Rescheduling Your Wedding Date

This is a scary time in the world, and even scarier for those who have weddings coming up in April, May, and even June of 2020. You spent countless hours (and money!) on booking your dream vendors. If you are in the boat of having to reschedule your date, here are some tips to help!

1. Friday/ Sunday Options: When picking a new date, realize that if you want a Saturday in October, chances are, many of your original vendors are already going to be booked. Consider going for a Friday or Sunday, or 2021. The chances of you being able to keep your original vendor team go up significantly! Plus, this saves you a lot of money that could be lost in retainer fees. ​
2. Venue First & Get Dates: When you first decide to reschedule, reach out to your venue first (unless they were the ones who suggested it!). Try to get three or four new date options from them. From there, reach out to your entire vendor team to see which new date can accommodate the most of your vendors (ask your planner to help, too!). Or, pick the date that accommodates those vendors who are “irreplaceable” in your mind. Remember, you picked your vendors for a reason!
3. Losing Retainers: Unfortunately, this is also a scary time for wedding professionals. Our incomes and livelihood are significantly impacted as well. For many of us, our retainers (sometimes called deposits), are typically non-refundable. This means, you will not owe any further payments, but the vendor will keep your original retainer fee. This can range anywhere from 20-50% of the total contracted amount. This will need to be factored into your new dates’ budget. 
4. Asking Guests: Once you have a few new dates in mind that might work for you and a lot of your vendors, reach out to the most important guests (family, bridesmaids/ groomsmen, etc.), to see which might work best for them. A wedding isn’t a wedding without the ones you love!
5. Recommendations: If you do end up in a situation where a vendor can’t accommodate your new date, it’s OKAY to ask them for recommendations! Chances are, they will know a handful of other professionals that they have met, worked with, or are comfortable referring. 

Wrapping it up, this sucks. There is no other word for it. I am so sorry that this is something you have to do. Try to use these tips to help guide you in selecting your new wedding date. It’s hard, but remember that no matter what happens- your wedding will STILL BE MAGICAL!
PC: Amelia Marie Photography