From venues closing, job changes, military orders, surprise babies, storms, illnesses and everything in between, Life Happens! When you are focused on planning your wedding, even the smallest speed bumps seem monumental. For many couples who have been far into their planning and received news of a lay-off, or a family member who is not going to be well enough to travel to the wedding it can mean either moving the date or changing the plan all together.
Once invitations go out, it may seem impossible to move the location or change the date but you have to be able to adapt to what works for the situation in order to still have the wedding experience that you can. Just remember to breathe!
The internet is full of crazy stories of real life date changes: Last Minute Venue Change - This couple experienced a venue closing and a major flood and still tied the knot! (http://www.silive.com/relationships/index.ssf/2013/02/last-minute_venue_change_dont_panic.html)
Having a wedding planner that is able to take these changes head on and communicate to your vendors, negotiate the date change or discuss potential contract changes etc can take some of the stress away. We aim to serve our clients by being their advocate in this process.
Consider having to explain the situation to 10-20+ vendors when you are already stressed out. Though everyone will want to help you, simply passing this off to a family member or wedding party member can lead to miscommunication or further delays.
Tips:
- Check with your local wedding planner who will have a good handle on the venues and likely options that would be available on short notice.
- Appoint one person as the contact for all communication
- Review all of your current contracts and provide copies to your appointed contact person or wedding planner to aide them in any discussions of date changes, cancellations, and any monies owed.
- Be prepared to forfeit deposits/retainers for vendors that are not able to transfer the date or who do not offer any refunds in the event of a cancellation. Keep in mind that while your wedding vendors will be sympathetic to your situation, they have likely turned down other couples interested in your date so returning a paid deposit wouldn't be feasible unless they are confident they can re-book.
- Take it slow - Do not jump into another date or locking in any new contracts until you have not only confirmed that any new vendors or venue is open, but also the less back and forth there is with date or location changes the better.
Just remember that while it may seem like the worst news ever, no matter what if you and your fiance are going to say your I Do's it is still a win-win, and there can always be a plan B.
~ Happy Planning ~