I know, this wedding planning during a pandemic isn’t quite as much fun as it should be right? There are all kinds of obstacles to overcome and the goal posts seem to change almost daily. One of the questions that keeps coming up with my couples is “We’ve had to cut our numbers down, how do we politely uninvite guests due to Covid?”. There’s no doubt it’s a tricky situation, but here are my 5 little bits of advice to help you through it.
1 Don’t panic about it people will understand
We hear it time and time again in nearly every news report. “We’re all in this together, we all have to do our bit.” Believe me when I say, your guests will understand. After all, you’re not telling them they can’t come just for the sake of it. There are restrictions being imposed on you. If you need to uninvite guests due to Covid, take a deep breath, don’t panic and don’t stress out.
2 Give as much notice as you can if you need to uninvite guests due to Covid
Restrictions on weddings are changing all the time, and the truth is no one really knows what is going to happen – probably for the rest of this year. Do the best you can and as soon as you have made a decision yourselves, let your guests know. They will appreciate the thought and not to be left hanging on waiting for more details from you.
3 Make sure your message clear and unambiguous
Don’t leave anything open to interpretation. The restrictions that are in place have legal implications. The last thing you need is for unexpected guests to be turning up because they weren’t sure exactly what your message meant. Don’t rely on word of mouth, send a clear message either printed or digitally. Explain the situation and tell them in no uncertain terms that while you’d love to have them there on the day it’s just not possible at the moment.
4 When you need to uninvite guests due to Covid, keep it personal
I know it’s not the nicest message you’ll ever have to communicate, but you can still keep it personal and meaningful. Use your guests names on the note, don’t just send a ‘round robin’ group email. Depending on the time available and your guest numbers, consider a phone call or a personal note to each guest – even if it’s just an extra handwritten line on a standard printed card.
5 So how do you word the dreaded “uninvitation”?
As with all things wedding, there will be no right or wrong way to uninvite guests due to Covid, but here are a couple of my suggestions to get you started.
Due to Government coronavirus restrictions, we have to change plans for our wedding. For safety’s sake, and to comply with regulations, we have decided to limit our guest list to an intimate number. We are devastated that we can’t have you with us on the biggest day of our lives. We would like to thank you for your understanding and we look forward to celebrating with you as soon as we are able.
Or keep it short and sweet:
Due to the restrictions currently in place, we will now be celebrating our wedding day with just only our closest family. We hope you understand and we promise we’ll celebrate with you when the world gets back to normal.
So there you go, my 5 key bits of advice on how to uninvite guests due to Covid. Don’t stress, and keep the message timely, clear, simple and personal. It’s not going to be an easy task, but once you’ve made the decision to downsize then go with it. Get the difficult bit out of the way and try to enjoy the rest of planning your tiny big day. Don’t forget, if you need any help with printed cards to send to your guests, get in touch I’d be very happy to help.
Good luck and much love,
Jo
How about some inspiration for that tiny big day?
Go have a look at a couple of micro weddings I’ve worked on recently, small really is beautiful!
Navy handmade wedding invitations for a Cardiff micro wedding – Catrin & Osian
Elegant white stationery for a micro wedding in Cardiff – Amy & Rhys
Rustic and nautical theme stationery for Cara & Jack’s surprise micro wedding in south Wales
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