This Is Exactly What to Email Your Guests and Vendors If You're a COVID Couple

With wedding postponements and precautionary events taking place amid COVID-19, many couples have grappled with exactly how to relay the message of either postponements and/or health and safety measures to vendors and their guests. Here's exactly how to navigate this tricky time with wedding postponement email templates and general communication options for events amid COVID.

"Due to the amount of people you may have to communicate with—and possibly within a short time frame—in an emergency situation, it's absolutely fine to send electronic communication to everyone at once," says etiquette expert Myka Meier, author of Modern Etiquette Made Easy. According to The Knot 2020 Wedding Guest Study, the vast majority of guests (71% in fact) would like to know about health and safety measures at weddings prior to submitting an RSVP. Here's how to share all relevant details with your loved ones.

Below, The Knot Editors have pre-written multiple wedding inquiry email templates with guidance from the pros for exactly how to graciously communicate your postponement and/or health and safety needs. Simply add your personality flair to the templates, and voila!

In this article:

If You're Moving Forward With Your Wedding
If You're Postponing Your Wedding
If You're Newly Engaged and Wedding Planning

If You're Moving Forward With Your Wedding

Wedding Guest Email Template: For In-Person Guests

Among the communication options to relay health and safety measures (paper, email, texts), nearly half, or 46% of guests, replied their platform of preference to receive guidelines is via email. The Knot Editors created a comprehensive list of how to communicate your various health and safety measures to guests below.

Dear [Guest Name Here],

The wedding of Christine Reynolds to Jack Smith will move forward as planned on February 14, 2021. Ahead of the event, however, we would like to share health and safety measures. Please take time to carefully review this email before making an informed decision about your RSVP. We understand this is a challenging time and are happy to answer any questions you might have.

PPE: Masks and hand sanitizers will be readily available to guests upon arrival. In case, however, please arrive with your own masks as you greet friends and family.

Dinner: We will no longer be serving a family-style dinner and instead, we've increased safety with a plated service. Please note which menu option you most prefer. We will also be serving mini hors d'oeuvres and individualized cocktails to mitigate risk.

Venue: Our wedding venue has agreed to help us safely host the affair outdoors. Heating lamps and blankets will be provided to guests, as well as a clear tent to display the romantic location. There will also be multiple fire pits with s'mores stations and hot cocoa readily available.

The Room Block: Our hotel has listed numerous ways it is safely welcoming and hosting guests during this time. Please review [hotel here] policies and standards amid COVID-19.

Testing: We ask all guests take a COVID-19 test in the days leading up to the wedding day. Here's a list of places to take the test, including urgent care and local hospital options. If your test is positive or you've been in contact with someone who has been positive in the last 14 days, we ask that you please stay home and take care of yourselves.

Temperature Checks: Our venue and vendors will be taking temperature checks at the door to further minimize risk. If you don't feel well, please stay home.

Transportation: We will be staggering transportation as needed to and from the reception site. Please schedule your days accordingly, knowing it may take more time than usual.

Guest Interaction: Please minimize handshakes, hugs and simply socially distance as needed. We understand human contact is something that is missed, but the risk is high.

All additional safety guidelines are also listed on our Wedding Website FAQ Page:
www.yourweddingwebsitehere.com

We hope you are safe and well during this time.

Yours,
[Your Name(s) Here]

Wedding Guest Email Template: For Digital Guests

If your guest list is smaller than originally planned, there are many ways to tactfully share your new wedding plans with your virtual guests. This also applies if you're searching for a wedding cancellation email template.

Dear [Guest Name Here],

Due to COVID-19, the wedding of Christine Reynolds to Jack Smith will move forward as planned on February 14, 2021, at a reduced capacity. We have made the choice to extend in-person invitations to only immediate family members and select loved ones, as this is a time of great concern. Your health and safety is of utmost importance to us, which is why we had to make this challenging decision.

Instead, we will move forward with a virtual component to our wedding day, which will stream live on our wedding website under the "Live Ceremony" page. More information will be sent the morning of the wedding.

www.yourweddingwebsitehere.com

As your presence will be missed, we would still like to send goodies your way. Please share your address by [deadline date here], as well as your returned RSVP card noting your dietary preferences.

We hope you are safe and well during this time. We look forward to celebrating with you.

Yours,
[Your Name(s) Here]

Wedding Vendor Email Template

Among 750 guests surveyed in The Knot 2020 Guest Study, 71% of guests prefer to receive health and safety measures before they RSVP. Within this set, 63% of respondents said they'd like PPE information; 60% expressed interest in the overall guest count. Your vendors know best how to proceed in this area, so connect sooner than later with your team of pros to discuss everything from PPE to catering options.

Dear [Vendor Name Here],

As we're moving forward with our planned wedding of February 14, 2021, we'd like to connect with you about appropriate health and safety measures. As you are the experts, we wanted to align with your on a range of topics from PPE options to guest interaction. We understand this is a challenging time and are happy to jump on calls to talk through needs. Please see a list of topics to discuss, and add additional thoughts too, before we communicate them effectively to our guests.

PPE: Are masks provided, does the venue have hand sanitizing stations?

Dinner: How do we proceed here?

Venue: Will the venue be open to moving the wedding outdoors, or what is the air filtration system indoors?

If this becomes an outdoor wedding, what are additional heating options we should consider?

Testing: We ask all vendors take a COVID-19 test in the days leading up to the wedding day. Here's a list of places to take the test, including urgent care and local hospital options. If your test is positive or you've been in contact with someone who has been positive in the last 14 days, we ask that you please stay home and take care of yourselves.

Temperature checks: We will be taking the temperature of vendors and staff to further minimize risk. If you don't feel well, please stay home. And, please be assured that we're checking the temperature of all guests as well.

Transportation: What is the safest way to transport our guests from Point A to Point B?

Guest Interaction: We will do everything we can to minimize interaction with our guests to keep you safe as well.

All additional safety guidelines will also be listed on our Wedding Website FAQ Page:
www.yourweddingwebsitehere.com

We hope you are safe and well during this time.

Yours,
[Your Name(s) Here]

If You're Postponing Your Wedding

The Knot Invitations

Wedding Planner Email Template

If you have a wedding planner, this is the first pro you should be reaching out to before contacting any vendor. More than 93% of all couples have decided to either postpone or move forward with their original wedding date. However, if you fall into the 7%, there are wedding cancellation letters to vendors to send separately. As you've likely put down a deposit, the easiest route to take is to postpone your wedding to a later date. If you'd like to marry legally, move forward with a minimony. See what Mavinhouse Event's Lindsay Shaktman suggests emailing below.

Hi [Planner Name Here],

I hope you are safe and well. Given the ongoing climate of the coronavirus pandemic, I am now interested in postponing my February 14 wedding. I had a few questions about next steps:

Would you recommend a certain time of year for postponing, taking into consideration our specific vision and needs? These are the dates i had in mind, but rely on your guidance and expertise [input potential dates here]

Are there any costs associated with postponing my plans, including non-refundable deposits or change fees? Could I review your most up-to-date cancelation and postponement policy?

Does changing the date of my wedding alter the scope of your services and will I be required to sign a new contract as a result?

Will you be available on my new wedding date or will it be an associate from your team?

Should we move forward with a postponement, can you suggest an appropriate way to communicate this with guests?

What are the best next steps for postponing? Who do we reach out to first on our creative team?

Thank you so much for all that you do at this time.

Best,
[Your Name(s) Here]

Wedding Venue Email Template

As with any planning checklist order, your wedding venue is the one you'll need to contact to secure a later date. This is what Mavinhouse and Amy Shey Jacobs of Chandelier Events say are reasonable questions to ask the venue.

Hi [Venue Coordinator or Contact Name Here],

I hope you are safe and well. Thank you so much for being an incredible part of our wedding planning process so far. Given the ongoing climate of the coronavirus pandemic, I am now interested in postponing my February 14 wedding. I had a few questions about next steps for our venue:

I have a few dates in mind that I'd love to change my wedding to. They are as follows
[*couples: input a variety of dates here, and consider being open to Mondays, Fridays and Sundays dates]. Do you have availability on any of these dates?

What other dates do you currently have open that we should potentially consider and place holds on?

Can we place a hold on a secondary date, and then have a calendared date by which we need to make pertinent decisions so we can be empowered to move the date by a specific deadline?

Could you also provide your up-to-date cancellation and postponement policy?

Will you be issuing a new contract should we decide to postpone?

Are there any costs associated with changing my date such as non-transferable deposits, change fees, or upcharges?

Will you continue to be my venue point of contact or will I be working with someone new? If the latter, how will our wedding plans be communicated to our new point of contact?

If we change to a new season, will my menu change as a result? Will I be able to have a second tasting?

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,
[Your Name(s) Here]

Wedding Guest Email Template

By now, you've likely heard of the change-the-date. Your loved ones will appreciate receiving communication about your updated wedding date through multiple mediums, the easiest route being email.

Dear Loved One [or Names],

Due to the current health emergency of COVID-19, the wedding of Christine Reynolds to Jack Smith will regrettably not take place on April 18th as originally planned.

A new wedding date will be announced as soon as possible. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

www.yourweddingwebsitehere.com

We hope you are safe and well during this time.

Yours,
[Your Name(s) Here]

Wedding Party Email Template

This editor is a bridesmaid in several weddings moving into 2021, and has witnessed, firsthand, the tricky scenario of postponements of not only weddings, but also, highly-anticipated events like the bachelorette weekend and a shower. Here's a template for what to email to wedding party members below.

Dear [Name Here],

It is with much sadness that I share with you our wedding has been postponed, along with our [bach party, wedding shower and/or engagement party].

This means we'll have to wait until [foreseeable future date] to celebrate together. I have decided to postpone the nuptials even further. As more information is coming, please begin to work through vouchers and other cancellation policies for our flights and more.

Here are details about the room block [or home stay].

If applicable: Your refunds will be processed by [contact here].

Thank you so much for being part of my wedding team. I'm so excited for the day we can all reunite to celebrate together again.

Yours,
[Your Name Here]

If You're Newly Engaged and Planning

The Knot Invitations

Wedding Inquiry Email Template

If you just got engaged, congrats! Your partner and you have decided to enjoy a social distancing engagement, which will be a story to share with your loved ones for decades to come.

After sharing the news with your family and friends, you'll want to start considering your wedding timeline. If you want to marry through 2022, you'll want to get started now considering couples have either postponed, key vendors are booked out, and venues too across the board. Once you've locked in your wedding vision and specifics (guest list size, location, budget), start exploring local venues as many are offering digital tours these days. Check their ratings on The Knot Marketplace and explore similar style weddings your future vendors may have executed.

If you have a preferred vendor in mind, reach out as soon as possible to see what dates you're able to lock in. Here's what to email over.

Dear [Preferred Vendor],

I hope this email finds you well. I'd like to introduce myself and my partner as we're both interested in your venue for our upcoming wedding. We'd like to marry between [time frame here in 2021, 2022]. We know you're booked out through the year, so we wanted to get a move on our wedding checklist sooner than later. Do you have said availability during those weekends?

If so: Are you able to pass along details about venue tours (I've heard many are digital these days) and more specifications about guest list size?

If not: What weekends do you have available? Also, weekdays too.

Thank you,
[Your Name(s) Here]

General Wedding Vendor Email Template

Of course each vendor is different, but the best way to approach your team is to be proactive and solution-oriented. Specify modifications based on each vendor (for example, you'll want to discuss food options with a caterer or ask your DJ about eventual updates to your playlists). Shaktman provides a general template of questions to ask a floral designer, for example. Custom-tailor communication for each vendor category as specifics will oscillate.

Dear [Designer Name Here],

I hope you are safe and well during this time. Thank you so much for being an incredible part of our wedding planning process so far. I have several questions pertaining to my decor, where you are instrumental. See below:

If I'm postponing to a different time of year, will there be a cost associated with creating a new proposal based on the seasonality of flowers?

Will our deposits paid to date be carried over to our new date?

Are there any costs associated with postponing my plans? Including non-refundable deposits or change fees? Will you be able to apply funds already paid to my future wedding date?

Will you continue to be my point person moving forward, or will another team member be handing my wedding from here?

Are you able to offer a second mockup once a new design plan has been discussed? Are there additional fees for this?

We'd like to set up a call as soon as you are available as we're trying to align these new dates with all of our vendor contracts and communicate with our families and friends.

Please advise on next steps and how we can proceed from here.

Thanks so much,
[Your Name(s) Here]