This week we welcome Katie of The Event Design Co.! Katie is owner of the Ontario based wedding planning company well-known for helping create beautiful wedding days as well as unique experiences like the Just About Married show. Katie shares her expertise with us this week, detailing 5 tips to reduce the stress associated with postponing your wedding day!
(Photo of Katie Watkowski, Owner of The Event Design Co. - Photo by Amy Cheshire Photography)
Wedding planning can be an emotional roller coaster for couples as it is. But if you are a couple who was planning to get married this year, the stress, anxiety and disappointment has reached new heights.
As a wedding planner, my goal is to help couples navigate this uncertain time by giving them advice on how to proceed with all of this uncertainty. Here are 5 tips on how to postpone your wedding during COVID-19:
1. Reach out to your venue to inquire about back-up options. Ask them for a list of available dates in 2021 and ensure that they will transfer your booking deposit without any penalties. Make sure you read through your contract with them so there are no surprises next year.
2. Check in with your vendors to make sure they’re available for your new date before making the switch. If not all of your vendors are available, you may want to consider which ones have the largest non-refundable booking deposits that you don’t want to forfeit. Review all of your vendor contracts again as well.
3. Send out an electronic “Date Change Notice” to all of your guests to let them know that your wedding has been postponed. You don’t need to provide them with all of the updated info at this point.
4. Now that your wedding has been postponed, sit down with your partner and talk about your non-negotiables. Maybe you still want to get married on your original wedding date, even if you can’t make it official yet. Many officiants are offering virtual symbolic ceremonies via Zoom. Maybe you want to wait for the big celebration to say your vows in front of all your friends and family. Or maybe you would prefer to shift things around a bit and have a smaller, more intimate wedding at your home or cottage instead. Either way, talk about it and honour your feelings.
5. No matter what you decide to do next, make sure you celebrate your original wedding date! This date was chosen for a reason. You probably even had a countdown app letting you know how many days were left before the BIG day. Let yourself feel your disappointment, and then commemorate the day, don’t let it pass by without acknowledging it. At The Event Design Co., we are offering couples Wedding Night In Boxes for this reason. Filled with flowers, a wedding cake, a bottle of bubbly and more, this celebration-in-a-box is the perfect way for couples to celebrate together in the comfort and safety of their own home.
Follow The Event Design on Instagram & like them on Facebook for more tips and ideas for your wedding. Katie & her team are amazing, and would be happy to help you with your day! Check out their Wedding Night In boxes for an amazing way to celebrate the day that was to be, and the future one that is!
Reach Katie via info@theeventdesigncompany.ca