How to tell guests you're postponing your wedding
In life, nothing is guaranteed! Unpredictable things can happen—deployments, global pandemic, natural disasters, family emergencies, economic downfall, etc. And while no couple ever wants to consider postponing their special day, sometimes crap happens!
So, I decided to write this blog post JUST for you! Because one of the worst parts of making that decision is deciding how to notify your guests. Here’s my advice…
VIPS
Call all your family members and wedding party and let them know as soon as you’ve made the decision to change the date. Start with whoever is paying for the wedding first and then proceed from there. Involve them in the new-date decision making process if you want since these people are the most important to you.
Other Guests
If you know you are postponing, the most responsible thing to do is alert your guests RIGHT AWAY and an email is one of the quickest ways to do that. If the stress is to much, pass on this task to your bridal party, your mom, your fiance or another trusted friend. When you email them either share the date or tell them you will keep them posted (either with another email or with your wedding website) once you have it figured out.
If you want to provide reasoning, feel free to do so… or you can keep it brief by saying something like, “due to the unanticipatd Covid-19 Pandemic and the shelter-in-place orders that have been put into place…” No need to provide any more details than that! :)
Wedding Website
Using a wedding website is a quick way to keep guests informed. As you begin to nail down a new date and other logistical information, it is helpful to have it all in one place so you don’t have to copy and paste the same email multiple times. Feel free to use these ones from Basic Invite.
Do you need to mail an announcement?
This one is totally up to you! I think an email is definitely required but if you decide to send out an official “Change of Date” announcement it’s totally justified as well since this is still a formal event. Feel free to use these wordings:
Save our NEW Date
We changed our date and can’t wait to celebrate!
Please mark your calendars with our new wedding date! We’re so excited to celebrate with you!
Due to _______________________, we’re changing our date so we can celebrate safely!
Due to _______________________, we decided to elope and we’re changing the date of our wedding celebration!
Stay positive
In times like this it’s hard to see the good. But try to remember to stay positive and breath! Soon you will be married to the love of your life and be able to celebrate it with friends and family under the right circumstances and it’ll be so much better!
