Here are some things to think about:
Wedding Dresses and Bridesmaid Gowns
It would be a smart move to check-in with your wedding dress store (retail or online). Ellie’s Bridal Boutique has not yet experienced any major delays with our wedding dresses. All gowns already purchased are currently expected to arrive on time. However, I have heard several examples of that not being the case with other retailers. Ask them about the timing of dress(s) arrival and where it (they) are coming from. Knowledge is king. If they won’t arrive on time, you need to know if the store can help you or if you’ll need to pick something off the rack as a backup.
Wedding Vendors
Likewise, it would be smart to check-in with each of your wedding vendors. Talk about their flexibility if you have to move your date due to an outbreak in your immediate community. Broach topics with creating solutions in mind, and know that alternative solutions and options are possible, just as long as you are willing to be flexible.
While you are at it, check with them on a backup plan if they or their staff gets sick. For me, I have always had a back-up plan if I’m “hit by a buss”, I have a list of photographers that can back me up. And I would back them up also if I become sick.
Pay close attention to ongoing changes as some regions and countries are on complete lockdown.
To keep your meeting schedule on time, switch to online meetings. You don’t need to stay behind on your planning timeline.
Instead of [outright] cancelling your wedding, talk to your vendors and postpone the date. Wedding professionals have been super flexible to match their agenda with clients’ new dates. Deciding to postpone and keep the same vendors’ team that you already chose will save you a lot of money and time.
What the government is doing now is for prevention. [If you still want a wedding in Italy], you will eventually have amazing vendors full of energy to give you their best.
If you have already sent invitations or save-the-dates to your guests, make sure to communicate with them clearly, explaining the situation. You can also send them a note card or designate someone to call the guests.
Venue
I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but check with your venue to discuss their plans or backup plans if the government says no public events. Will they change your date with no additional cost? Also what they do as a backup if their onsite coordinator isn’t available.
Catering
Speak with your caterer (if different then your venue) to discuss what they plans are in this state of emergency. Are there specific guidelines they will follow? Will they change up the type of food they serve. Will they or you choose to not have any food in the event of an outbreak in the community and consider not having dinner if there is a concern with food service as the virus spreads.
Guests
Either call, email or send a note via the mail about the fact that you are aware of what’s going on and that you will update them if you need to postpone and you will be making that decision from what the CDC recommends.
Additionally, if anyone is sick in any way, asking them kindly to not attend. And that you may consider no hugs and kisses on the day if it’s known to be something that the CDC recommends moving forward.
Bachelor(ette) party
If your bachelor or bachelorette party is scheduled from March 16 on, we recommend taking all necessary precautions to communicate next steps, which will likely either involve postponing or finding alternative ways to celebrate your impending marriage.
We get it: you wanted to celebrate en masse with your besties by doing what you love most–whether that’s singing along to the Jonas Brothers in Vegas, hitting the club scene in Miami, or leading a meditation in Joshua Tree National Park. However, the safety of you and your best friends is priority. If your bachelorette was postponed, some hotels are offering flexible change dates. Airbnb has offered refunds related to COVID-19 cancellations too.
Destination Weddings & Honeymoons
You’ll need to be very informed about the airlines and the country you are going to see if you need to postpone.
Make sure to read up on U.S. travel advisories for specific regions. (As of now, the U.S. State Department has issued advisories for Italy, South Korea, China and Japan and some travel bans, including Europe.
If you’ve already booked your honeymoon in a location with coronavirus or you are hesitant to travel overall, discuss alternative bookings and options with your travel agent or airlines. Several airlines like Delta have already alerted travelers about grace periods with flight changes, considering the global scale of the coronavirus. Some airlines are already offering full refunds (especially those with layovers or direct flights to impacted countries). Others are allowing flight changes to a later date without added fees. Talk to your credit card companies too.
Trip Insurance/Wedding Insurance
It would be very smart to read through all of your insurance (trip for the honeymoon or wedding). Some trip insurance and wedding insurance may not cover the Coronavirus unless the CDC or United States informs the public that you can’t travel. Carefully go over it all and enlist the help of the company or your attorney, especially if you don’t understand what your paperwork means. Whatever your situation, you should read up on your contractual rights. Talk to your credit card companies too.
Travel insurance plans, however, differ, which means it’s up to the couple to research their options. Experts recommend couples explore the “Cancel for Any Reason” option with most insurance plans. Traditional travel insurance costs about 10 percent of the total trip value, whereas the CFAR plan can cost upwards of 50 percent of the total trip cost. “There are no special considerations for destination weddings and honeymoons with respect to the coronavirus,” says TravelInsurance.com co-founder Stan Sandberg. “Unfortunately, an outbreak of a virus/disease is not covered for reasons under [the majority of] travel insurance plans for trip cancellation purposes. For those who purchased a Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) optional upgrade, however, some measure of trip cancellation protection may be available.”
Finally, destination weddings and events are usually not covered under travel insurance plans. “Travel insurance won’t cover the costs of the event,” Sanberg notes. “Event coverage is typically handled by different policies.”
Don’t Panic but Be Logical
This is the really important part!!!! This is not the time to panic!
It is time to be logical and read through all contracts and contact all vendors to get information. Then with that knowledge and the current information your find on the CDC page, you can make an intelligent decision on things moving forward. And if you have to postpone, you will still be marrying your best friend, just when it’s safe to do so.
Changing The Date
Zola has also provided a change the date checklist of steps to postpone your wedding, and questions to ask your vendors to make sure you have all of the information you need to continue planning.
What To Do If You Feel Stuck
The Knot has also opened up a dedicated hotline to answer any and all wedding planning questions that you may have. They can be reached at (833) 998-2865 or help@theknot.com. They will also continue to update their COVID-19-related wedding FAQs regularly as new information becomes available from the CDC and WHO, as well as from experts within the wedding industry.
You are not alone right now. Tens of thousands of weddings happen in the US every weekend. Based on the CDC guidelines recommending social-distancing and no large gatherings, if you are facing the decision to cancel or postpone your wedding, we know it is extremely emotional and are here for you every step of the way.
