Sending Engagement Cards to People We Can’t Invite?

My fiancé and I are starting to plan a smaller wedding in 2022 due to the pandemic. We are hearing that there may still be risks and restrictions even in 2022 due to the pandemic, so our guest list will be 30-40 people.


We have a lot of extended family we will have to leave out, but we’d rather go the safer route and plan a smaller wedding that we know can take place, than a larger wedding with the potential that we’ll have to cut down our guest list and send “you’re no longer invited” cards in the future.
We want to be respectful and still let our extended family and friends know that we are planning a wedding and are thinking of them, so we had this idea to send engagement cards in a few months with a note on the back. The note will let them know we are engaged, but that we are proceeding with planning a small wedding in 2022 because we believe the pandemic will still cause restrictions on large events/gatherings. We will let them know that we wish we could celebrate with all of our loved ones, but that we must keep everyone safe. It won’t exactly tell them they’re not invited, but it will let them know our plans in advance so they can be more understanding once they hear the news and see photos of our wedding next year. Is this a kind approach or should we not send anything at all?