How Do ‘Save the Dates’ Work During a Pandemic?

According to The Knot, Save the Dates are usually sent out between six and eight months before the wedding and formal invitations are sent out about two months before the wedding. My fiancé and I were never going to send Save the Dates and figured we could just send out the invitations six months beforehand. The decision would help us save a few hundred dollars, so it was a no-brainer.

Then the coronavirus happened. We heard about so many weddings that were canceled this year and postponed until 2021. Now our fear is that a loved one we are hoping to have attend our wedding will have another commitment with all of these dates being rescheduled. To prevent any potential double-bookings, we’re now considering sending Save the Dates sometime this winter.

We are hoping that COVID-19 will not impact our August 2021 wedding and that we can still have our Big Day exactly as we pictured it. However, it is totally possible that there will still be restrictions on guest sizes at that time and we’ll have to follow those rules. That said, we will be absolutely mortified if we have to call someone who received a Save the Date to tell them we can no longer have them attend our wedding because of the pandemic.

To avoid this discomfort, I was advised to add some type of disclaimer to our Save the Date that explains that these uncertain times might force us to change our plans, including the date, location, and guest list.

I think I’m just too close to this and can’t see if there is a simpler solution. I’d rather not play the waiting game to see if there is a vaccine at the beginning of the year. If anyone has a better idea, I’m all ears.