Wedding planning can be very stressful for a bride and groom under normal circumstances, let alone during a worldwide viral pandemic. Unique obstacles have continued to arise for couples planning their 2020 and 2021 weddings with many unanswered questions about what the future will hold short and long term. Hiring a professional event planner can help ease many of your frustrations, and together, they can help you create your dream wedding through these dark times to include a happy ending. First, take a deep breath and follow a few expert advice tips to navigate through this complicated experience.
Postponing or Canceling?
With advisements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they continue to urge individuals to practice social distancing and limit groups of people to no more than ten and have enforced travel restrictions for months. If you have an event scheduled for this spring or early summer, it will most definitely need to reschedule for a future date. The key to re-planning a wedding during this time is to postpone to another day rather than canceling; to avoid losing deposits since retainer fees can apply to future dates.
First Steps for Re-Planning
If your event was to take place within the next ten weeks, call your designer and florist immediately to freeze your vendors from printing any dates on stationary or from a florist creating an order for fresh blooms. The next line of communication should be with your venue to discuss what options are available for a rescheduled date. It is essential to be flexible and open to the idea of an event being hosted on a different weeknight like Friday or Sunday and considering an off-peak month since many venues will be booked with other weddings previously. It may be safest to postpone your wedding until late summer or fall, maybe even later, if you’re willing to allow the crisis to have time to diminish entirely. Choosing a date too soon may result in having to reschedule a second time, causing additional stress.
Contacting Vendors
Once you confirm with your venue, it is necessary to reach out to your event consultant and other vendors to check availability. A photographer may be the most challenging person for rescheduling due to the nature of their business. Vendors who focus on one client per day, like photographers, get booked quickly and far in advance. Other vendors, such as bakers, florists, linens, and entertainment, are more available for multiple orders on a given day. If your vendor is not available for rescheduling, be sure to review all contracts and discuss cancellations per the policy.
Let Your Guests Know of Changes
Lastly, you will need to contact your friends and family quickly so that they can adjust their schedules as well. Many of them will have additional travel expenses, such as hotel bookings, that will need rescheduling. Sending a quick electronic message through social media or email will quickly allow you to get the word out. Then, it is advised to send postponement announcements through the mail for actual headcounts when needed.
Event Planning DC provides full event planning, partial event planning, wedding planning, month-of (day-of) event coordination, event styling/design and decorating services throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia. We have access to local and national vendors who may provide additional services suitable for your event and budget. Our team prides ourselves in offering only the highest-quality event coordination, giving you and your guests the perfect day, no matter what the occasion including exclusive corporate and non-profit events, weddings, Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, community events and milestone celebrations. More information can be found online at https://www.eventplanningdc.com.