your vendors. It’s unlikely that your insurance will cover Coronavirus, but it may cover other costs.
3. Speak to your venue THEN your vendors! The next step is to talk to the owners of the venue. It’s important to know what reschedule days they have available before you start alternative planning. If the only dates they have available are in the New Year, 2021, then start inquiring about sister properties that may be able to accommodate your wedding. At this time, it’s also imperative that you keep an open mind when it comes to available dates. For example, you may not have the option of a Saturday, but you may be able to get married on a Friday, Sunday, or even a Wednesday. Once you have some options, contact your vendors and see who’s available. If they are unable to make the alternative dates, they should be able to recommend a trusted replacement.
4. Consider your finances. There’s a good chance you’re going to lose a little bit of money when it comes to rescheduling or canceling your wedding, especially when it comes to prepaid fees and final payments on non-refundable goods or services. Take some time to review your vendors’ cancellation policies and see if there’s anything you’ve missed in the fine print. Most vendors make provisions for acts of God. However, some don’t.
5. Alert your guests. Finally, you want to let your guests know that your wedding will be canceled or postponed. This is the last step because if you are delaying your wedding, it’s nice to be able to give your guests a new date for the ceremony. If you’re canceling entirely or for the foreseeable future, then it’s a little more stressful when it comes to alerting your guests, especially if they have to come in from out of town or they are participating in your wedding, but unfortunately, it still has to be done.
It’s understandable to be worried, considering the drastic day-to-day changes that have been happening all over the world. The most important thing to do is to stay as calm and rational as possible. As long as it doesn’t stress you out more, stay up to date on everything about the Coronavirus. If you find the coverage to be overwhelming and stressful, limit your intake of information to trusted and reliable resources. Make a plan with your insurance company or your wedding planner to reschedule all the details of your wedding, and then start preparing for an awesome ceremony once this is all over.