Coming out of Covid means we’re familiar with plans changing and having lots of questions directed at you! We’ve made a list of the best ways to communicate important information to your wedding guests. Whether you are changing your date or location, adjusting your guestlist or simply wanting to reassure everybody that the wedding is still on, we’ve got you covered!
In print
Save the Dates are perfect for sending out the initial wedding details. You can send out your wedding date, location and the URL for your wedding website. A Save the Date will let your guests know that they are invited and will provide enough information for them to decide whether or not they can make it. Because of the key information you want to communicate in your Save the Date, we recommend sending yours out four to eight months before the wedding day.
Invitations should be sent out eight to twelve weeks before your wedding day. They will contain all the finalised details about your wedding, such as date, time and specific location details.
Related: What is a “Change-the-Date”?
Website
Your wedding website is a fantastic tool for giving more detailed information. A map and travel details, wedding registry information, dress code, timeline for the day and so on. A wedding website will be a work in progress that gets updated regularly from the moment Save the Dates are sent out. It’s a great place to put any new information as details arise, because guests will be checking for updates closer to the time of the wedding day.
Email is a great way to contact all your guests and update them at once. The closer you get to your wedding day, you will find that you rely more heavily on email for communication, particularly if any information changes.
Related: How to Downsize Your Guest List for Covid
Private social media groups
A closed Facebook group is a great way to update large groups of people about time-sensitive information. You could use this group to answer questions, provide reminders and share maps and photos too. We wouldn’t recommend using social media to communicate important information to your wedding guests, such as a change in date and location.
What to do if important details change
Wondering how to contact guests if big things change? We’re talking about your wedding date, location or whether or not somebody is still invited after having to narrow down your guest list.
Text messages are a great way to communicate important information to your guests quickly. If you are hosting a particularly large group of people, we don’t recommend using text for that (that’s what email is for!) but you can use texts for individual updates or for contacting small groups (like your wedding party). It is acceptable to text everybody about a date or location change, but this should be followed up with a formal invitation or Change the Date at some point.
Phonecalls are ideal for tricky situations or guests who aren’t good with emails and social media. Where possible, enlist the help of your immediate family and bridal party. Divvy up your guest list and give everybody a list of people to contact. If you are having to uninvite somebody, we recommend making this call yourselves.
Communicate clearly! With so much uncertainty and lots of questions in the air, we recommend waiting 24 hours after making any big decisions, particularly those related to date changes and postponements. Once you’ve processed the changes, decide what you’d like to say and how you’d like to communicate with everybody. Keep the tone lighthearted or even humourous, if that’s your vibe.
