What to Do If You Have to Cancel Your Elopement

Wondering What to Do If You Have to Cancel Your Elopement? It’s a situation we hope never happens, but it helps to be prepared.

If we’ve learnt anything from the last two years, it’s that even the best laid plans can go wrong. 2020 brought with it a whole lot of uncertainty and for couples planning their weddings, it was really hard to know what to do next (and the same for wedding vendors!).

Eli & Marie were the first of my couples who had to cancel their elopement plans when the pandemic hit in March 2020. With so much uncertainty, and because they had elderly grandparents who couldn’t travel easily, they decided to cancel their Joshua Tree elopement plans and get married locally instead. They still wanted to have some adventure portraits though, so we met up for Shenandoah Couples Portraits a year later.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE TO CANCEL YOUR ELOPEMENT

Cancel or Postpone Your Elopement

While the pandemic seems to be slowing down and life is starting to get back to normal, things can still happen that disrupt your plans. Of course, we hope it never happens, but in case you can’t follow through with your original elopement plans, don’t assume you have to cancel it! Before you do that, ask yourself if you can postpone instead?

The first step is to understand your plans and contact your wedding vendors. They’ll most likely be able to help you with this decision. If you can postpone instead of canceling, it shouldn’t be too complicated. Just:

1. Choose a handful of alternative dates that could work for you

2. Contact all your wedding vendors, and check which of those dates they’re available for

3. Hopefully, there’ll be a date when everyone is free, and you can just postpone your elopement plans for that date!

Of course, it’s good to be aware of the terms of your contracts with each vendor as well. Different vendors will have different policies around cancellations and postponements.

To-Do List in Case You Have to Cancel Your Elopement

In case you really can’t postpone, and you have to cancel your elopement, then first thing’s first – I’m really sorry. Whether it’s due to covid or other unforeseen circumstances, canceling plans you’ve been dreaming of isn’t any fun. That said, it doesn’t have to be the end of the world!

Notify Your Elopement Vendors

Just like a postponement, you should be reaching out to your vendors to let them know. The more notice you can give them, the better. Some cancellation policies change closer to the date of the booking. Plus, they likely have more inquiries coming in and they’ll have a better chance of rebooking that date if they have more time!

Understand Your Contracts

Before you reach out to your vendors though, have a quick look over the contracts you have signed with them. Just like each vendor should have specific clauses around postponements, they’ll likely have cancellation policies as well. Most vendors won’t be able to refund your deposit, but it’s worth seeing if you can exchange it for another service. This is what Eli & Marie chose to do when they had to cancel their elopement due to the pandemic!

Have to Cancel Your Elopement Photography? Get Portraits Instead!

Depending on the circumstances of your cancellation, we might be able to use your retainer towards an adventure portrait session instead. While Eli & Marie had initially planned to elope at Joshua Tree, they were instead able to meet me at Shenandoah National Park for portrait photos a year later.

Of course, it was different to what they had planned, but they were just such a sweet couple. It was so lovely to have that chance to reflect on the year that had passed and how they’d come through it together. And of course, it was a lovely excuse to get out and explore Shenandoah National Park together!

Do you have questions about planning and preparing for your elopement (including more about What to Do If You Have to Cancel Your Elopement? Let me know! I’d love to help you plan something epic.

 Do you love how Eli & Marie made the most of a bad situation with their Shenandoah Couples Portraits? Let them know in the comments below!