We have faced unprecedented times recently. We’re all learning how to best handle the many things this virus has impacted in our day to day lives. One of the many obstacles (and probably most devastating) to figure out is canceling or postponing your wedding. If you end up choosing either option for your destination wedding you’ll have to notify all of your guests of your decision as well. A stressful and daunting task when it’s the last thing you want to be doing. Here are the best ways to notify friends and family that you’ve cancelled or postponed your destination wedding due to COVID.
Wording
Regardless of HOW you notify them, the tricky part is finding the right wording to get your point across with few questions. Here are some options to get you started:
A few title options
Playful options
“When Corona Cancels your Wedding Day”
“A Twist in Plans”
“Yikes, Our Wedding has been Hijacked!”
You can include a picture of a Corona beer bottle for a more playful twist on the bad news.
Serious options
“Our Unfortunate Wedding Update”
“With a Heavy Heart…”
Content
“We regret to inform you that due to the unforeseen circumstances regarding COVID our destination wedding on ____ has been cancelled/postponed. We thank you for your love and support.”
“After much discussion, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel/postpone our destination wedding date due to COVID. More updates to follow as we navigate this unforeseen circumstance.”
You then have the choice to add specific travel information or a reschedule date if either apply to you. You can also use one of the methods below by referring your guests to your travel agent. Or, you can simply say you’ll notify everyone again when you have further information.
Ways to Notify
The next step is how to notify your guests. There are multiple ways to do this, and you may chose more than one option below to make sure everyone is well aware.
Texting/Calling Guests
Texting and/or calling guests will ensure that you know everyone is aware because you can track who’s answered your call or text massage. On the other hand, this is the most time consuming method. Reaching out to everyone individually can be a tall task as well. Especially if you’re feeling emotional about having to cancel your wedding and would rather not talk to multiple people about it. If you still prefer this method, but are worried about the emotional toll it will take, consider having your fiancé and/or parents help spread the word.
Have Your Travel Agent Contact Guests
Your travel agent will be the best resource for you and all your guests on the best way to navigate your travel and accommodation questions. They can take the burden off of you by contacting your friends and family. Also, they can answer all the questions you may not have the answers to, like refunding your guests or rescheduling their travel arrangements.
There may be a few guests who didn’t use your travel agent, so you’ll have to contact them directly if you go this route.
Post on Your Wedding Website
Most brides these days have a wedding website with information regarding travel and accommodations, especially destination wedding brides. Some of your guests may have already started looking at your site to see if you’d posted anything about your wedding since their travel plans are affected as well. This method is a good way to make sure only the people invited in your wedding are informed. You can also post what actions they should be taking without them reaching out to you with a million questions.
Sending Notification Through Mail
The most expensive option will be to notify everyone by mail. You’ve already spent money on your save the dates and invitations, so this may not be an appealing option to you. If you are willing to spend the money, it’s another way to ensure everyone is properly notified and avoid having to personally talk to everyone.
Posting on Social Media
Posting on Instagram or Facebook may be an easy option as well. Pretty much everyone uses social media and it’s an easy way for the news to spread.
Be aware of this method if you don’t want a lot of unnecessary questions coming your way. People tend to post their questions and concerns a lot easier on social media than talking to you directly. If you’re worried any of your guests would do that you may want to consider a different option.
I hope this post on how to notify friends and family that you’ve cancelled or postponed your destination wedding due to COVID was helpful. I truly feel for all the brides having to navigate this difficult time. Your wedding day is one of the most anticipated days of your life and I hope every one of you can still have that special day exactly as you’ve imagined!
As I’m sure you’ve been doing already, please refer to the CDC Guidelines regarding travel and how to protect yourself and others so we can get past this as fast as possible. Also check out our post “7 Tips on How to Avoid Getting Sick before Your Destination Wedding” so you can plan ahead when your special day comes!
Any more information you think I should provide as a resource to other brides? Comment below or contact me here.
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