No matter how happy the couple might be, wedding cancellations do happen. If you are the bride or groom, there may be quite a bit of emotional turmoil involved. Above all else, you will want to enlist the help of friends and family to provide you with emotional support, and the logistics of formally canceling.

The first thing that you will have to consider when calling off your wedding is your guests. If you have not sent out invitations yet, letting close friends and family members know that the wedding was cancelled is enough notification. From there, news will trickle down to would be guests. If you have already sent invitations, and you have time, then mailing your guests a note is proper. It should be worded similarly to the original invitation, saying, for example that “Mr & Mrs John Smith announce that the marriage of their daughter Jane Marie to John Smith will not take place.” If there is not enough time for a formal note, however, a telephone call will suffice. It is best to enlist help for this task. If a wedding announcement was published, you might want to consider a cancellation announcement.

Remember that nobody needs to explain why the wedding will not be taking place. Be prepared for guests to ask why, but remember that they have no right to this information unless you feel the need to inform them.

If you have already had a shower, you will need to return these gifts, as well as any wedding gifts that you have received. Include a note thanking them for their gift, but that you feel you should return it, as the wedding has been cancelled. Depending on who called off the wedding, the bride may or may not want to give back the engagement ring. The classiest move, however, is to return the ring to the groom if he is who purchased and presented the ring.