How to Uninvite People to Your CoronaWedding

by Taylor Griffith, Lemon Tree Editorial

Whoever said engagement was the happiest time of their life clearly was not planning a wedding during 2020.

I got engaged in May 2019 and we almost immediately settled on Nov. 14, 2020 as our wedding date. At the time, a year-and-a-half engagement sounded dreamy; but as 2020 hit, it quickly turned into a nightmare as we traded feelings of excitement and celebration for sacrifice and loss.

My fiancé and I did the tough work and, through many tears, decided to keep our wedding date on schedule and reduce the guest count from 50 to 15.

Then came the next hurdle: how are we going to politely tell our friends and family — the people we’d sent save-the-dates to, and been chatting about our wedding with for more than a year — that they were no longer invited?

Fast forward two weeks, and, much to my surprise, we received thanks in return. The responses sounded like, “Thanks for uninviting me to your wedding!” and “This is the best un-invitation I’ve ever gotten!”

If you’re one half of the happy couple, a family member helping the lovebirds plan, a wedding planner or another wedding pro, I hope you find the following copy of my notes helpful as you politely uninvite people from your 2020 or 2021 wedding.

What I Included in the Envelope

Inside each wedding uninvitation, I included a copy of the original invitation (we had already purchased these, pre-COVID), and the uninvitation note. I hand-wrote each note, which I would highly recommend you do, too. Getting these printed may save you a few hand cramps, but writing them personally will come across as thoughtful and sincere (which may help if you’re hoping the uninvited guests still purchase a gift from your wedding registry).

Here’s my swipe copy for your handwritten “uninvitation” note:

Dear [Name],

I’m writing to you with sad news. Although a wedding invitation is enclosed, [Partner] and I have made the heartbreaking choice to cancel our invitation to you and limit guests to immediate family only. Please know that we love you dearly and wish you could be there on our special day, but we believe this is the safest decision for all involved. Thank you for your understanding, and for thinking of us with love on [wedding date] as we exchange vows.

Love,

[Partner & Partner]

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Taylor is a website copywriter for Lemon Tree Editorial and lives in Texas with her adorable pup, Oliver and love of her life, David.