Recently, one of our Dallas wedding planners received a question from one of our rescheduled weddings, asking how they could graciously uninvite guests and have a smaller count to not risk overcrowding the venue. This was not an easy decision, as the couple had postponed their wedding twice in the hopes that everyone could attend. Both are in the medical field and have seen firsthand the ravages of Covid-19. It’s more than understandable then where they are coming from in wanting to be as cautious as possible!
We wanted to share our response so that if someone else is facing a similar situation, this may hopefully help make a potentially tricky situation a bit easier to navigate.
Please feel free to edit to your own circumstance as you see fit. Here are two options:
1. Giving guests who previously RSVP-ed “yes” an out should they feel uncomfortable attending:
“Dear x,
We have been thinking a lot about how to best go about celebrating our wedding during a pandemic. We are trying to be as safe as possible and take all the precautions we can, even rescheduling our wedding in the hopes that everyone could attend. (please take this line out if you did not do this!)
Unfortunately, with cases continuing to rise, we realize some may feel uncomfortable in honoring their previous commitment to attend. We want to take this difficult choice out of your hands and let you know that we completely understand the caution, and would encourage you to do what is best for your situation.
We look forward to celebrating with you another time when social distancing is a thing of the past! For those of you who can attend, we will see you soon.”
2. Uninviting guests as graciously as possible:
“Dear x,
We have been thinking a lot about how to best go about celebrating our wedding during a pandemic. We are trying to be as safe as possible and take all the precautions we can, even rescheduling our wedding in the hopes that everyone could attend (again, please take part out if it does not apply to your situation). Unfortunately, with cases continuing to rise, we have come to the very difficult decision to reduce our guest count to avoid overcrowding the venue.
After much thought, we will be limiting our guest list to an intimate number. We hope you understand that this is a measure we never expected to have to take, and are sincerely sorry to have to go with this heartbreaking route.
We look forward to celebrating with you another time when social distancing is a thing of the past! Thank you in advance for your understanding.”
It’s sobering that this is something couples may have to face and we cannot empathize more. One silver lining is that with a lower guest count, the couple is really able to spend more time with their guests, money can be saved or spent on whatever is a priority, and there are already fewer expectations set because an intimate wedding is less traditional.
