We have some tips and recommendations to help navigate during these challenging times when it comes to your invitations and when you should send them out.
Monitor the Situation
Planning a wedding is an exciting time for couples and you may encounter many uncertain changes during this pandemic that may impact your plans, however take time to enjoy your excitement and plan as normal with a watchful eye on what's going on in this situation. If you have picked your date, booked your ceremony and reception venues, consider sending out a Save-the-Date up to 6 months prior to your wedding so that guests can mark their calendars. It’s a great first step in letting your guests know you are excited to celebrate with them. It's also important to monitor the situation closely so you can update your guests on your plans.
If you are sending out formal invitations, we recommend as normal etiquette a timeline of 6-8 weeks to mail your invitations before your event date. Consider including an insert to state that you are closely monitoring the situation and you will keep your guests updated on any changes to your event. This will add peace of mind to guests.
Postponement
It’s important to inform your quests should circumstances arise that you are to postpone your event. Proper etiquette would be to send out a hard copy change of date card. A simple design that incorporates the same graphic elements as your invitation to keep your stationery consistent. Another option would be a digital format - your wedding stationery designer would create an announcement that matches your initial design that includes important details to your postponement. A jpg. file would be provided that you can send through text or embed to email. Create one distribution list with all your guests email addresses to send. Your guests receive the information they need, beautifully designed so they can adjust their calendars.
Avoid sending individual texts or emails, this opens up potential tough conversations and back and forth chatter about how you are handling the situation and how you are doing, which may become overwhelming and stressful. It’s also time consuming!
Keep your wedding stationery designer informed.
More than ever it's important to keep an open dialogue with your designer. If you need to change the date of your event, let them know right away so they can press pause on your order and provide guidance and next steps. If you have sent out our invitations, it would be your responsibility as host to inform your guests of your postponement in a timely manner. Your designer will provide options to either send out a change of date announcement card by mail or a digital version via email or text depending on your preference or urgency. Either way, it’s important to keep them informed as soon as possible if your plans has been pushed further out within the year or the following.
What is the appropriate wording to communicate a postponement?
There are a couple options to consider, the first would be to request guests to include their email address on the RSVP card so you can reach out should there be a change to your event. The other option would be to send out a postponement announcement. Wording would depend on the couples preference based on formality, examples would be:
Save the New Date, Let’s try this again, Love is Patient, Change of Plans, Postponement etc. and include secondary copy that is thoughtful and polite for example, 'With the health and well-being of our loved ones in mind during this unprecedented time, the wedding of (couples names) has been rescheduled to...' Or, 'In light of recent events (couples names) have decided to reschedule their wedding on to...'
Should I resend a second formal wedding invitation?
This is a personal preference and would depend on a couple of factors: If you were able to press pause prior to printing your initial set of wedding invitations, work with your stationery designer to revise the wedding date and RSVP deadline and proceed with your order once you feel confident that your plans will move forward. If you have sent out a postponement announcement and would like to resend a second formal invitation, keep the original design and only revise important details. You may forgo some bells and whistles to save on cost - a discussion to have with your designer. This would be an option for couples that would like a keepsake for their wedding and not a change of date.
At Stylish Moments Invitation Studio, we’re always available to support each of our couples. We understand that every scenario is different, and we work closely with brides and their grooms to provide guidance and recommendations to their unique situation. Should you have any questions, please reach out to us by email at nelen@stylishmoments.ca and we would be happy to assist you with any questions. You can also subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Instagram @stylishmoments.ca or like us on Facebook for up-to-date tips and advice during Covid and design inspiration.