Handling The Nightmare Of A Canceled Wedding

This entry is from our Expert Guest series where wedding and honeymoon professionals share their best tips on creating memories that last a lifetime.

If you’re remotely human, the thought of handling the nightmare of a canceled wedding will make you cringe and shed a few salty tears. Canceling a wedding is not an easy feat or a pleasant one.

In our history as a company, we have witnessed a total of four canceled weddings, with one being less than 30 days away. For a minute, we had to channel in on finding a right balance of empathy and professionalism. We will never totally understand why things don’t always go according to our plans.

Insurance For A Canceled Wedding

We encourage all of our clients to purchase wedding insurance. Wedding Insurance usually covers wedding postponement, your photographs, the wedding day attire, gifts, additional wedding-related expenses for a small fee, more like a tiny fee. We like to recommend The Event Helper to our clients as they have been tried, true and trusted.

What Do I Need To Do Now That The Wedding Is Canceled?

Basically, you will have to undo all that you have done. Here’s a checklist we created for you:

If the wedding is canceled after you mailed your invitations, then you will have to personally call each guest. We highly recommend that you create a script and stick with it especially since you’re going to be nervous. Please know that you do not have to share the details and the reasons why the wedding has been canceled. Some may argue and say that you should send a letter or formal announcement, but we believe a phone call is better. What if that person moved or the announcement gets lost in the mail and they show up to your venue being the only one there?

Review your contracts between you and your venue, caterer, and other vendors to understand their cancelation clause is a much with handling the nightmare of a canceled wedding. We recommend that you contact them via telephone and follow up with an email to create a paper trail. I would ask each vendor if there are any documents that you need to complete. Please make sure to collect a confirmation email from each vendor. Do not expect a refund from most of your vendors or the venue as they may have turned away other business on your wedding date. There are some vendors that have a clause in their contract that requires you to pay the full balance whether or not your wedding is canceled. Other vendors or venues will charge 50 percent or more of their estimated fee for this cancellation.

You will need to reimburse your wedding party for any money they spent towards their attire. You also need to reimburse them for any money they spent on the wedding festivities such as the bachelorette or bachelor party, the bridal show and so forth.

You will need to return any wedding gifts you received. In addition to returning the wedding gift, you should also include a note to thank them for the gift as well as letting them know the wedding has been canceled. Let’s say that you already used the gift, and then you will have to purchase an identical replacement to send back to them.

Who Keeps the Ring?

Handling the nightmare of a canceled wedding also includes who gets to keep the ring! We believe the ring should go back to the person who gave it. Others may argue that the ring is a gift. Let’s be real, why would you want to keep the ring if you did not pay for it? Now let us say that he canceled the wedding without good reason or because you caught him red-handed, girlfriend, you deserve to keep the ring and sell that damn thing with all of its bad ju-ju. The Lord said to forgive, but there’s nowhere in scripture that says you have to forgive and give him back the ring.

Bio: More about Events By Seven

Events by Seven is your destination for luxury weddings + events. We cater to the fashionable girl with an eye for intricate details and posh design. We are Orlando’s Luxury Wedding & Event Planners. We have set the standard for creating beautiful events by offering innovative ideas and creative approaches throughout the entire journey.

We are passionate about helping our couples secure their wedding venue at five-star resorts, private estates, castles, mansions, and museums in the United States and the Caribbean so their guests can receive an extraordinary experience. We tell all of our clients to relax, breathe, and don’t worry about all the (behind the scenes) details, just have fun and enjoy your special day.

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