With all that has been going on, this question is on every fall brides mind “Do I really need to postpone my 2020 wedding?” Today’s guest post is from an expert Washington D.C based wedding planner, Aimee Griffin. Her work has been seen in Washingtonian Weddings, Martha Stewart, Style Me Pretty, Magnolia Rouge, and Wedding Chicks. Here are her suggestions for things she discusses with her recently engaged couples.
*updated December 14, 2020
3 Steps to Help You Decide If You Should Postpone Your Fall Wedding
We’re sharing our approach here to help couples with fall weddings in September, October and November 2020 weigh their postponement options.
We’ve received many questions from Fall 2020 couples about postponing their wedding, including September weddings, October weddings, and November weddings. We’re sharing our approach here to help couples with Fall 2020 weddings weigh their postponement options.
The top challenges facing Fall 2020 wedding couples are the uncertainty of what dates are safe, and their guests’ concerns about traveling to the wedding and being in larger groups. Of you are getting married in September, October or November of 2020, read carefully and come back often as we’ll be updating this post as necessary.
1. Address the uncertainty by making a plan.
Make a plan now for a contingency date and ask your vendors for their current availability. Most creative partners would gladly rebook your wedding rather than cancel.
Ask your creative partners for any updated postponement or cancellation policies. Their availability may change, but you now have a backup date if the situation changes.
2. Reassure your guests by sharing your plan.
Notify your guests that you may be postponing or that you are postponing and will follow up with a date.
Instead of sending a save the date, send your invitations a little earlier (10-12 weeks before your wedding) and include a note/details card saying something along the lines of:
Based on the uncertainty of these times, we created a contingency plan should we need to postpone our wedding. The health and safety of our friends and family is our top priority.
We are planning on celebrating with you on September xx, 2020 and will let you know by (date) if we need to postpone.
If you will not be able to attend, please let us know as we would love to celebrate with you.
3. Watch and Wait
Once you’ve notified your guests, it’s a waiting game to see how things will develop. We recommend setting a deadline for a decision about 4-6 weeks before your wedding. Waiting is the hardest part.
You will have the best chance of favorable postponement terms with your vendors within 30 days of your wedding date. This should be enough time for guests to adjust their plans if you’ve already notified them you may postpone. For guests traveling internationally, you may need to give them 4-8 weeks notice.
Our goal is to help you navigate these uncharted waters so you can get married and celebrate safely.
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*We will be updating this post as new information becomes available.