As we all know, and that it’s the only news we ever see these few days, Covid 19 is a new virus that can cause respiratory disease and it can be spread easily person-to-person. Because of this, everyone has been asked to practice social distancing and couples are left with hard decisions regarding postponing or cancelling their wedding.
We strongly advise postponing your wedding rather than cancelling your big day. Not only does this decision mean you do not lose your deposit and the time you spent to secure your wedding and team, it also means that you are keeping your wedding suppliers in business.
Over the next couple of months the wedding industry and all its vendors (yes that’s us too!) will be facing some of the toughest conditions of any sector, with bans on gatherings coming in worldwide. We do know that this will pass, and love will conquer. The health and safety of you and your loved ones is far more important and it is strongly recommended that weddings that are within eight weeks are postponed or cancelled until further notice. So, how do you communicate with your guests about the postponement?
The first step is to make sure you maintain a clear and frequent communication with your guest. This is a stressful time for everyone, some more than others and it helps to stay positive, if we stick together and work for the greater good life can again take on some normality.
- Ensure that you have all your guests’ current contact details, this could be a good time to update all addresses in your Paperlust address book.
- You may consider starting a social media group or chat group using whatsapp/facebook where guests can be kept up to date.
Suggested wording to announce your wedding postponement to your guest
If you already decided the new date
I hope this email finds you well, and that you and your loved ones are safe during this difficult time. The current outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) has been declared a pandemic by The World Health Organization. (Insert partner’s name) and I agreed that our guests’ safety is the utmost priority this time around, therefore we’ve decided to postpone our wedding date to (insert new wedding date). Thank you for all your love and we look forward to celebrating with you in (insert month)!
If you haven’t decided the new date
I hope this email finds you well, and that you and your loved ones are safe during this difficult time. As the world is now facing a global pandemic of COVID-19, it has been a hard time for everyone. In light of the situation, we have made the tough decision to change our date so we can celebrate safely. We are currently working to secure a new date and will be in touch with you as soon as it is finalized.
We hope for nothing but the safety of all our beloved guests. Please contact us directly with any questions. Thank you for all your love.
- Not all guests have access to a computer or mobile so you may consider mailing a printed postponement card to them once the details of your postponed wedding has been confirmed.
- With Joy is a wedding website (and paperlust partner) that can help communicate your new wedding plans as smoothly as possible with tools such as announcement banners, E-Cards, Live streaming, live photo albums and hide the date function.
Other considerations
As most people are having the same concern over safety in this period, please keep in mind that your wedding is not the only one being postponed. There is a high volume of weddings which are being rescheduled to late 2020, resulting in some venues not being able to accommodate new weddings during the weekend. It might be worth considering rescheduling your wedding to an off-peak day, such as Monday to Thursday. The most important thing is initiating a discussion with your vendors about the available options for a new date.
Another thing to consider is we know that some plans are not meant to be delayed. Postponing a wedding is a hard pill to swallow and that is totally okay for you to feel that way. You can choose to elope for now and have your reception at a later date when the world starts to calm down. An elopement announcement at this time of the year can be a good news among all the bad. Any of our invitation designs can be modified to an elopement announcement, so if you need any assistance in doing this, we are here to help!
It will be a bumpy road ahead of all of us but there is no need to panic. In times such as now, the most important thing is your own safety. Take this time as a way to reconnect with your beloved ones at home and take good care of each other.
Our team at Paperlust will still be around to help you walk through your plans. The wedding might be postponed, but the plans are still there. Our website is accessible 24/7 so you can always customise any designs and place your order without having your date finalised.
We are also offering existing customers save the date free digital postponement cards (with pretty designs and fonts) to share with your guests by email or text if you need a way to tell them about the postponement. However if you have the same love of printed cards as we do, and would like a reprint of a previous order, we are also offering 40% off on any stationery that requires reprints due to the change of plans.