Postponed your wedding? Stay positive with planning tips from Rebecca Gardner
Even during a normal year, wedding planning can cause a ton of stress. Now throw a global pandemic into the mix, and you can imagine how most brides are feeling. With group gatherings, large and small, cancelled due to COVID-19, thousands of brides were forced to postpone their upcoming wedding due to coronavirus. But what happens next?
From logistics to communicating with guests, there are a lot of questions to ask yourself—and work to be done—all after rescheduling a wedding. That’s why we caught up with New York-based party planner Rebecca Gardner to get her expert advice on postponing a wedding with ease, good manners, and (most importantly) optimism.
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First things first, what’s your advice for brides asking themselves “should I postpone my wedding?”
“One thing that we know for sure is the virus spreads rapidly at big gatherings, guests can be nervous and couples disappointed. Comfort levels differ, even within households. I’m ready to party, but I’m encouraging brides to postpone soon to avoid a messy scramble,” says Gardner. “I predict that 2022 will be bombarded with parties and vendors will be slammed. The sooner you make a decision the better chance you have for available guests and vendors.”
Should I resend invitations for my new wedding date?
You’ve notified guests that your wedding is postponed, but now you have to let everyone know about your new date. Remember how much time, money, and resources went into sending your original print wedding invitations? Why put yourself through all that again? Instead, Gardner recommends swapping the snail mail for an easier alternative.
“Since invitations for spring and summer brides have likely been mailed, Paperless Post is the best resource to quickly and elegantly communicate new details to guests,” says Gardner. “There is no need to send out a new printed invitation and reply card. The Paperless Post integrated response option is an extremely effective way to keep up with replies.”
In addition to easily collecting RSVPs, you can also use Paperless Post’s follow-up tools to message wedding guests after sending out your change the date cards. Especially now, it’s better to over communicate than under communicate with guests, to make sure everyone’s in the loop.
How should you word a postponed wedding invitation?
There are a ton of resources out there on wedding invitation wording, but not so much for wedding postponement wording. You can easily modify the template of any Paperless Post wedding invitation to work for a follow-up invitation. Just follow these simple suggestions from Gardner to get you started:
Wedding postponement wording for formal weddings:
“Ando” wedding postponement card by Paperless Post
Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Grant announce that the marriage of their daughter
Elizabeth Ann and Christopher Bonner
has been postponed until
Saturday, the seventeenth of October
two thousand twenty-one at half after five o’clock
good shepherd church
Chicago, Illinois
dinner and dancing to follow
kindly reply by September 17, 2021
Wedding postponement wording for casual weddings:
“Oratorio” wedding postponement card by Venamour for Paperless Post.
WITH FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE
ELIZABETH GRANT & CHRISTOPHER BONNER
invite you to celebrate their wedding on a new date
THE SEVENTEENTH OF OCTOBER 2020
same time, same place
Let us know you’re coming
Can’t fit all your details on your invitation? No problem. With online wedding change the date cards you can easily add a link to your wedding website to give guests all the details. You can also add a link directly to your registry or new hotel accommodations to give guests time to plan for your new date.
How can I stick to my wedding palette if I reschedule for a different season?
Just because you had to postpone your wedding to fall or winter, doesn’t mean you have to completely change up your entire wedding mood board. If you are set on having a “summertime” feel on your wedding day, Gardner recommends pivoting to a warm-weather destination.
“Brides rebooking for fall and winter need not give up their hope for a summer palette,” says Gardner. “Look to tropical locations that are warm in winter months.”
Don’t know where to start? Get inspired with Gardner’s favorite places for tropical destination weddings:
— Jumby Bay Island in Antigua
— Amanyana in Turks in Caicos
— Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico
— Hotel Esencia in Tulum
What’s the best way to embrace my new date?
If you’re open to change, don’t try to force your current wedding palette onto your new date. Instead, Gardner tells brides to embrace the new season, and a cozy aesthetic with some of these ideas:
A pop of color: “Plan around red. It’s bold and romantic, and pairs well with dirty pastels.”
Delight the senses: “Use live fir garland and paperwhites—nothing smells more festive.”
In-season blooms: “Look for Icelandic poppies while they’re in season. Their twisted stems and funky colors are amusing, and will look great with red.”
Candles on candles: “Light masses of off white candles (pillars, votives and tapers) to make the room glow.”
Embrace the forecast: “Hope for a beautiful (mild) snow storm. Just imagine the photos!”
Do I still have to follow typical wedding traditions?
The best wedding planners know when to follow the rules, but more importantly when to break them. If there’s ever a time to break from tradition, it’s now. Look on the bright side and use this time as an excuse to get creative or plan something unexpected.
If you’re stressing out too much about the actual wedding, think about separating it from the marriage. Get married with just close family in an intimate ceremony that requires less planning, and host a reception or celebration later on in the year when the time feels right. 
“Herrgarde” and “Raw Edge” wedding postponement invitations by Paperless Post
When you’ve settled on your new wedding date, browse our wide selection of wedding designs. Need help with a custom change the date design? Contact our Support team. Celebrate your new palette with a matching design, and easily edit the invitation with your own wording.
