Here’s a checklist for those thinking about postponing, or even canceling, their wedding or reception.
Check your insurance policy and individual vendor contracts
Many wedding planners, as well as venues, require their clients to have wedding insurance. If you have it, call your provider and ask what types of cancellations and postponements your policy covers.
Then look over your individual vendor contracts to see what photographers, caterers and florists have to say when it comes to rescheduling.
Plan for the possibility of additional costs
“When vendors receive requests to reschedule, they have missed out on money for a specific day and may request the initial contract to be paid in full,” said Marsha Barnes, founder of The Finance Bar, a service that promotes financial wellness for women and couples.
Shannon and Marc Mercer had a small wedding ceremony in early April in Charleston, S.C. They are hesitant about committing to a bigger reception.
Additionally, some vendors have increased their pricing as a result of safety measures that weren’t in place pre-pandemic, Ms. Barnes said.
If your vendor isn’t available on your new days, you could be on the hook for the deposit as well as the cost of booking a new vendor. The exact amount depends on each vendor, and its rescheduling policy, said Sarah Miller, a wedding planner who was featured on the
show “Marriage or Mortgage.”
Don’t expect refunds
It can be tough to pay vendors for services that ultimately aren’t used, but if every vendor issued a full refund, many of them would go out of business, Ms. Miller said.
“Instead of canceling, if you feel comfortable postponing, that’s going to be your best bet, because in the long run you’re going to save money,” she said.
If you are thinking about postponing, do it sooner rather than later
Some couples might be going back and forth about whether to postpone as news of reopenings and rising vaccination rates emerge. While you may want to have your celebration as soon as possible, it may save you money to move your timeline out.
“I would encourage postponing weddings or mass events for a while longer or at least until your city [or] state has released 90% of restrictions to reduce the chances of having to reschedule again,” Ms. Barnes said. If you reschedule more than once, you could face additional fees.
Although it could be tempting to wait it out, when you get to 30 days before your wedding, vendors expect final payment, Ms. Miller said. It’s also important for your guests to know you’ll be postponing or canceling.
Use a postponement as an opportunity to refocus your wedding
The pandemic has given couples the opportunity to throw out the rulebook when it comes to weddings, said Lauren Kay, executive editor of The Knot.
Some couples are choosing to save money by rescheduling for weekday receptions while others are moving ahead with elopements and scrapping large celebrations with extended family members. Ms. Kay suggests trying to find the silver lining that comes with being a Covid-19 bride or groom.
“It’s allowing couples to really embrace who they are, their relationship and do what’s best for them,” she said.
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