How to Work with Vendors to Postpone Your Wedding

This time, a few months back, you must be getting butterflies. As he went down on one knee and surprised you with a gorgeous token of his love, you were on cloud nine. And ever since then, life has been an exciting roller coaster. Daydreaming about love eventually led you to daydream about your wedding! As the months went by, your wedding dreams seemed visible, right on the horizon! But it seems that the horizon keeps on moving farther now.

We know just how the coronavirus pandemic has made your wedding look like a distant dream. Summer weddings are turning into winter weddings. We totally understand your anguish and your disappointment with life. And let’s remind you that it’s ok for you to feel that way. Let it take time to sink in and for you to come to terms with it. Look at it this way - at least there’ll be a wedding, even though at a later time, but you’ll get to your special day! Appreciating what you have, think about working towards an even more rocking wedding now!

But first things first. How to go about it? Now that there has been a decision and postponement of your wedding is inevitable, you are bombarded with questions. And well, heavily stressed. While you keep thinking about the “WHY MEs?” it is important to focus on other vital questions like ‘what should be done now?’.

There are so many people and their businesses, or should we say, bread and butter associated with you. Before taking any harsh step or taking it out on your wedding vendors, you must understand what they are going through this as well. Your wedding vendors deserve your attention and respect for their time and efforts. Make being-in-the-loop with the vendors one of your priorities. We’ll show you how.

We have come up with a plan of action that you need to follow. This would not only ensure a better wedding experience for the future but also sort it out for you. At this point, nothing else matters more than your own peace of mind. So, read on to understand how should you go about postponing your wedding.

Get Set & Go
Now is the time to act. Without any delays (which could cause monetary loss to many vendors) make a final decision and act upon it. You and your partner should be clear and comfortable with your wedding being postponed. We don’t recommend cancellation so before you even consider that option, think about the domino effect it would have on everyone associated with your wedding. Cancellation would mean taking away the source of income from the vendors and to go out of business. And most of the deposits are non-refundable so cancellations would impact your financial planning as well. You’ll be rendered without a prospective wedding and without the money that you’ve already put in. Hence, the cancellation will do you no good, and postponing your wedding is a wiser decision.

Reach Out to Your venue, Vendors, and Suppliers as Soon as Possible
A-minute delay can result in a substantial economic loss to the vendor, be it the vendor who just ordered a special item in advance keeping your wedding in mind. Or the supplier who has just purchased a costly bulk order for your wedding. On a humanitarian level, you would want to avoid that scenario. Therefore, your vendors are the next best people that you need to inform about the postponement of your wedding. The best way to do that is by sending an e-mail. That would document your conversation and updates regarding your wedding. For a wedding that’s right around the corner, call and then follow it up by a formal email. Do not forget to ask for an acknowledgment of the receipt of your email.

Chalk Out a Plan
Talk to your wedding planner and prepare a risk assessment chart. That would indicate the financial implications of your wedding being postponed. Let the planner review all the contracts with your vendors. In case you don’t have a wedding planner, you can get in touch with your tent provider, caterer, photographer, and other such vendors.

Check for Availability
The first place to call to check for availability is the wedding venue. Whether you and your partner have decided on a new wedding date or not, irrespective of that, call the wedding venue to let them know about the postponement and ask for alternate dates in the near future. And in the event of non-availability, you can go ahead with a different venue. There are various other kinds of venues which would be easy on your pockets too! In fact, if nothing else works out, backyard weddings are a total rage currently. Don’t believe us? Click here to see how a backyard wedding can give you an experience of a lifetime!

Check with Your Hired Vendors
After you have got the dates for your wedding from the wedding venue, call or email the vendors to check for availability on the new date(s). Understand that with most of the weddings being postponed, the vendors might not be available for the new date anymore. Remember and be empathetic towards them as they too have to take care of their business. Understand that they are only doing their job, like literally! So, practice a bit of yoga and deep breathing and then look at the other options!

Discuss and Plan for Additional Costs
A postponed wedding means letting go of any perishable items that have already been purchased for your wedding and the losses resulting from that. Things like flowers or food items have to be accounted for and considered before you move ahead with your new wedding date. Discuss in detail with your wedding planner and vendors about the expenses already made or accounted for and work out on the future budget considering the past expenses.

It’s important to understand how along with you and your partner, the vendors have also been affected by this pandemic. Therefore, the most important part of handling the postponement is timing. Keeping the above-mentioned points in mind would not only get you your peace of mind but also work wonders towards your relationship with your vendors. For more wedding inspiration, read the rest of our blog.