Postponing a wedding is never an easy decision. Planning a wedding in the first place is no easy task because often times, outside opinions and influences contribute to our decisions.
I hope to ease some of the stress you may be feeling if you are struggling with the decision of whether to postpone your wedding or not.
Begin by answering the following questions:
- Will I sleep better if we postpone the wedding?
- Would we, as a couple, feel a weight lifted if we postponed the wedding?
- Would we be more comfortable financially if we postponed the wedding?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any, if not all three of the above questions, then my advice to you would be to postpone your wedding.
Once you have made a decision, you may feel relieved but how you proceed with postponing and in particular choosing a new date, could mean your relief is short-lived.
When postponing, and in particular during COVID 19, where many couples are postponing, its important to be flexible with your new date.
TOP TIP NUMBER 1 : Postpone to a midweek date.
Of course, this may not be ideal for everyone. However there are massive benefits if you were to choose a new date which is either off peak ( Nov/Jan/Feb) or midweek ( Sun to Thurs).
The main benefits are that it is more likely that your suppliers will have availability for a midweek or off peak date and most would be happy to transfer over the booking meaning you don’t lose out on deposits and you don’t have to spend hours searching for new suppliers.
Secondly, if you are booking new suppliers, many may offer a midweek or off peak discount.
TOP TIP NUMBER 2: Get a shortlist of dates.
If you are concerned about losing out on suppliers, it is important that you don’t choose a new date without consulting the suppliers who matter most to you.
Here is a step by step guide in terms of how to go about postponing.
- Contact your venue and check availability for multiple dates. ( Maybe 3 or 4 different dates, include at least 1 midweek or off peak date)
- Send this shortlist to your must have suppliers immediately. From there you will see which date is most suited.
- Confirm the date with the hotel and your must have suppliers.
- Send email to any other suppliers regarding the new date. Some may be available and some may not but by communicating with your must have suppliers first it means you are prioritising. Suppliers who are not available should be able to provide recommendations.
My final tip is the most important.
TOP TIP NUMBER 3: Don’t listen to anyone else only yourselves and your suppliers.
We live in Ireland. A place where everyone knows someone who knows someone who was meant to get married and they called off the wedding because fo X,Y and Z or they may indeed know someone who went ahead with the wedding. Whether its your sister, Uncle, Mother in Law or postman, Do what makes you sleep better at night. Planning a wedding should be a wonderful exciting experience. Stressful even in normal circumstance, but if you are feeling overwhelmed then listen to your gut and do what helps you get through this time and back to enjoying the planning as much as possible.
Communicate with you suppliers – ask questions
Communicate with your partner.
Whether you postpone or simply want to have a Plan B, know that your day will happen and it will be magical. Give yourself every chance of enjoying the planning.
