Change happens, in life and in wedding planning. There are so many moving parts when planning a wedding day that something is bound to change. That’s normal and OK… if you actively manage the change when it happens.
I’ve seen two different couples handle change very differently, one successfully, and one not so successfully. In the first case, the couple moved the time for their ceremony out 90 minutes, and didn’t let me know. The Ceremony Agreement we had all signed stated one start time, and their invitations went out with a time listed that was 90 minutes later. By the time I found out about the change – from the venue manager, because the couple never contacted me about needing to change the time – I had booked an event with another couple in a nearby town for later that day and could not perform the wedding at the later time.
The second couple shows how a similar situation should be handled when change happens. In this case, shortly after booking my services with a stated ceremony start time in the Ceremony Agreement, the bride decided the day would flow better if the ceremony started 30 minutes later than first planned. She contacted me to ask if I could accommodate the change, and I assured her I could. She asked me not to change anything yet, as she wanted to ensure that the new time would work with her other vendors – photographer, musicians, florist, and of course, the venue. Once everyone confirmed their ability to handle the change, she confirmed the new ceremony start time with all of us. We’re all working to the new time, and because the change was made early enough in the planning process and communicated well with all impacted vendors, I expect that all will be well come her September wedding day.
Weddings are complex events with many moving parts and involving many people, so it’s not surprising when change happens. It also doesn’t have to be problematic when change happens if you take the time to consider who all will be impacted by the change and communicate with them as early as possible. Staying relaxed and thoughtful when dealing with changes will help ensure that your wedding day comes together the way you envision it.