How To Change Our Date Due to Covid 19: A Wedding Planners Guide to Navigating a Date Change

COVID 19 causing chaos with your wedding plans? We’re here to help! Let us walk you through the necessary steps below.

We’ve helped a dozen or so clients reschedule their weddings until later in 2020. If you keep you wedding in the same year you likely won’t incur any fees with your vendors. Postponing until the next year can come at additional costs.

Where to start?

1. Work with your venue to find dates they still have available. Being flexible and maybe selecting a Friday or off peak month like November will help to ensure that all your vendors can make the change with you.

2. Reach out to all your vendors to make sure the new date works for them.

3. Formally switch the date with your venue then follow suit with your vendors. You will likely need to sign new contracts or addendums with each vendor to secure the new date. Don’t forget your rehearsal dinner too!

4. Inform your guests. Depending on how soon your wedding is will determine the best way to inform your guests. We’ve had clients send formal printed information like what’s below. We’ve also had clients whose weddings were very soon so they let people know via phone and email. Do whatever makes the most sense for you and your guests.

5. Change your hotel block. Most hotels are allowing you to transfer hotel blocks if they have availability without penalty. There may be a different rate but you can usually still keep your rooms with them.

6. Update your timeline with any needed changes based on the date change. Did you pick a Friday instead of a Saturday? Maybe you are having a later ceremony or the mass time is different?

7. Communicate any pertinent changes to your vendors.

8. Take a break! Once all the immediate work is done you should have time to take a break. This is all so stressful and we appreciate how challenging it was so give yourself time to breath and relax. Plan a “stay at home” date night or Zoom and drink wine with your bridesmaids. You deserve a break and with a later wedding date you should have plenty of time to take one.

Find out more about what wedding insurance is the best here.