Beyond waking up to that beautiful piece of sparkling jewelry on your left hand and getting all the feels when you see the 💍 followed by X.Y.Z in your Instagram bio, there’s truly no better reality check that you’re really getting married than when you see your Save the Dates for the first time or start putting those 🍰 stamps on your wedding invitations. It’s a major moment for planning couples, and, unfortunately, one that’s been eclipsed by the devastating impacts of COVID-19. But 2020 brides and grooms are showing tremendous resilience, coolness, and courage during this time, and we couldn’t be any prouder of our industry for showing up in support of these brave soonlyweds. After all, this happily ever after is a team effort, and vendors want to see dream wedding days happen just as much!
That being said, with so much uncertainty surrounding the virus and it’s trajectory, even couples with late summer and fall weddings are making decisions to postpone their days. No bride wants to cave to the suffocating ‘better safe than sorry’ adage, but a new date is kind of a new lease on life for couples whose dates became/are becoming casualties of coronavirus – so, we’re all here for it! All that needs to happen next is letting guests know that there’s been an official date change, and luckily, considering the extenuating circumstances, there are lots of ways to do it. From phone calls to email correspondence, text messages to real-time wedding website updates, you can let your guests know you’ll be celebrating at a later time without skipping a beat.
Of course, if you want to stick with stationery, which is always our preference – know that invitation couturiers are coming up with cooperative and infinitely-creative ways to help: brainstorming custom digital invites, offering discounted reprints, reinventing invitation suites with seasonal shifts, or wiping the slate clean altogether and minting new ‘changed the date’ cards. Again, we’re completely sympathetic to the blind-sighted blow of having to postpone a day that you’ve been planning for so long, but on the bright side, what a story to tell your future children! “We had to make the difficult decision to press pause on our wedding, but we ended up having an even better day than the one we had imagined!” The best!
Remember when you used to say ‘see you later’ instead of goodbye? Well, that’s exactly what you’re doing here! This isn’t saying goodbye to your guests, this is just saying see you later – same couple, same place (or somewhere new), new date! And we’re thrilled to help any couples who’ve decided to change their dates with dream looks from our very own Style Me Pretty stationery collection. Shop now!
Communication is everything
While it’s likely that most of your wedding guests can definitely expect alternate plans if your OG date was sometime this spring, the more distant future is much murkier since the protocols and cadence with coronavirus change every day. That’s why regular communication with everyone is so important. You certainly don’t have to have a livestream of your ‘will we / won’t we cancel/postpone’ thought process, but checking in with everyone on your invite list, in some capacity (i.e. weekly or biweekly), is appreciated. Even more so when you have guests who will be traveling and need to make adjustments to their airfare, accommodations, etc.
Granted, working with a wedding planner makes it so much easier to navigate the specifics of a wedding being put on hold, but if you’re handling all of the arrangements on your own, you can absolutely get through it by trusting in your vendors and your extended support team (family members, friends, etc.). The ultimate in #squadgoals! As we mentioned before, since there’s a much larger, act of God-kind of crisis at play with these cancellations, the rules of correspondence etiquette aren’t as strict. You can send emails, you can make phone calls or exchange texts, you can send out change the date cards, you can update your wedding website, or you can proceed with a combination of several modes of status quo messaging.
Letting everyone know
However you choose to do it, just make sure you’re staying positive (as much as you possibly can!) – acknowledge the precarious state of things right now, assure your guests that their safety, health, and enjoyment of your wedding is a chief area of concern, and reiterate that you just look so forward to celebrating with them soon – whether that be two or three months from now or next year.
Formality: Formal
Method: Reprinted or seasonally reimagined invitation suites
Having your stationer reprint a replica or revised version of your wedding invitation for the new date or shift in season and related details (if anything has changed)
Can be done through your stationer, a brick and mortar stationery store, or ordered online (through sites like Minted, Basic Invite, and Style Me Pretty)
Pros and Cons: May make things feel more concrete; can be framed and used for a keepsake. More expensive and may take several weeks to be produced, assembled, and then sent out.
Price ($-$$$): $$$
Formality: Formal
Method: Change-the-Date cards
Sending out hard copy cards – not full suites, but customizable enclosure/all purpose cards/save the date cards – that share details for your new date .
Can be done through your stationer or ordered online (through sites like Minted, Basic Invite, or Style Me Pretty)
Pros and Cons: Much less costly than sending out completely new invitation suites and a faster turnaround. Plus, they can be more casual, as well.
Price ($-$$$): $-$$
Formality: Formal/Semi-Formal
Method: Digital wedding invitations
Can be done through your stationer or any digital invitation websites (through sites like GreEnvelope or Paperless Post)
Pros and Cons: Gorgeous designs that still deliver the changed-date details in a delightful way, also less expensive than tangible cards. Quick turnaround and easy send out.
Price ($-$$$): $-$$
Formality: Semi-Formal
Method: Updated wedding website
Should be done in combination with any or all of the above/below). This simply involves changing the date of your event on your website and creating a ‘We’ve changed our date’ message, where you can write any personal sentiments or bold any items that your guests might need to heed immediate attention to.
Pros and Cons: Quick turnaround and easy alert to guests (in conjunction with a text, phone call or email)
Price ($-$$$): Depending on where you host your website, this could be completely free.
Formality: Informal
Method: Phone calls to guests
Can be done on your own or passed along to a bridal party member, MOH, or MOB.
Pros and Cons: Essentially no expense as you won’t be sending out new pieces of stationery. Doesn’t involve going to the post office and can be done from anywhere. Longer process, need everyone’s phone number to ensure all
Price ($-$$$): Free
Formality: Informal
Method: E-mail to guests
Can be done on your own or passed along to your wedding planner, family member, or bridal party member.
Can be done as individal, copy and pasted emails or a bulk email to everyone.
Involves drafting an email that clearly communicates that you have cancelled or postponed your event and either mentions that the date is still TBD or includes supporting details about the official changed date with a link to your wedding website, if you have one.
Pros and Cons: No expense as you won’t be sending out new pieces of stationery. Doesn’t involve going to the post office and can be done from anywhere. Shorter process, all you’ll need is everyone’s email addresses. You will have to wordsmith a proper email, though. Quick, easy turnaround (and opportunity for guests to reply or follow up via text). May feel less personal.
Price ($-$$$): Free
Formality: Informal
Method: Text to guests
Involves drafting a quick note to guests communicating that you have postponed your wedding due to COVID-19, will be moving it to X.Y.Z, and guests can find more detailed information on your wedding website.
Pros and Cons: No expense as you won’t be sending out new pieces of stationery. Doesn’t involve going to the post office and can be done from anywhere. Shorter process, all you’ll need is everyone’s phone numbers. Quick, easy turnaround (and opportunity for guests to reply or follow up via email, social media DMs, etc.) May feel less personal.
Price ($-$$$): Free
Favorites from Style Me Pretty
Our thoughtfully-curated collection is amazing if you’ll be moving forward with an entirely new invitation suite to match your new date and new vibe (starting over can be so helpful with a crisis like COVID-19 / some couples might want to put the past behind them!). We also have customizable save the date cards that can be repurposed as stunning change-the-date cards to get the word out on your wedding round #2.
And so many of our save the dates can be personalized with your change of plans! You’ll definitely want to give these a 👀
Together Is a Beautiful Place Save the Date
The Best Thing Save the Date
Happily Ever After Save the Date
Fancy Initials Save the Date
Fancy Ampersand Save the Date
Circle Photo Save the Date
The important thing to remember when you’re making changes to your wedding date (be it due to COVID-19 or something else) is that your guests just want to be kept informed and in-the-know! Of course, no one expects immediate updates, especially when the nature of this virus is so nuanced and unpredictable. If anything, guests just want to make sure that you, as the couple getting married, are healthy and doing well in spite of these trying times. They want to celebrate this beautiful milestone with you just as much as you want to with them, but they understand that doing so might need to happen at a later, safer junction. So, if you’ve had to become nimble with your nuptials, and now have a new date to look forward to, know that we’re right there with you! Changing the date definitely doesn’t mean you’ve had a change of heart! This is just ‘see you later,’ not goodbye! Shop the Style Me Pretty Collection exclusively on site now.
Danielle Halibey is a writer, editor, and publicist living in New Jersey. She has been immersed in the world of weddings since planning her own whimsical, romantic affair in 2014. And isn’t that what they always say, “those who can’t do, teach?” Well, once her nuptials were over, she still had stuff in the ‘I Do’ industry to do. She writes regularly for top wedding blogs including Style Me Pretty and Wedding Chicks, and has garnered millions of press impressions for brands in the wedding space: fashion, beauty, wedding talent+tastemakers and more.
Photography: Rebecca Yale Photography
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