Checklist for Planning a Rescheduled Wedding
Rescheduling a wedding for any reason can feel overwhelming. There are many vendors to contact and people to notify, but take a deep breath. Rescheduling your wedding becomes a more straightforward process with a calm mind and a checklist to guide you. Consult this checklist for planning a rescheduled wedding to learn the steps you should take to plan a new wedding date.
1. Consult With Decision-Makers
You and your spouse-to-be are key decision-makers, but you likely also want to involve your parents and anyone contributing financially to your wedding. Consult them for feedback and support on your decision to postpone your wedding.
2. Speak With Your Wedding Planner
Wedding planners have experience and industry knowledge to navigate postponing a wedding, so reach out to yours. If you don't have a wedding planner, you could always bring one onboard during the rescheduling process for advice and help from a professional.
3. Get a Crew of Helpers
You don't need to reschedule your wedding alone. Your spouse-to-be will be helping, but so can members of your wedding party, your parents or other close family and friends. Give them different tasks to do from the rest of the checklist to help alleviate a bit of your stress.
4. Consider a Back-Up Plan
Some couples choose a wedding date for a reason, and if you want to get married on a specific day, consider having a smaller ceremony. Elope or have a city hall ceremony if you want, but reschedule a formal celebration to have with friends and family later.
5. Review Vendor Contracts for Rescheduling and Refund Policies
Hopefully, as you planned, you kept your vendor and venue contracts together, so gather the contracts and read through them. Look for details about cancellation policies, fees and any possible refunds and returns on deposits or payments. You can then contact your vendors with those contract terms in mind.
6. Review Wedding Insurance If You Have It
When you review your policy, look for information like:
What your insurance covers: Some policies cover natural disasters, illness, injury and weather.
How much the insurance covers: See how much of your total wedding cost the insurance covers along with cancellation and change fees.
If it covers honeymoons: You may have a policy that covers canceling or postponing your honeymoon in addition to the wedding.
7. Notify Your Vendors
If you contact your vendors, they can stop production of décor, your cake and various wedding items, depending on how close your original date is. Keep a list or spreadsheet of your vendors and when you contacted them. Your vendors may include these services:
Catering
Bakery
Photography and videography
Décor and flowers
Hair and makeup
Outfits
Rentals
Music
Officiant
8. Notify Your Immediate Family and the Wedding Party
Contact members of your wedding party and close family members to let them know. Postponing a wedding impacts these guests the most since they play an integral role in the ceremony. Keep in touch with them throughout the rescheduling process.
9. Notify the Rest of Your Guests
Let everyone on your guest list know that you'll be postponing your wedding so they can reschedule travel plans and previous engagements. Some couples may find it's easier to mail postponement announcements, but you could call or email. Let your guests know you'll follow up with a change the date in the future and thank them for understanding.
10. Restructure Your Budget
A wedding budget differs for every couple, especially during the postponing process. Organizing a new budget will keep you on track and account for any payments that can't carry over to your rescheduled date. Your new wedding budget will vary based on factors like:
How many vendors and venues offer refunds.
How far into the planning process you were.
How many guests your new wedding date will have.
11. Stay Optimistic
It can be easy to let a rescheduled wedding overwhelm you, but stay optimistic that your special day will come and you'll get to celebrate soon. There may even be surprise benefits to postponing your wedding. A vendor or venue you originally wanted may become available, or guests you wanted to celebrate with may now be able to make it.
12. Be Flexible
Before you start to reschedule, remember to be flexible. You may have to pick a new month or season for your wedding, depending on vendor availability. If you want your rescheduled date to be a certain time of year, you may have to compromise and be flexible with what vendors you work with, prioritizing certain ones over others.
13. Talk to Vendors and Venues About New Dates
Once you've notified everyone about the rescheduled wedding, it's time to pick a new date. Start by talking to vendors and your venues and seeing what's available based on your priorities. Do you want to get married within the next year, or would you be willing to wait longer for the perfect date?
14. Talk to Immediate Family and the Wedding Party About New Dates
Before you confirm your new wedding date, touch base with your family and wedding party. You want these loved ones at your wedding for sure, so accommodate their schedules. See if they have any possible conflicts or would be willing to work their schedules around a new possible date.
15. Confirm the New Date
With your wedding party's schedules and vendor availability in mind, it's time to pick and confirm your new date. The sooner you do this, the sooner you can get to other steps on this checklist for planning a rescheduled wedding.
16. Update Your Contract With Vendors
If you're keeping the same vendors, update your contract with your new wedding date. You may want to review your previous contracts again to see if any deposits or payments you made can carry over to your rescheduled date.
17. Start Looking for New Vendors
Some of your vendors may have scheduling conflicts with your new date. Have your crew of helpers assist with the research here. They can compile lists of new vendors and contact them to ask about availability on your new wedding date.
18. Send Change the Date Announcements
The most formal way to announce your new wedding date is with change the date announcements. Mail these out as soon as you confirm your new date with vendors. Include these details in your change the date announcements:
The new date
Whether your wedding is on a different day of the week
Whether your wedding is in a different season
The new venue, if you have one
A reminder to check your wedding website
Your appreciation for everyone's patience
19. Update Your Wedding Website
With formal announcements sent, you can update your wedding website. Include the information you did on your change the date announcements and keep your site up to date throughout the postponing process. Offer to answer any questions guests have about the new wedding date via your site.
20. Update Your Guest List
With a new wedding date could come a new guest list. Certain guests who could attend before may be unable to now, but you could get more positive RSVPs with a new wedding date. Let vendors and venues know about your new guest list if the numbers have changed from before.
21. Make a New Seating Chart
When you postpone your wedding, you may have a new guest list or new venue to consider. Redo your seating chart or make a new one. Make sure to redesign your escort cards, as well.
22. Change Hotel Accommodations
Contact the hotel where you booked a block of rooms for your guests to see if you can reschedule. If not, have those helping you research other hotels in the area with availabilities. Let your wedding guests know of any changes and keep them updated during the rebooking process.
23. Adjust Travel Plans
If you need to travel to your venue and arranged transportation, change your bookings. For flights, unless you booked insurance, you could have to pay change fees. Look over your contracts and contact travel companies to explain your situation.
24. Cancel Conflicting Plans
Make any adjustments to your schedule for your new wedding date. Put in requests for time off and cancel other engagements that could conflict with your new date. You may also want to clear your schedule within the week or so leading up to your rescheduled wedding day so you can prepare.
25. Change Your Wedding Theme
You may need to consider changing your theme if your wedding is in a new season. A cozy autumn wedding has a different feel than an airy summer wedding, so your original theme may not work with a new season. If you're set on keeping your theme, make adjustments to the color scheme or incorporate seasonal touches so it suits the season.
26. Rethink Your Flowers
Certain blooms are more available during particular times of the year. Because flowers come in so many beautiful shades and hues, you can still keep your floral color scheme ideas and change the flowers. Remember to make adjustments to every use of florals in your wedding, like:
Bouquets
Aisle decorations
Floral arches
Boutonnieres and corsages
Centerpieces
Other floral décor
27. Update Any Beauty Appointments
If you had a hair, manicure or makeup appointment for your wedding, reschedule. With enough time in advance, you could still get to work with your preferred beauticians. But if your beauticians specialize in weddings, they may have packed schedules, and you might have to compromise with different service providers.
28. Update Wedding Health Timelines
Many brides and grooms have workout plans, skincare regimens and health timelines they follow before a wedding. With a new date, you'll have to shift those timelines to meet your goals. You may even want to include time for self-care and your mental health as you navigate the rescheduling process.
29. Reschedule Outfit Alteration Appointments
Pick a date closer to your rescheduled wedding day for outfit alterations. You want the perfect fit for your wedding outfit, and having a new alteration appointment will make that a reality. If you contact your tailor or the store you ordered wedding outfits from in time, you'll save them from doing multiple alterations.
30. Take Inventory of Your Wedding Supplies
If you have wedding supplies already, note what nonperishable items, favors and décor you have that you can still use. You'll be able to save a bit of your budget if you don't need to order new supplies.
31. Update the Date on Any Décor or Favors
Change any programs, menus, favors and décor with your original wedding date that you already ordered and received. You can either order new favors and décor or get creative with DIY adjustments. Your helpers can assist you in getting stickers, ribbon or other decorative items to cover your original wedding date on any printed items and favors.
32. Update Your Honeymoon Arrangements
If you and your spouse-to-be had a honeymoon planned after your original wedding, make updates. Keep your trip if it's easier and more cost-effective than postponing and still celebrate your love if you're able to travel. You may want to update your destination about the change from a honeymoon to a romantic getaway.
33. Plan Something Special for You and Your Spouse-to-Be on Your Original Wedding Date
A postponed wedding doesn't mean you can't celebrate with your spouse-to-be. If you moved your honeymoon and don't have any plans on your original wedding date, do something special. Have a romantic evening together or make plans with your wedding party, close friends and family to spend time together.
Wedding Design Services From B Floral
As you're postponing your wedding, schedule décor services from us at B Floral. Our experienced event design coordinators, designers and production team will provide creative consultation and help perfectly execute your wedding vision. One of the premier floral and event design companies in New York, B Floral creates show-stopping floral arrangements, floral walls and other design elements that will take your wedding venue to the next level.
Learn more about our wedding services and contact us to make your big day unforgettable.