Man. So much has changed in so little time. So let’s start this off by taking a deep breath, in and out. I’m going to do my best to help you out, and I want you to know, no matter when your wedding will be, I’m going to do everything I can to make it AMAZING.

First, I’m really sorry.

I know that this unbelievable situation we have found ourselves in is not the fault of anyone, but that doesn’t make it any easier. I’m really sorry that this virus has become a massive issue during the year that you are planning to get married, and I’m sorry for the extra stress and worry it causes you.

Please know that whatever happens, what I really want is for you to have the very happiest and most wonderful wedding. The wedding world is one that fills me with so much joy, and my love for weddings is actually what drew me to flowers in the first place. Know that I (and all the rest of your wedding vendors) are here for you — what we hope to do is make the rest of your engagement as easy and stress-free as possible. So, if you find yourself making the decision to postpone your wedding due to corona virus, I’m ready to talk with you and find the best possible backup date.

Here’s what you need to know about postponing and rescheduling your wedding in Manitoba due to COVID-19:

First, and most importantly: Postpone and reschedule, don’t cancel.

Since there is no historical precedent for this, our timeline is SO unknown. But this flowchart from Evergreen Flower Co is right in line with what I’m thinking.

Ready to find a new date? I’m right here with you.

Your first step should be to connect with your wedding planner, if you have hired one. He or she should take the lead in guiding you through this process. If you haven’t hired a wedding planner, stay calm! That’s fine — just take it in steps.

1) Talk to your venue.

Reach out to your venue coordinator and ask for date options that you can consider, and what their rescheduling policies are. Once you have a list of possible dates, then you can start considering what the best option will be — don’t immediately jump on the first available date that they have, as you’re more likely to end up losing a lot of retainers and deposits this way.

2) Talk to your family/friends about their availability.

If you have very important guests who will need to travel to your wedding, particularly if they are travelling internationally, it’s unrealistic to expect a 2020 wedding date will work. Chances are also pretty good that you have some friends who are in the same situation as you and are rescheduling wedding dates, so you’ll want to talk about their backup dates, too.

3) Talk to your wedding vendors.

Start by reaching out to your priority wedding vendors with the list of possible dates that your venue has given you. It’s my nightmare that a client will reschedule their date with the venue before reaching out to me, and I won’t be available. If you can give us a few options, that’s better!

It’s unlikely that ALL of the vendors you’ve hired will be available for the same wedding date. Manitoba has really long engagements and many of us book up 12-18 months in advance. I’d suggest prioritizing based on which vendors can only take 1 wedding per date, the ones you can’t imagine your wedding without, which you’ve spent the most money on so far, and what their cancellation/refund/rescheduling policies are. Check your contracts to find out what these details are.

If you are unable to reschedule with a vendor, expect to lose the non-refundable retainer that you placed with them as listed in their contract. As much as we would love to return all monies to you, we also have mortgages to pay and contracts to abide by.

Before you cancel with your vendors who aren’t available on your new date, try to come up with some out of the box solutions to mitigate your losses. If your photographer isn’t available for your new date, is their associate shooter? If so, your photographer will still be able to edit all of the images in their style, which you fell in love with in the first place, while making sure you don’t lose money.

4) Get planning!

Hopefully, most of the work that’s been done for your wedding so far will carry over to the new date. If there are a lot of changes that need to be made, such as changing your design from a summer palette to a winter palette, for example, expect that you might be charged some minor fees for additional labour.

Make sure to update your guests! I’ve seen a lot of people using the phrase "Change the Date” instead of the typical “Save the Date,” which is super cute. HERE is a really beautiful (free!) download that you can use to share that your date will be postponed. HERE are a few digital “Change the Dates” that are available for a very low cost and were created by a designer here in Winnipeg. If you want to send a physical Change the Date card in the mail, Minted has some really lovely options — though I would always recommend hiring a local stationery designer if you can. Keep that money in the local economy! If you’re sending out a mass email but aren’t sure how to word it, HERE are some really well-worded templates that could help you decide what to say.

A few things to think about:

-Don’t wait to the very last minute to postpone/cancel or you’ll risk losing a lot of money and vendors. For the vendors who deal with perishable product, like florists and caterers, this is of utmost importance. If a wedding is cancelled or rescheduled within a 15 day window from the original wedding date, I can’t get a refund on your flowers, which means that I can’t refund you.

-Be open to “off” dates. It’ll be a lot easier to find a new date if you’re open to Friday, Sunday weddings, or maybe even Thursday dates or a winter wedding.

-Consider a smaller guest list. Here in Manitoba, the current state of emergency specifically states a maximum of 10 people allowed to congregate for at least the next 30 days, with larger gatherings being punished by fine and/or jail time. If you still want to move ahead with an intimate elopement, I don’t blame you (but please don’t expect that your guests will come — they love you, but the health of our society needs to come first). I would love to create a beautiful bouquet and boutonniere for you. I’ll be offering a special package to do that for you, so don’t hesitate to reach out about that.

-This is a completely unprecedented time. As much as your wedding vendors would like to say that we’re prepared for anything, this is something that no one has ever had to deal with before. Remember that along with our emotional desire to serve you well and make your dream wedding happen, we are also scared. There is a very real possibility that we will lose our entire year’s worth of income. We are anxious to protect our own families from the virus while also paying our mortgages.

If you are looking for valuable resources that provide facts on what is happening in Manitoba and Canada when it comes to Covid-19, here are the resources that I have been relying on:

Canada.ca
CBC News
Manitoba Government page dedicated to Covid-19

I’ll be back in a few days to share some of my thoughts and ideas about the best ways to plan a wedding amidst this crisis — tips and ideas, and some of the best things that can come out of this. See you soon, friends!