After telling you what I am doing for my couples at this particular moment, with some tips on how to proceed in the long-awaited decision “Keep the date or postpone it”, I want to talk to you today about how to restart the planning after the date change.
A new date means a new organization. Whether it was all already defined, or whether the wedding was a work in progress, it’s time to take stock of the situation and, with a nice blank sheet in front, to understand from where and how to proceed.
Destination wedding planning – how to inform your guests
Let’s start with the planning of your destination wedding, and not the design, which we talk about later. As I said, the guests list on one side, and the vendors one on the other, we are going to re-plan the whole wedding.
First of all, notify all your guests about the decision made. Ask to your graphic designer to make a “Change the date”, like the Save the date but with the new date, and send it by email or message. Communicate if some wedding details have changed (times, locations, etc.). Update your wedding website with the new date and the new information.
I also recommend printing some invitations with the new date for the closest relatives and especially for you! If you haven’t a graphic designer, contact one who can create the whole wedding stationery for you (save the date, invitation, menu, etc.).
Remember that, if you change the date, you’ve also to change your “RSVP by”. You can ask again to your graphic designer for a replacement graphic to send to your guests and update it on your website.
Destination wedding planning – what to do with your vendors
After the guest list, it’s now time to take your vendors’ list and understand with every vendor how the reschedule deadlines. Ask when to pay the second/third deposit and the balance, when to communicate the guests’ number, and when to review the project and define it. Contact your jeweler to find out if it’s possible to change the incision in the wedding rings. Try to understand if you can modify your wedding gown and suit and, possibly, your accessories.
Have you not confirmed any suppliers yet? Make a list of all those you don’t have yet and look for them. Don’t wait too long: the 2021 season will be the replacement of the 2020 one, plus a huge number of new couples, and the wedding vendor you desire may not be available.
Destination wedding design: keep the same project or change it?
The change of the design of your wedding, so the change of style, settings, colors, flowers (all linked to the spaces used), is certainly not necessary but can be desired. It’s also indispensable if you change season or venue.
An example: a July outdoor dinner will have to be moved indoors or in a tent, if you change season (from summer to autumn or winter). The same applies to the chosen flowers, which will be different in type and shades, but equally wonderful and in line with your idea and your colors palette.
I don’t like themed weddings, but, in my case, every wedding is developed following inspirations that come primarily from the couple, and which can be colors, materials, places. These things become the leitmotif of the wedding itself. With a new date, they can be adapted or modified. Ask to your vendors (wedding designer, location manager, florist, …) and each of them will be able to advise you on what to change and how.
If you have to postpone your destination wedding in 2021, my advice is to freeze the wedding project and talk about it again in the coming months. Try to understand, for example, if there are new spaces in the venue that can be used, new materials, new set up available. Give time, space and new life to the imagination that could bring new ideas.
And if you find yourself in difficulty, and you don’t know how to proceed, contact me and let’s restart for this exciting journey together!