i need some opinions!

I also reached out to our other vendors with the possible new date, the photographer is available and the DJ has a pending contract that expires on the 22nd. Those are our only vendors.

Ugh, that’s such a hard choice!! Especially since some states are starting to open back up and August is still 3 months away. But, if you’re 100% set on your venue and can’t imagine getting married anywhere else, then I would postpone to the later date

Can they soft hold the date for you until a certain amount of time?

Or ask them to put a “soft hold” on the date if possible? I’m not sure if they’d do that but it’s worth a try😊

If you would be open to a non-Saturday date, have you asked about other days of the week that may be available? Hopefully that would increase your options quite a bit!

How many guests? Will you be okay if it's limited to 50 total? (which after vendors means 40-45?) up to 100 total? I think that's an important question. Anything can happen in 12-24 months. We are set for 7/25 in Houston and our Governor started phase 1 this past Friday. IMHO, life must go on. We plan to have our wedding if they will allow at least 50. If not, then we'll do the 10 and postpone the "party". We aren't allowed to outright cancel. It seems so wrong given the current situation. That said, it is what it is. If I were you, I'd move forward. Great Luck!

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I'm a big DIY bride and don't have a coordinator, so I need a day before and after to decorate and clean up. There's no way I would feel comfortable inviting my guests to a mid week wedding, my FH and I also have coworkers we want at our wedding, so that wouldn't feel right either.

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Our guest list is at 168. We both have big families and can't uninvite any of them. If we do postpone, we will still get legally married on our original date with our parents, and have a vow renewal and reception next year.

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Ah ok that definitely makes sense! I was just asking because we were told by our vendors (when we rescheduled) that Fridays or Sundays would be easier to schedule than Saturdays Even if you had it on a Friday evening, you would probably need to take off work that Thursday, so I don't know if that would work with your job and/or vacation planning. Best of luck to you guys!! Sounds like you guys have a good plan!

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Thank you!

If it were me, I would grab the Sept. 2021 date - that's actually a nice date!! Our large Catholic parish just announced today that they are cancelling our annual mid-July Summer Festival. This is a huge money maker so I doubt they would have canceled unless 100% sure it won't happen. Really makes me think "large" summer gatherings are not going to be "allowed". Good luck!

If this helps any, regardless if things open up, I don't think I would feel comfortable attending a wedding in August. I'd send my regrets if it were this year. I'd personally grab the other date.

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I understand. Great luck!

Also, if I were your coworker, I'd feel way more comfortable going on a Friday next year compared to a Saturday during a pandemic. If you were like my best friend or family member I'd come regardless though.

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Thank you!

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Yeah, that Sept 25 date next year is a Saturday so I'm grateful for that.

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I just asked if they could soft hold it for me until Friday, and they will so I have a couple days to talk with family about it, and not rush a decision. Thanks for the idea!

View Quoted Comment Of course!! Wishing you guys the best of luck!!😊

I'm sorry you are going through this. How big is your wedding and are your guests primarily local? I think those are huge factors in whether or I would hold out hope for August. I'm right over the border in NH (I actually work in VT). Vermont is doing pretty well, but if you have a large wedding planned and people traveling, there could still be restrictions in August that significantly impact your wedding.

We were hopefully for our small (60-80 guests) May 30th wedding in NH, but our governor just extended stay at home orders so now it's completely off the table. I starting inquiring about alternatives with our vendors a couple weeks ago, but the earliest they all have is well into the summer of next year. I'm pretty sure that if we had made a decision to cancel earlier in April we might have been able to secure an earlier postponement date, but so many other couples are in similar positions and switching dates so next year dates are filling up fast. My family is in NJ and we have a number of guests traveling regionally (driving distance, but definitely not a day trip), so even if things were looking better here (they aren't) it still would have been touch and go for a lot of people. Unless your wedding is on the smaller side (less than 100 guests), all of your VIP guests are local and most of your guests are within the region, and few/none of your guests belong to vulnerable populations, I think it's highly unlikely an August wedding will happen as you planned without some serious modifications. I don't want to be a downer, but if you love your venue and they normally book full a full two years out, that means there are a bunch of other couples out there planning to marry this year in June and July who are likely going to have to change plans and who are going to be forced to make those changes well before August. That single available date in September is going to go fast.

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Our guest list is 168 people, and I can't cut it down, I don't have the heart or the want to do that. My family is all local, FH has a lot of family in MA, a bridesmaids in TN, one in SC, a groomsmen in VA, and a cousin in CA. So we have a lot of travel. They're soft holding that 2021 date until Friday so we'll have more time to talk with family and guests.