It has truly been an unusual moment as we all navigate this new life in the era of Coronavirus. There will be a particular impact for those with weddings scheduled for this Spring or Summer of 2020. Regardless of whether you decide to keep your original date or postpone your wedding, it is important that you keep a positive approach and be opened for different alternatives than what you have planned so far.
PROMPTLY COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR WEDDING PLANNER
Your wedding planner should be able to review your contracts, discuss alternatives and guide you through this challenging moment. Early and clear communication with you and your planner, venue and vendors is key so that you have more options.
RESCHEDULE, DON’T CANCEL.
Be mindful that most retainer fees are non-refundable. If you cancel your event, you risk losing this deposit. By rescheduling your wedding for a later date, you should retain the deposit. Speak with the venue about alternative dates and work with your vendors to confirm their availability. The earlier you decide and advise about your new plans, the better to obtain your new desired date. Given the latest CDC recommendations, no event over 50 people should be held in the U.S. for eight weeks as of 3/15/20 due to COVID-19. If your wedding is scheduled during this period, rather than canceling, you may want to reschedule for another day.
REACH OUT TO YOUR VENUE AND VENDORS.
As at the beginning of your wedding planning, you will need to define a new wedding date with your venue, so that you can then approach all the other vendors. Be flexible and consider alternative as weekdays and Sundays. As such, the more chance you will have to keep the same team.
KEEP YOUR GUESTS UPDATED WITH YOUR PLANS
Once you have decided on your new date of your wedding, consider using wedding websites such as the ones provided by Zola or Weddingwire to keep your guests informed about your plans. If you opt not to have a website, send emails and for close friends and family, use traditional calls.
REVIEW YOUR WEDDING INSURANCE
Contact your insurance company to determine if your wedding insurance covers expenses incurred and/or liability in case you need postpone/cancel your event due to Coronavirus. Most likely, even if you have purchased wedding insurance, the consequences of changes in your event due to Coronavirus may not be covered. WedSure Liability is our recommendation for couples who want to purchase a wedding insurance.
MOVING FORWARD WITH YOUR WEDDING
If your wedding is scheduled for after 5/15/20 and you decide moving forward with your wedding date you still may need to re-evaluate your plans.
- Work on back up plan with your vendors so that you are prepared to ensure CDC recommendations.
- Verify who is on your guest list. Can you host your wedding with a few guests missing? Where would your guests be coming from? Are they considered within the high-risk group?
- What are the new cleaning guidelines in place from vendors such as venue and catering? It is important to discuss with them about their proactive approach to the virus and how they are following CDC best practices, which would include implementing strong procedures for the cleaning and disinfecting of the venue; ensuring the presence of sufficient hand sanitizing stations for those attending; Training venue's employees on proper hygiene as recommended by the CDC and having venue employees stay home and not being at the wedding if sick.
- For Catering services, would the menu be affected due to products that will be facing difficulty to enter/or be produced/handled in the U.S. market?
- Will may need to redefine with your florist your flower designs according to the floral market availability.
We hope you find this guideline helpful. Our goal is to keep our communication with all clients and partners and work together with grace and responsibility to overcome this difficult time.
Stay safe and healthy.
Warmly,
Carol Guedes