Covid-19 Delaying Your Wedding Day?
Totally vulnerable informational blog coming up. We are 3 weeks into Covid-19 wedding day postponements and I have got to say, after 10 years of running Verve, this has been the most emotionally draining time for me. Over 120 weddings postponed and counting. Everyday I wake up to 3+ messages of new postponement emails. I am not upset at this, I understand fully what is going on and will make sure our brides are taken care of.. I am losing sleep, not sleeping well when I do and am in a constant state of worry. I am not letting that get the best of me though because now, more than ever, myself & our team need to be here for our couples who are going through an even tougher time as they make the difficult decision to postpone their day. A decision no couple should have to make. This time of uncertainty is difficult for everyone and we hope that we can be a positive impact in this time to help you through.
Has Covid-19 affected your wedding day? Are you a late summer or fall bride worrying that this may affect your day? We cannot predict the future, but we can tell you where we are at currently during this pandemic and also where we feel we will be down the road. Most importantly, we will help you navigate through this.
Which months have we seen be affected, where is everyone at?
March 21 - May 15 have 100% postponed
May 16 - May 29 we have approx 2 weddings left on the fence or working with their venues on a plan but not have officially postponed yet
June 1 - June 30 About 40% of our June weddings have postponed. Many have family travelling in so they've made this decision earlier than others
July forward we have not had any postponements
What if my wedding is June & beyond?
If your wedding is in June, please work with your venues. They will ultimately be the deciding factor on when you can postpone. Some are allowing it anytime, other venues are allowing a smaller window of opportunity. Meaning that they will only consider a postponement within 3 weeks of your original date while others will allow their June brides to postpone their weddings as soon as today. Some are allowing weddings to book into 2021, others are only allowing you to book in 2020 and choosing weekdays Monday-Thursday. These are questions you should be asking your venue coordinator now, or having your wedding planner communicate. If a postponement is even remotely on your radar, start the discussion now.
I do feel couples June 1 - June 15 should be thinking of postponing...not sure if that would be the popular opinion at this point as a wedding vendor, but I personally would much rather know my guests and myself feel 100% safe celebrating our big day with us, especially with what it costs to have a wedding. I do not feel end of June brides & beyond need to worry at this point.
If you do not have a wedding planner or day of coordinator, now may be a good time to look at one to help you navigate through this situation, below are some general guidelines and 'must-do's'
How do we even begin to postpone our wedding that took 2 years to plan?!
Don't panic!! If you have hired a wedding planner, let them do all of the work for you!! (That's what we are here for!!) If you have not hired a planner, don't panic!!
The first thing you'll want to do is start with your venue and gather 3-5 dates that work. Be prepared that your peak season Saturday wedding may need to be postponed to an off peak Thursday wedding and you more than likely will not be receiving cash back on that. However, if you find yourself in that position, chat with your venue about any upgrades they may be willing to offer you! Keep in mind, they are working with you to ensure the day you've been waiting for is absolutely perfect, respect and value of their time & services will go a long way!
Now, shoot those prospective dates out to your vendors IMMEDIATELY! We love Doodle.com ! It is a platform that allows you to shoot out multiple dates to multiple emails with a message and all they need to do is check off the dates they are free. It is quick, easy & saves you from multiple back & forth emails.
From here, you may get lucky and have all of your vendors available on the same date (yaaay!) Or, you may not be so lucky and 1 or 2 of your vendors may not be available like the rest are. This is where you need to prioritize. Have your planner review your contracts for you (or review them yourself) and see cancellation terms. The harsh reality is if you choose a date and some vendors are not free for it, you will lose your payments already made. You will then also have to go ahead and choose new vendors for those categories. As a reminder...please be respectful with your vendors. You are postponing 1 wedding. Odds are, they are postponing 10-100+ weddings depending on the vendor. Every vendor we have worked with so far has been super accommodating and have worked with our couples to ensure they are taken care of.
Okay, now we have a new date & confirmed with our vendors...now what?
Ensure that you receive an updated contract from each vendor showing your up to date payments as well as the new date reflected. You may have to sacrifice a certain photographer, hair artist, videographer, makeup artist etc for someone else from the company in order to keep your vendor.
Get started on your change the date! You can check out our instagram @weddings_with_verve for suggestions on wording. Many companies are even offering free templates! We love Canva.com - we suggest even searching 'save the dates' & just changing the wording!
Once you have your Change the Date ready to go...text and/or email it out to everyone. It is much more sustainable and budget friendly. Don't worry if it feels informal, you will still be sending a new invite in the mail
Now, for your new invites! Most companies are offering to reprint your invites with the date change FREE OF CHARGE!! Minted and Zazzle are two that are. Check with whoever did your invites first and see if they will work with you. If you have to reprint, not the end of the world. You can always do something less 'extra' if you had lots of pockets, surprises and flair to your original ones. Trust us, no one will care. They will be much happier knowing that they still get to be a part of your celebration!
If you've already sent invites & had some RSVP 'no' to the original date, you should still send them a new invite for the new date.
Phew, we made it this far! Change the dates/updated invites are out & we are officially enjoying our engagement for a bit longer than expected....what else should we do?
Check in with your bridal salon & grooms wear provider to check on anything you may need to be aware of as far as storing your garments & fitting schedules
If you've had signage or favors made with the original date you'll need to figure out how to edit those or have new ones made
If your honeymoon was booked you will want to communicate with your travel agent to change the date
Keep in close contact with your wedding planner, they will be able to let you know of anything else personal to your wedding that may need to be changed or re thought to accommodate the new date (such as timing for ceremony, sunset photos etc)
We are here for you, whether or not you are a current Verve bride. Please reach out with questions, concerns or if you just need to vent. One thing is for sure....when all of this is over, your family & friends are going to WANT AND NEED a big celebration!!!!! Your vows will mean a little bit more, the hello's, hugs & thank you's for coming will all be felt on a deeper level & your day will still be celebrated with the family & friends you love the most. Which is way more important than having a certain anniversary date.
P.S....Please wash your hands.
