How to Survive (and Actually Enjoy) Postponing Your Wedding
If you were a 2020 bride, it’s likely you have postponed your wedding due to coronavirus. Between the toll the virus has taken and the restrictions on group gatherings, weddings just weren’t possible in most cases. My husband and I were lucky enough to have a covid elopement and legally tie the knot. But our destination wedding in France has been postponed until next summer. Having a coronavirus wedding postponement was a bummer, but we had to prioritize our guest’s safety and ability to travel with ease. My destination wedding planner made rescheduling the wedding weekend as easy as possible, and I definitely learned a lot in the process. Here are my tips for postponing your wedding due to coronavirus (or really for any reason).
Stay Open Minded and Flexible
We have some other pretty big commitments lined up for next Spring and Summer, so finding a new date was tricky. While Friday and Saturday weddings are more traditional, we ended up having to settle on a mid-week date. Summer is peak wedding season, and you aren’t just competing with 2021 brides, but with all the 2020 brides that had to reschedule their weddings! While you may have had your heart set on a particular date, staying flexible will make the postponing process so much easier. Our priority was finding a date that worked for all our vendors so we wouldn’t lose our deposits. If you are having scheduling conflicts between vendors, prioritize the ones you can’t live without or paid the largest nonrefundable deposit to. Let the rest of the chips fall where they may!
Just note – if you have to pick a day or time that may be less convenient for guests, think of extra things you can do to give them a better experience. Consider a big welcome cocktail, after-wedding brunch, or organizing a local activity.
Take Your Time Finding Your Perfect Wedding Dress
Everyone spends months trying to figure out what to wear to a wedding. Your wedding dress is one of the most important elements of the big day. If you felt rushed choosing a dress or are feeling less enthusiastic about saying yes to the dress, here’s your chance to fix that! Stores may be opening soon and you’ll have a fresh new bridal collection to choose from. Or you can turn to custom wedding dress designer, Anomalie, for a fully custom gown. I got my wedding dress online with Anomalie and it was an amazing experience.
If you are still in love with your dress, complete your bridal look with the right shoes and accessories. If your new wedding date is in a different season than you originally planned, you may want to think of ways to tweak your look.
Enjoy Having More Time to Plan Your Wedding
Wedding planning can be stressful, to say the least. Even under normal circumstances, figuring out how to plan a wedding takes a huge amount of time, energy and money. Not to mention all the pre-wedding events you may have had to cancel! Having a few extra months to plan will help ease the stress of the planning process, give you more time to research vendors if you haven’t fully committed, and rethink tiny details that will make or break your day. Just do yourself a favor and spend less time on Pinterest! You don’t want to fall into a wedding planning rabbit hole and end up rethinking all your plans. If you have one, work with your wedding coordinator or wedding event planner to finalize details. If you haven’t enlisted a pro, see if anyone in your bridal party or your friends and family want to chip in to assist.
And if you didn’t already (or just want a do-over!) plan yourself a kick ass bachelorette trip! Whether with your bridal party and friends, or a solo vacation so you can practice self-care, plan a fun and refreshing weekend before the big day.
Take the Opportunity to Manage Your Wedding Budget
One more advantage of a wedding postponement – getting the chance to save more money! Weddings are expensive; figuring out how to pay for your wedding is one of the biggest stressors. Should your parents help pay for your wedding? That really all depends on your and your families circumstances. In our case, we are paying for everything on our own. As disappointed as we were to have to postpone, it does take a pretty big financial burden off our shoulders this year.
If you’ve been going crazy over wedding related expenses, give yourself a breather. Coronavirus has had a huge impact on the economy and everyone’s financial situation, so take the opportunity to reset and rethink your budget. If you need to cut wedding costs to save money, go ahead! If you are able to save up and feeling more flush, you may even want to spend more! If you are increasing your budget, think of something worth it to splurge on. That may be fancier flowers, a signature cocktail, or supplementing travel costs for some of your guests.
And remember – use the time to practice self-care!
2020 has been pretty tough. You may still be reeling from the pandemic and its devastating effects. If wedding planning has been stressful for you, take a break from it! Postponing will give you time to put your wedding plans on pause and pick them up when you are ready. If you have one, your event planner or event coordinator can let you know when it’s time to get back into action. If you are planning your wedding on your own or having a DIY wedding, set up a to do list and reminders on your calendar. Just make sure you are taking care of you!
