What to Ask Your Suppliers in Order to Protect Your Wedding Budget

Please note: All of the information in our posts and articles is accurate and correct at the time it was published. As the Covid-19 situation evolves, our advice might change. We will be frequently publishing new, up-to-date articles and advice, to reflect this.

 

Do you have to postpone your wedding because of Coronavirus? We understand how difficult this must be for you. This outcome is heartbreaking for a number of reasons, but on top of it all- you’re probably wondering what this means for your wedding budget. Worrying about what impact this will have on you financially is an extra stress-factor you could definitely do without. Here’s our thoughts and advice on the best steps you can take.

 

First things first, if you’ve got wedding insurance, reach out to your insurance provider. Find out what their advice is, how they’re handling things and what you’re covered for. Between them, they’ll be able to offer you much more accurate guidance on your specific bookings and/or insurance policies, from there.

 

Once that’s out the way and you know where you stand with insurance coverage, it’s time to communicate with your suppliers. Starting with your venue, and then the rest of your Suppliers, reach out to them to explain that you don’t want to cancel your booking with them- instead you’re looking to postpone. They will have already dealt with this issue with lots of other couples over the last few months, so with any luck, they’ll be prepared for your call. 

 

Our advice here is, remember this is also a stressful time for them. Your Suppliers are worried for their livilihoods and, just like you, are concerned about whether Coronavirus will continue to impact us, later into the year. When liaising with them, be as kind and patient as you can. This will affect you both, both financially and emotionally. Negotiate to see what solutions you can come to, that suit the both of you. Additionally, you might want to consider creating new contracts for your new dates, to ensure that you both feel comfortable moving forward.   

 

What should I be asking my Suppliers? 

 

Try to strike a balance between what works for you and what works for your Suppliers. Here are some areas you can chat with them about, to see if you can come to any kind of mutual agreement.

 

• See if they might consider waiving or reducing any cancellation terms. You can make it clear in your new agreement that these new terms will only apply if any further changes are a direct impact of Coronavirus.  
• Ask what refund options they can offer, should they not be able to meet their obligations later down the line. 
• Find out if your Supplier can provide you with a contingency plan, should they not be able to provide services for your wedding. For example, they may know other Suppliers who offer the same or a very similar service to theirs who may be able to jump in, in the case of sickness or any other reasons why they might be unable to meet their obligations.  
• Enquire to see if they might waive any ‘force majeure’ clauses in their contract. Or, alternatively, include this but state that funds will be returned, minus any costs incurred.  
• Ask them what flexibility they might have on rebooking things again in the future, if things continue to be difficult, and how this will impact any deposits/funds you’ve already paid.