With more and more people being fully vaccinated, restrictions are starting to ease and so is our ‘planxiety’ Nonetheless, the risk is still there and the covid 19 virus very much still exists. At this point, it’s safe enough to say that all weddings and events in the future will be different. So, besides having a myriad of hand sanitizer stations around your venue and reception, what else can you do?
Communicate with your guests
Make sure to touch base with your guests before the wedding day. Many couples are now resorting to creating wedding websites for FAQs and for easier updates for guests. If you have high-risk guests people such as the elderly or people with conditions affecting their immunity, consider asking whether they would prefer to attend only the ceremony for precautionary reasons. If not, you can also arrange a VIP seating area for those who are most at risk or consider seating guests from the same household next to each other or at the same table. Most importantly, make sure you remind all your guests to only attend if they are feeling well and do not have any covid-19 symptoms.
Consider space restrictions
Make sure you stick to the allowed limit of guests and remember to include your suppliers in your final guest count. Having an outdoor venue with open-air and natural ventilation is a first prize but may not always be possible. Wherever your venue may be, make sure you allocate enough space. This will be dependent on the level of lockdown. Even though you may be allowed to have a large number of people present, remember to consider and respect guests who may be nervous. Find a way in which you can involve guests that aren’t able to attend, such as live streaming the ceremony and speeches. If you don’t have someone professional doing this for you, you can make use of a streaming platform or have a dedicated guest make sure everything is captured on a live feed. If you’re having a live band or singer perform, enough space for this must also be considered. Rest assured that the one aspect covid hasn’t changed is the choice of your decor (thank goodness).
Catering
We suggest favouring a plated meal over a buffet style, as this will allow your guests to keep their distance and avoid contamination and germs. Alternatively, a food station is also a covid friendly option where there is only contact from the chef to the guest. If you’re really worried, many catering options now offer individually packaged meals that can be served.
Cocktail hour
Thinking of having a gnt or prosecco station with a “DIY garnishing”? No worries – create several individual garnishing jars of different fruits and garnishes that guests can choose and add to their drinks themselves. Non-contact lawn games are also a great way to entertain guests during the cocktail hour – our favourite is croquet. Lastly, it may be a good idea to slightly shorten your cocktail hour to
A clever and creative idea could be to tag everyone’s glasses with easily identifiable tags. In this way, there is no confusion and minimises the chances of people drinking one another drinks.
Hygiene
Thankfully, the release of vaccines is slowly making the process of covid screening easier. Upon entering, make sure that your guests are screened, have a mask on, and are sanitised (even if they are fully vaccinated). This also goes for your suppliers. Everyone entering should be screened and have a mask on, with no exceptions! Having a backup stash of disposable masks is a good idea. It is also expected that more of the upcoming weddings will require guests to either present a vaccination certificate or a negative covid test to join in on the festivities. When it comes to the topic of guestbooks, consider if you will either be asking guests to bring their own pens, having a pen available for each guest to use, or having a designated person sanitise each pen after use.
Vendor policies
This is possibly the most NB aspect of your wedding planning process. Don’t be shy about asking your suppliers and vendors! Make sure you find out exactly what their precautions and policies are regarding covid so that you can plan accordingly. Most suppliers have updated and new policies surrounding the pandemic and will accommodate your needs as best they can. If you can hire a wedding planner, we’d recommend doing so – even if it’s just hourly to help navigate our new world.
Last but not least
Who says safety measures have to be boring? Get creative with some tongue and cheek signage like “spread love, not germs”, or “Distance makes the heart grow fonder”. Other fun ideas could include getting personalised wedding masks made for guests or getting creative with unique instead of traditional wedding favours. Consider wristbands/stickers for guests to help them indicate their comfortability to others around them. Create a ‘Corona Comfort level chart’ – For example: “RED” = “Celebrating from afar”, ORANGE = “Talking and elbow bumps” and GREEN = ”I’m okay with hugs and highfives”. (Pinterest has loads of ideas)
We know that planning a wedding during a global pandemic may seem impossible, but remember, at the end of the day, it’s your marriage that you’re really celebrating. Instead of spending time panicking, get planning! Remember to keep communication at the forefront of your planning.
