Your wedding day is one of the most important moments in your life. There’s a lot that goes into planning your big day. From the engagement announcements to the thank you cards and everything in between, planning a wedding can become a massive money and time investment. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, there are thousands of couples who are currently struggling with the idea of having to postpone or cancel their wedding. If postponing or cancelling isn’t an option for you and your partner, you might want to consider the option of planning a COVID conscious wedding!
Re-evaluate Your Wedding Expectations
You might have had these wedding plans since you were a kid. This is a great time to write down what your perfect wedding looks like. Is it having hundreds of family and friends present? Is it throwing a huge dance party post-ceremony? Questions like these are important to ask and answer, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic where there are social gathering restrictions and precautions.
Re-evaluating these expectations will help you remember what’s truly important on your wedding day. You might want to send out change the date invitations and postpone this day until it’s safe to have hundreds of people gather in one place. However, if you’re perfectly satisfied with slimming down the guest list, hosting the ceremony at an outdoor venue and throwing a socially distanced dance party, you might want to consider planning a ‘COVID-19 conscious’ wedding.
Photo: Zazzle.com
Check Local Health Advisory Updates and Restrictions for COVID
The pandemic has hit different parts of the country at different rates. It’s important to check your local health advisory updates, as well as the government mandated ones, to see how many people are legally able to attend and COVID-safe venues where you can properly hold your wedding ceremony and reception.
Every venue will have different restrictions and guidelines based on their layouts and building structures. You might want to consider switching to a venue that provides outdoor seating. Or a venue that will make sure to safely space out seating arrangements based on the health and safety guidelines.
Hire Extra Help from Professionals and Loved Ones
Ask for help! Having professional help who can assist you with creating safety procedures for you and your guests is a good start for planning your COVID-19 conscious wedding. Planning a wedding is already stressful. Planning a wedding on top of dealing with a global pandemic adds a new layer of stress. This is a day you are supposed to enjoy from start to end. Hiring a wedding planner who will take care of your concerns will push aside those stressors and leave you to enjoy the moments of experiencing your perfect wedding day.
Beyond a professional, recruit family and friends to ensure everyone is following appropriate safety precautions before, during and after your wedding ceremony. This is a team effort that will need the support of everyone to make sure we’re all staying safe and healthy!
Follow Safe Social Distancing Measures
It’s your responsibility to make sure everyone is following the safety guidelines. Take some time to set up reasonable and safe distancing measures. This includes appropriate seating arrangements during the ceremony as well as for any after-ceremony celebratory activities. If you’ve limited your guest list, setting up a live stream for those who were not able to attend can help include loved ones on your special day.
To celebrate a day of love without hugs or warm physical touch gestures makes it hard to express those intimate moments. Encourage your guests to show love in other ways such as incorporating these suggestions below:
- Ask your guests to each write a warm, heartfelt congratulations
- Say thank you for celebrating this day with you by giving out personalized goodie bags
- For those virtual guests, ask them to record a 1-2 minute message that can be played during the reception
- Share a safe hug wearing proper personal protective equipment and being mindful of sanitizing frequently
Keep Your Guests Informed and Up-To-Date
Include in your wedding invitations any helpful information for your guests prior to the big day. RSVPs with multiple avenues to contact you or your wedding planner will keep that open communication between you and your guests in case there is a last minute invite decline. With a pandemic as unpredictable as this one, it’s important to stay up to date on the health of your guests.
Setting up an online website where you can update guests in real time with a send all message and receive messages in return is a great way to understand who all will be attending and staying home.
Be sure to encourage those who are showing symptoms or do not feel 100% well to sit out of the celebration for the safety of everyone else.
Provide PPE for All Guests and Staff
One way to ensure everyone is wearing face masks is by providing personal protective equipment to both your guests and wedding staff. Design your own face masks to match your wedding theme. Set up each table and chair with hand sanitizer bottles, packets and lotions for your guests. Not only do these safety products keep everyone clean and healthy, face masks and hand sanitizers also make great wedding souvenirs they can bring home!
Go the extra mile to make sure those sharing this special day with you are in the best environment to feel comfortable, clean and safe!
Photo: Zazzle.com
Photo: Zazzle.com
Photo: Zazzle.com
COVID-19, as well as any other unforeseen circumstances, can drastically change the wedding plans you’ve already set in stone. It’s important to take a step back, re-evaluate your wedding expectations and pivot your plans to create the perfect wedding you’ve always dreamed of. This is a time to celebrate love with all your friends and family in the safest way, yet most enjoyable way possible!
Let us know in the comments if you have any advice or tips for a COVID conscious wedding!
COVID-19 Wedding FAQ
Having a wedding is its own kind of investment. You and your partner and families invest a lot of money and time into planning the perfect wedding day. There’s no harm in protecting these costs with wedding insurance. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially during uncertain times like the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe it’s worth at least researching event liability and property damage insurance as well as cancellation and postponement insurance for your wedding.
Requiring guests to be vaccinated to attend your wedding is solely up to your and your S.O. If you would feel more comfortable having your guests provide proof of vaccination, we encourage you to state that requirement on your Save the Dates. For those who are not vaccinated, you can provide other safe suggestions such as:
1. require proof of negative COVID test 72 hours before arriving
2. attend the wedding ceremony virtually (if you & your S.O. choose to stream it for those who cannot attend)
3. politely tell your unvaccinated guests to opt out of the wedding festivities
There’s a lot of factors that go into finding an answer to this question. When unforeseen circumstances play into your wedding day, you and your partner have to take a step back and decide if this celebration should go on as is or be put off until a better time. You might have to sacrifice some of your non-negotiables like guest list, venue, food vendors, etc. It’s important to have these hard conversations with your partner and families to weigh all the options for the greater good of everyone attending the wedding. If you choose to delay your wedding for the time being, read our article on How to Cancel or Postpone a Wedding.
It’s important to understand the restrictions and guidelines from health officials before proceeding with your wedding ceremony. Here are some tips for safety precautions you and your guests should follow:
– Notify guests of all ceremony social distancing measures using a COVID enclosure card
– Ask of all guests to rethink attending if they have any symptoms of COVID
– Mandate the use of face masks and/or supply custom wedding face masks and PPE products
– Provide hand sanitizer bottles and hand sanitizer packets for each guest and at each table
Your number one concern should be making sure your guests are safe and comfortable. To do this, here are some easy steps to get started:
1. Encourage guests who are showing symptoms and not feeling well to stay home
2. Apply all social distancing measures (seating arrangements, food preparations, etc.)
3. Have the option to live stream the ceremony for those who cannot attend
4. Supply hand sanitizer, face masks, any PPE products for all guests and staff
5. Hire a sanitizing staff for before, during and after to keep the entire environment clean
Nicole is our Content Strategist. She enjoys long walks to Taco Bell, rollerblading into the sunset, and eating Reese’s Cups for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Find her writing about iPhone cases, holiday card messaging and even music festival tips!
