Covid has changed our attitudes and approaches to many things. From hygiene practices in public to working-from-home culture, covid has shown us there are more ways of doing things than we may have previously thought. Covid restrictions proved to be the mother of invention, making a trend of alternative wedding styles such as elopement, micro weddings, and outdoor weddings.
Luckily, these days we can get married with more than just 5 guests, but covid is still circulating, and big weddings still run the risk of becoming spreader events. For those who are on the side of caution and/or have immunocompromised guests, covid-safe weddings are still a relevant consideration.
Different Types Of Covid-Safe Weddings:
- Elopements, the most covid-safe of all wedding types, are the most intimate way to marry. At an elopement, the happy couple doesn’t have to invite anybody except for the celebrant and witnesses. Sometimes conducted suddenly, sometimes secretly, an elopement is simple and hygienic.
- A combination of a traditional wedding and an elopement, micro weddings are small affairs with your nearest and dearest. Picture all the people you both love the very most, seated around one table, sharing a meal together. As a more intimate, more covid-safe, and more affordable option, micro weddings are trending for a reason.
- If you simply must invite your 12 aunties and 40 cousins to your wedding, a good option for the covid cautious is to have an outdoor wedding. In the fresh air, mingling with others is inherently less risky, especially if everybody has taken a PCR or RAT test beforehand.
A Covid-Safe Wedding Is An Inclusive Wedding
Part of the relevance of covid-safe weddings is to protect the right of everybody to attend. Nowadays, many of us feel safe enough to go out to a restaurant or a concert, but for some, the risk of catching covid is a life-threatening one. This is why minimizing the chances of these at-risk individuals catching covid is imperative at events like weddings. Measures such as vaccinations, social distancing before and/or at the wedding, as well as PCR or RAT testing beforehand all help to make the wedding more accessible to everyone invited.
Decorations For A Covid-Safe Wedding
Covid-safe weddings have developed their own versions of doing things, with trends that celebrate intimacy and small-scale attention to detail. A standout feature of micro weddings has been the table flower arch. Highly intimate, atmospheric, and photogenic, table flower arches have become emblematic of a movement away from bigger weddings and the pressures they can entail. Simple decorations like cake stands and mirrored wishing wells are also a great way to add splashes of glamour to a humbler wedding space, without having to go overboard.
Livestreaming
If the health risks are too great to circumnavigate, live streaming your wedding is a popular way to share your big day with those who cannot be there in person. Common setups for live streaming can be mixed, with a popular option including a stationary tripod for the ceremony and speeches at the reception. To create a more interactive experience, your venue may be able to accommodate a projector screen, so virtual guests and real-life guests can see each other and interact. Though online audio delays and general loudness at weddings can create some difficulties with communication, another option can include passing around a tablet during the reception, so that virtual guests can interact with a variety of real-life guests, enjoying their different angles and perspectives.
Communicate With Your Vendors
If you are planning to take special measures to make your wedding more covid safe, it’s important to clearly communicate the specifics of your covid safety plans in advance to your vendors and the venue/s management. This way, everyone is on the same page and your event can succeed in helping protect guests from covid. As a rule of thumb, it’s always good to read the terms of service before you sign any contract, and if the last few years of canceled weddings have taught us anything, it’s that we need to read the contracts we’re signing. Pay particular attention to cancellation policies and the ‘Force Majeure’ section, which should outline the vendor’s policy if covid affects your wedding. If you have questions, ask them, and get your answers in writing. That way, if things don’t go according to plan, both parties are aware of their agreement and can refer to the contract and past emails in order to come to an understanding.
