In Part One of our series, The Reality of Postponement, we brought in Moments by Madeleine Weddings & Events to help you navigate the decision of postponing your wedding, and the 7 steps to take if you do in fact have to postpone.
Today, we’re giving you 6 tips that will help make the wedding postponement process a little easier to handle, and will help you with stress management during this difficult time. We also brought in 3 of our Wedding Planner Members to give you some valuable advice of their own!
PLUS we have a special freebie for you! Two email templates to help you communicate with your vendors! If you’re not sure how to go about contacting your vendor team in regards to postponement, and confirming their availability, policies, and contract amendments, these email templates are going to be the perfect resource for you! You’ll find the download link at the bottom of this post, but for now, let’s get to our 6 tips for a smoother postponement process!!
one.
Kindness Wins
The first rule in any kind of stressful situation should be to show kindness. You’re stressed, your vendors are stressed, your mother is stressed, your fiancé’s great aunt is stressed… (haha the world is stressed right now honestly.)
We’re all experiencing this crazy time together, and trying to make the best of it as we go. So do your best to be kind to your vendors; they are bending over backwards and making huge exceptions to their contracts, all the while losing income for the next few months and having their next year’s income cut down significantly with moved dates!
It’s an simple tip… but when you are kind (and calm), it will help those around you to be the same.
two.
Look at Your Contracts
As soon as start considering postponing your wedding to another date, make sure to look at your vendor contracts and ask your vendors if they’ve made any amendments due to the current circumstances. Most vendors will have added Covid clauses to their contracts or have new amendments regarding changed dates, transferrable fees, etc.
It’s also important to realize that non-refundable deposits (the ones you gave to most of your vendor team) are there to not only protect your vendors, but to help you! Your vendors want to help you find your new date, and they are trying their best to be flexible and help you in every way they can. By securing a deposit, your vendor has a vested interested in helping you during this postponement process.
three.
Nail Down a Plan
You’re going to want to make a decision (and find a new date) as soon as you can. Check out our last post to see what your choices are, and whether or not waiting is an option depending on your wedding date.
But the sooner you find a new date, and let everyone know, the sooner your guests can make arrangements for your new date, and you can rest easy knowing the decision is made, your vendor team is set, and your planning can recommence.
(Plus the longer you wait, the harder it is going to be to find a new date that all your vendors can make work, because they’re currently talking to other couples about their new dates as well).
four.
Set Your Priorities
Finding a date that works with all of your vendors… and the venue… and your family members… isn’t going to be easy.
So it’s crucial that you think about what’s most important to you and what your non-negotiables are!
NEED your photo/video team, but you don’t mind switching up the venue? Is getting married on a Saturday important to you, or would a weekday work okay? Grandparents are a must, but they’re limited on travel?
Make a list of your top priorities! This will be really great to have later on if any conflicts arise, and will help you make decisions based what’s important to you!
five.
Be Flexible
We know you’ve spent the last few months (or years!) envisioning exactly what your day was going to look like, and planning things down to the smallest detail…
Our hope for you is that the postponement process is wrinkle-free, and everything works out exactly how you want it to! BUT, in case it doesn’t… try your best to adapt to the situation and be flexible. There are some things you can control, and some things (like a global pandemic…) that you just can’t.
Small issues and obstacles pop up all the time for weddings happening in the best of circumstances… so we can pretty safely assume you’re going to encounter some bumps along the way.
Coming to terms with that now will help you deal with it better (or at least react to it better) if and when it does happen.
six.
Remember What’s Important
Planning a wedding is stressful under normal circumstances, and with all the pressure of planning that “perfect wedding”, the task may seem unsurmountable right now.
We have a couple thoughts on this.
First of all, there’s no such thing as a perfect wedding (trust us). Secondly, (as much as we love beautiful weddings) your wedding is not about the decor, and the colour palette, and the floral archway; it’s about you celebrating the fact that you get to marry the love of your life. And that’s the truth.
Think about what is truly important to you. Your future husband? The life you’re going to build together? Your family? Your friends? Remind yourself about those most important things, and try to be grateful for what you do have. You’d be surprised at how just focusing on gratitude will change your outlook completely throughout this whole process, and even help with stress management.
Not sure how to start the conversation of postponement with your vendors?
We are happy to share 2 email templates with you, created by Moments by Madeleine herself, to help you connect and communicate effortlessly with your vendor team!
Click here to download
From our Community:
We are lucky to have such an incredible Member Community at Bronte Bride, with vendors that are more than happy to share their knowledge and expertise with brides searching for more information. Three amazing wedding planners from our guide (launching soon) have each offered up a piece of advice to help you through this process!
You are not alone
From Coco + Ash Events
“Remembering that we are all in this together should be something we all remind ourselves in times like these. And whether that provides comfort to you now or down the road, also know that you are allowed to grieve. It sucks, we all know it and we all feel it. But I encourage couples impacted by COVID-19 to lean on your people. Your fiancé, your family, your friends and fellow brides and grooms around you. Reach out and ask for help, there is no shame in doing so and you wont be the only one doing it. Rely on your planner to navigate the uncertainty and constant changes- that’s why you hired us after all! You invested in an all-star vendor team and it is in a time like this that we can all carry each other to finish line. And remember, love can’t be cancelled.”
trust your vendors
From Moments by Madeleine Weddings & Events
“We, as your wedding vendors, are navigating this uncertain time alongside you. No one could have foreseen this happening and it affecting wedding season the way it has. Please show your vendors some grace during these times, even with a reschedule we are seeing our incomes change and becoming more and more delayed. We want to support you and we are all trying to do our best while supporting our households and make the best decisions for both our couples and our companies. Most vendors are offering for payments made up to this point to be moved toward the new date. Full-on cancellations will more than likely result in a loss of all non-refundable deposits and retainers. We are ready to support and communicate with you during this difficult time so we can ensure your wedding happens at a time that is safe for you and your loved ones.”
take care of yourself
From Blush & Co Events
“With new information coming out every day, many of us are finding it difficult to distance ourselves from the news. While we think it’s extremely important to stay up to date, we also encourage you to take a break from the noise and carve out some time for yourself. You can start by being mindful of your physical and mental health by taking the necessary steps to support a healthy immune system through a well balanced diet, drinking plenty of water and getting lots of rest. Stay active by going for a walk or run, taking in some yoga or signing up for a virtualworkout class. Another great way to support your mental health is by staying connected with the people who are important to you, perhaps Skype a relative you haven’t spoken to in a while or schedule a group Zoom call with your closest friends. Need some more suggestions? Why not try one of these seven ‘self-care’ activities to help get you through the week: Meditate, Create a vision board, Write in your journal, Listen to a podcast, Cook your favourite meal, Read a book, or Declutter your space.”
photography by Nicole Field
MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU
FREEBIES!
one.
Not sure how to tell your guests about the postponement? Send them one of these beautiful digital Postponement Cards!
We’ve got 2 FREE options for you below: “Save Our New Date” for couples who’ve already set a new date, and “Change of plans” for couples postponing, but don’t have all the details figured out yet. Download these stunning designs by clicking the images!
Click here to download
Designed exclusively for Brontë Bride by Vertala Design Co.
two.
We designed a digital, printable, wedding postponement checklist that includes space for vendors, notes, date options, first & new dates, and of course a complete checklist to help you stay organized and calm throughout the postponement process!
Click here to download
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