Covid-19 Postponement Issues w/ Vendor

If you are confident in your ability to manage plans without a coordinator, I would do so. A higher price tag, means a higher deposits. Many of these vendors will refuse to give you a deposit back despite the circumstances. If this virus continues further into the year, even postponed weddings may be postponed again leading to full blown cancellations. I would error on the side of caution with this.

Hi Clare,

I'm sorry you're feeling pressured, albeit gently, to upgrade your package.

On the flip side, do you think it might help with your stress level to have your planner handle the postponement conversations with your vendors? In the unlikely event that your wedding is rescheduled again, would she expect another fee or upgrade? If she's prepared to coordinate all the details of your wedding--no matter when it happens (so, including a hypothetical second postponement)--at the upgraded package level, would it be worth it to you? And were you counting on her design help with the new colors/season? I'm curious as to the differences between the original month-of planning package and the upgraded option.

My best advice for working with any/all of your wedding vendors is to keep the lines of communication open. Perhaps the easiest way to figure out what's best is to schedule a call with your planner and discuss your specific needs and concerns and see how she can help.

View Quoted Comment

Hi Amy,

Thanks for your reply. I think it would/would have helped in general (with stress) to handle the postponement convo's/plans with vendors, but I pretty much did most of it myself thus far because at the time I didn't know how it would work with the planner/fees and things needed to move so fast that it just made sense for me to do. I kept her in the loop where I could and she definitely provided emotional support and followed up with emails but I would say I did the heavier lifting of dealing with the postponement so far. Not complaining really and not saying she should have done it either, because it was a tricky situation all-around, and while it was stressful, that was kind of to be expected. That said, it's certainly not done, I mean we have a new date and all the vendors are on board and revised contracts are all signed but that is it so far. Now my stress is mostly coming from feeling like she is mad at me (which I guess I should just have a phone call with her to address, so I will do that) and the worry that she will be upset if I don't upgrade. As regards to packages. I initally contracted her for month-of services (which more or less starts about 2-3 months out) and the next level up is partial planning (which is twice what the month-of package is). Her prices I would say are a little above most of what I have been finding, but in the beginning I was fine with it because she provided a couple more meetings that others did not (such as a linens/table setting rentals selection meeting) . I'm not really sure what I'm asking in all this but thanks so much for weighing in, in any capacity is so much appreciated!

kind regards,

Clare

View Quoted Comment

Hi Clare,

As an event professional, I would hope that your planner isn't "mad" at you. This is such a tough time to be planning a wedding, and wedding pros should be showing kindness and compassion. No one had a handbook for rescheduling every single event during a public health crisis of this magnitude. On top of rescheduling her other couples, your planner could have a situation at home that's adding to her stress. (Has her partner been laid off? Does she have children without childcare? Are her parents refusing to stay home even though they're high risk? There's a lot happening right now--especially for the generations in the middle.)

You just never know what people are going through, and that's even more true now. I guess I'm saying that a quick phone call or video chat may be the most helpful to clear the air. I'm hoping you can get to a good place with your planner, so you can move confidently forward with your new wedding date.