MY HEART IS BREAKING FOR YOU...
My goal is that this lifeline will be a resource for you in this time of uncertainty. Below you will find a checklist to help you navigate this next journey and template emails to help make the process just a little bit easier. Hang in there friend, we are in this together!
Hi there, I am the owner and operator of Shiny Entertainment. Along with offering DJ entertainment, lighting and much more.. I personally offer Wedding Planner and Day of Coordinator services. I've helped each of my spring 2020 couples with this decision and now I want to help make this easier for you. Hang in there! My goal is that this guide will help make an extremely difficult time a little easier for you. Please know that you are not alone and those in the wedding industry are happy to help. If at any point you feel overwhelmed, please do not hesitate to reach out to me! And remember, no matter what day it happens, you will marry the love of your life!
WEDDING POSTPONEMENT CHECKLIST
These steps should help you identify a new wedding date and provide you structure during a time of uncertainty.
☐ MINDSET CHECK
You may be experiencing a lot of feelings right now. When you are ready to take action, the first thing you should do is to make sure you are in a good mind set. That you have come to terms with moving your wedding date even if your original comes and everything turns out to be fine. You have to be "OK" with this possibility.
Things to consider:

  • The majority of your guests may not be able to make it if they have to travel via plane or stay at a hotel.
  • Your vendors/guests may not be willing to sacrifice their health during this time.
  • The sooner you act the more options you will have available to you.
  • You could have a small intimate ceremony and have a celebration when the dust settles.
☐ CONTACT A WEDDING PLANNER
A Wedding Planner is an amazing asset during this time and can really take the burden off of you. This process can be very daunting and upsetting. You may have planned your wedding with ease but this time around it will be surrounded by negative emotions and more "no's" than you might be prepared to handle.

We will have solutions that you might not have thought of and might provide a better experience. We can help steer this process and help keep you in a positive mindset as you begin to plan for a new reality. New doesn't always mean bad. There are so many positive creative solutions to consider during this time. We can help you see those!
☐ CONTACT YOUR WEDDING VENUE
If you are not working with a wedding planner, your first step is to contact your wedding venue to collect the dates that they have open. Please be flexible and consider more than just Saturdays. The more open minded you are the more options you will have when selecting a new wedding date. Consider a Friday/Sunday wedding and leave Monday through Thursday as a last resort. *You may even be able to get a discounted rate on these days!*
☐ RECORD ALL DATES YOUR VENUE IS AVAILABLE
Please review the dates and see if any will not work for you but try not to narrow this list too much. You want to provide as many dates as possible to your vendor team in order to have options. The goal is to preserve your current vendor team as much as possible to save money. Try to find dates at least 3-6 months out. You do not want to have to go through this again!
☐ CONTACT YOUR VENDOR TEAM
Now comes the hard part, I do not want to sugar coat this step as this is when it can get more difficult. You might get lucky and find a date that works with all of your vendors, but that is rare. Please prepare yourself to hear "not available" more often than you did the first time that you were shopping vendors.

If you have specific vendors that will make or break the wedding, start there! Take the dates that work with them and your venue and provide them to the rest of the vendor team. Please be prepared that some vendors may not be able to accommodate any of your dates. We will discuss this later. I have FREE email templates in this package to help structure those conversations.

If this process becomes too emotional or overwhelming, please reach out and I am happy to be the unbiased person who can handle these conversations.
☐ OBTAIN CONTRACT ADDENDUMS FROM YOUR VENUE AND YOUR VENDOR TEAM 
Obtain addendums from each of your vendors that are able to accommodate the new wedding date. All previously secured retainers should transfer to the new date in order to secure it and any additional monies paid should be transferable. Make sure you get copies signed by the vendors/venue.
☐ CLOSE OUT CONTRACTS WITH THOSE VENDORS THAT CANNOT ACCOMMODATE THE NEW WEDDING DATE
This part can get tricky, you may not be able to get back all retainer paid, but you might be able to negotiate any additional payments made. Read your contracts carefully to see what options you have, but please try to stay as open minded and friendly when talking with these vendors. This is not the time to be demanding. Look for a solution that will allow you out of the contract with as little money lost as possible. Remember, your industry professionals are going through this hardship as well!
☐ FIND NEW VENDORS TO FILL THE GAPS
Now you must determine what your new budget options are. Keep in mind a new vendor might mean new pricing. The good news is that you have more time to save/afford these additional vendors if need be. Start your search and narrow down by availability, pricing and who fits your vision best.
☐ NOTIFY GUESTS OF THE CHANGE IN DATE
Provide the new date to your guests. I recommend including the entire list again, not only those that RSVP'd yes to the first date. You could do this via social media post/message, emails, postcards, etc.
EMAIL TEMPLATES
I hope this section will help you easily craft effective emails to your venue and vendor team so that you have one less thing to worry about.
EMAIL TO VENUE:

Hello,
Given the current situation with COVID-19, we are looking to postpone our wedding date. Can you please provide me the dates you have available for the venue in 2020 so that we can circulate them with our vendor team?

Once a date is selected, how long are you able to hold the date should we need a little time to make a final decision?

Are you able to hold both dates in the event that we would like to have a small ceremony on your property on our original wedding date?

Thank you,
NAME
EMAIL TO VENDORS - REQUEST DATES:

Hello,
Given the current situation with COVID-19, we are looking to postpone our wedding date. Our venue has provided the following dates:

  • Date 1
  • Date 2
  • Date 3
  • and so on...

Can you please provide me the dates you are also available? Once a date is selected, how long are you able to hold the date should we need a little time to make a final decision?

Add this only if you choose to still have a small ceremony on your original date and would like for them to accommodate.
Are you able to hold both dates in the event that we would like to have a small ceremony on our original wedding date?

Thank you,
NAME
EMAIL TO VENDORS - REQUEST FOR CONTRACT ADDENDUMS:

Hello,
Thank you for helping us get through this time. The final date that the venue and all vendors were available is (DATE). Can you please provide me an addendum to our current contract with the new date for signature?

Will any future payments be adjusted based on the new wedding date or would you prefer we keep the same payment schedule outlined in the original contract?

Thank you,
NAME
EMAIL TO VENDORS - REQUEST FOR CONTRACT CLOSEOUT:

Hello,
Thank you for providing your availability. Unfortunately, we were not able to secure the venue and the rest of the vendor team for the dates provided. We are super bummed that we will not be able to have you as a vendor on our new date.

Can you please provide me options on how we can move forward with closing out this contract so that we can begin to fill this gap on our vendor team?

Thank you,
NAME
EMAIL TO VENDORS - REQUEST FOR NEW VENDORS:

Hello,
We have been impacted by COVID-19 and had to move our wedding date to (DATE). We are getting married at (VENUE).

Our previous (VENDOR) was not able to accommodate the new date and we are looking to fill this gap in our vendor team. Are you available on (DATE)? If so, can we get more information on the services you offer and your pricing?

Thank you,
NAME
Try not to get discouraged during this process. Do not lose hope, your wedding will get pieced back together again and it will be just as AMAZING!
NEED TO CHAT?

If you would like to chat through options available to you, I am happy to jump on a call with you! Feel free to call or email!