After deciding that you don’t want to wait indefinitely for your wedding, you can start addressing some of the concerns, and plan a Covid-19 friendly wedding. If you haven’t read part one, you can check it out here. In part two (below) we will be addressing some of the main questions you may have when starting your wedding planning, or changing your current wedding plans.
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Q: Can I downsize my large wedding to a small one?
A: Changing your large wedding to a small one will take the cooperation of all your vendors, but it is possible.
A Covid-19 friendly wedding will be a smaller, more intimate wedding. This can be tough for people, especially with large families. But there are ways to include your larger tribe that will not be with you in person. We’ll touch on those options below.
When planning a small wedding, or downsizing to a small wedding, it’s a little like planning your virtual social gatherings during self-isolation. Who are your VIPs, those that absolutely must be there? This might be as small a group as your immediate families and closest friends.
Once you develop your guest-list, you can start discussing the options with vendors. Maybe your DJ can provide dinner music and a (touch-free) photobooth just for couples or singles. Maybe your florist can turn your bridal party bouquets into more flowers for the ceremony. Or your venue will move you to a smaller room. Most vendors are being very flexible right now–you just need to start the conversation.
Small weddings are different, but they’re also really beautiful. These affairs are intimate and often very emotional. Weddings filled with love. The biggest change is losing your hoppin’ dance floor. So, you’ll want to look at creating some fun without dancing. Maybe you can live stream some guests having their own dance party, or you can do a special menu tasting, a slideshow, or messages from your virtual guests. Or play games, and have guests guess facts about you both. Have their caricature drawn, have a small music concert from a local artist. There are lots of ways to create activities and fun for your guests. And your wedding will end up being super unique and memorable!
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Q:What are some choices I can make to protect people at my wedding during the Covid-19 pandemic, and make them comfortable?
A: Small additions, like adding more space at tables, reducing high-touch surfaces, adding hand sanitizer to tables, eliminating a dance, and having more space to spread out.
Offering a little more space will be, at the very least, psychologically comforting for your guests. It will also provide a little more safety. This could mean less people at each table, spaces between seats at the ceremony, and maybe skipping the dance for alternate forms of entertainment. Talking directly to your venue about ways to reduce the chances of Covid-19 spread.
If you feel like your guests won’t be comfortable, you can always minimize the size of your wedding even more. This might require a venue that is flexible with their cancellation policies, if you have already booked it. An elopement style wedding in your back yard, a small room in a restaurant, or a patio might be more desirable options.
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Q: My important guests can’t travel – how can I include them?
A: Use photo and video to include everyone!
We suggest using technology to help you connect with people who can’t be there. This will also include seniors, the immunocompromised, the self-quarantined, healthcare workers, and family and friends who are not part of that immediate group. The power of beautiful storytelling is now more important than ever, because it might be the only way for you to share your big day.
We will now be offering photo & video packages to our clients, to help create a product perfect for weddings during the Covid-19 pandemic. We believe both photo and video might be perfect for really connecting the people who can’t be there with you on your day. These videos will be designed with this connection in mind. So less cinematic slow motion shots, and back to the charm of a home movie–we want viewers to feel like they are really there.
We will also be offering live streaming video options and the compilation and display of video messages from your guests. So they can connect with you on your big day.
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Q: So many moving parts! Where do I start?
A: Take it one step at a time.
As you continue to plan out the details of your day. You can think about it from the start. Break down the day into each location/piece and look for ways to simplify. Getting ready in a house instead of a hotel room – with just your family, or maybe even just you and your fiancé. Maybe it’s time to break with tradition and capture the intimacy of this isolation. You could have a first look in your place, seeing each other for the first time.
…A small bridal party, photos in the great outdoors, a backyard ceremony with a splurge at a great restaurant (once, of course, they’re open for business). Maybe you won’t have a dance, but some great videos from family and friends abroad. How about live streaming periods throughout the day?
So much is possible and you can create an amazing and memorable wedding.
We are here to not only help you plan, but help you execute all of it!
Once the world slowly opens up again we will be here ready to help, and you won’t need to wait for 100% normalcy to get married and start your life together.
Also, we love you. Everyone needs to be told that right now. Ha ha! 🙂