Coronavirus cancellation- how to communicate?

If you can do a mass email that would be great and to those that aren't as technologically savvy, then a phone call.

If there are only 30 households invited, I would just call. That's only 15 calls a piece. You can knock it out pretty quickly. It's a shame that people have booked their flights already, but they'll understand, I'm sure. I wouldn't be worried about the exchange of vouchers seeming tacky if that's the route you want to go, but if you can't afford that then it really is okay. Your guests are your guests because they're the people in your life who support you the most. They will continue to support you now.

Hi Simone,

I'm so sorry that you're facing the possibility of a lay-off on top of cancelling your wedding. As long as you're feeling good (as best you can under the circumstances) about the decision in terms of your future / long-term financial health, maybe you can find some comfort in it.

I agree with PP that phone calls seem appropriate in this case. For the people who have booked travel, I think you have a couple of options. My two main thoughts:

1) If it's only a few families/friends, could they still visit you if they want to make the trip? Assuming social distancing recommendations are relaxed by then and it's safe to travel, I wonder if you could host a couple of casual gatherings over your original wedding weekend. Grilling at home with close family/friends might be a lot cheaper than reimbursing all the airfare.

2) If you can't afford to reimburse the airfare, then I'm not sure I'd recommend offering that solution. FWIW - I've heard many airlines are accommodating cancellations with vouchers as you said. By now, I expect that major airlines and other travel related companies (hotels, Airbnb, etc.) have created a policy for refunds or credits due to COVID-19. While people have already spent the money, they eventually should be able to go somewhere else.

I hope you can find a solution that feels right for you!