Refund??

I agree with LB, but I still see it being variable, from vendor to vendor. Most of my vendors were super cool about the postponement, and agreed to carry over my deposit to my new date. I agree that cancelling outright would have probably netted me a different result. But we're still going forward, just later on.

Having said that, I have one vendor who, surprisingly, won't budge, and insists that new contracts must be signed (no problem with that), and that requires a new deposit.

Sorry, you're a sole proprietor of your business who makes all the rules, right? You could be cool and waive a second deposit, because we have committed to using you for our wedding. Nope. I get that she is losing money too, even for postponements. She's probably not going to be able to re-book that weekend, for the same reason we're all scrambling. But at the same time, this is part of the business/career you chose. I had no control over these circumstances, and my life is on hold until this plays out. I don't think I should be punished by having to pay twice for the same service. So, I can pay this vendor a second deposit, and she will do my new date. Oh, and if that wasn't bad enough, she informed me she's moving out of California by the end of the year, so if my new date is not in 2020, then I'll also have to pay an additional travel fee for her to come back for our wedding in 2021. Or I could ditch her (what FH wants me to do), and find someone new. Either way, I'm paying a new deposit for circumstances beyond my control.

For you, I can't imagine how they can justify keeping more than your initial deposit. You're right, they haven't prepared anything, haven't wasted a bunch of food or liquor, so it's a wash. All they lost was "future income", and frankly, that's the business they are in. For all of these vendors. This is the risk you take when you choose to make your living as an event vendor. Lots of events get cancelled, or postponed, for all kinds of reasons. You might want to speak to an attorney about this, one who practices contract law, to go over your contract and see if you have any recourse. Those are usually so clogged with legal language, it's difficult for regular people to decipher what their rights are. I know, as I'm a legal secretary.

Good luck to you, I hope you get at least some of your money back. As for me, I'm still pondering my stubborn vendor.

Hi Kelly, have you had any word back from any of your vendors? Is the venue communicating with you at all? I'm sure they are swamped and in crisis mode but I hope they reach out soon for your peace of mind. Can we at WW offer you any support? Have you tried reaching out to our hotline for advice? We’ve set up a hotline at (833) 998-2865 or you can reach us through help@weddingwire.com for help with any of your wedding planning questions.

I'm so sorry about what happened to your wedding date

Hi Jo!

We were very lucky and almost everyone has allowed us to move dates - we were able to line up our rehearsal venue with the wedding venue and incurred no cost. Turns out a lot of their team went on furlough so that's why no one was reaching out. Thanks for your help!