Over the past year, so many couples have had to adjust their wedding plans to stay safe and follow local guidelines. If you have had to reschedule your wedding or change your wedding date, you might wonder how to begin updating your vendors and your loved ones on your guest list. We’ve broken down the process to help you be able to change your wedding date with confidence.

Here’s everything you need to do when you change your wedding date:

Postponed Wedding Announcement

Tell your friends and family that your wedding date has changed. You just sent out save-the-dates and invitations, and now you have to change everything! It might be overwhelming, but it’s important to reach out to everyone who was planning on attending your wedding on your original date. To save time and get the word out faster, some couples have chosen to send emails instead of sending a paper update. This might be a good idea if you don’t have a new date picked out quite yet. There are also change-the-date templates available to send paper announcements to your guests.

Take some time to sit down with your fiance and craft a well-worded note to your loved ones letting them know that your wedding is being rescheduled. Thank them for being flexible and tell them how important it is that everyone is able to attend at a later date, or possibly by virtual means, to be able to show their love and support as well. It could look something like this:

Hi Aunt Mary,

I hope that you are doing well! My fiance and I have decided that it is best to reschedule our wedding to a later date. I know how excited you were to attend our special day, so we hope that you are able to make it to celebrate with us on our new date. We can’t imagine our wedding day without you. As soon as we have our new date picked out, you’ll be first in line to know!

Love,

Engaged Couple

Review your contracts.

Go through your contracts that you have already signed with vendors to see what their policies on rescheduling or cancelling are. Some vendors are waiving some rescheduling fees or offering some help to reschedule your wedding, so look for ways vendors are helping their clients right now.

Contact your vendors.

Now it’s time to contact your vendors and let them know that you will be rescheduling your date. Don’t forget to contact your:

x videographer

x bakery

x rental companies (decorations, limo, etc.)

x officiant

x lodging provider

x reception venue

x church or ceremony venue

x caterer

x florist

x event planner

x photographer

Let your vendors know the specific reasons you are rescheduling and remind them of any policies their contract spells out for rescheduling. Ask what type of assistance they can offer you to reschedule your wedding date. Sadly, most retainer fees are non-refundable and your vendors might not be available for your new date.

Update your wedding website and registries.

Don’t forget to change your date on your wedding website and wedding registries. This is super easy to do and only takes a few minutes!

Reschedule your honeymoon.

You also may need to reschedule your honeymoon. If you do, take a look at the cancellation policies for your transportation and lodging. Depending on the type of flight or transportation reservations you made, you may be able to change your dates for a small fee, or even at no cost. For lodging, you may be able to cancel within a certain time period, so don’t put this task off!

See if you can move around your days off of work.

Contact your employer far in advance to see if you can switch your time off of work to the days leading up to your new date and your new honeymoon dates.

Hope this list can help you as you postpone your wedding and reschedule to a new date!

Rescheduling your wedding and in need of a new wedding photographer for your date? We can help. Inquire with our team below.