During these times of uncertainty and sadness, we would all like something to look forward to. And seeing as the weddings due to take place over the next couple of months have been postponed, this means that we can start getting excited for those celebrations! Now is indeed the perfect time to continue or even start to plan your wedding, but it is important to recognise that the big day may be a little different. As a result of the pandemic, safety has to come first at every event, and therefore some adjustments will have to be made to ensure that your wedding follows guidance from the government and also that your special day takes all of your guests’ needs and worries into consideration. In this article, we are going to show you what weddings could be like once the restrictions for COVID-19 are lifted, as well as remind you that there is always calm after the storm, and we will soon be back with our loved ones, celebrating weddings and living our best lives!
Invitations and communication in the lead up to the big day
Couples who have had to postpone their wedding will of course be sending out change-the-date cards to let their guests know about their new situation. But it will now also be essential to continue to update your guests about the latest health and regulatory guidelines, just in case further changes need to be made. We recommend that you create a webpage for your event so that it won’t be necessary to send several paper information cards in the mail over the coming months. Read this article about digital applications and platforms to help you plan your wedding, and begin creating your wedding webpage so that you can easily and quickly keep your guests in the loop, without having to spend a fortune on stamps!
Your guest list may need to be altered
We predict that weddings may need to be smaller once restrictions are lifted, and therefore if you are planning a wedding with a large guest list, you may unfortunately need to have a rethink. Although it is going to be extremely challenging and upsetting to have to reduce your guest list, we promise you that your loved ones will understand! It is all about ensuring that you comply with the health and regulatory guidelines and also that you make each guest feel safe and calm at your wedding. Intimate weddings will be the way forward, but bigger isn’t always better! It allows you to pay more attention to the little details and make your wedding day even more special. And if you are yet to choose a venue for your wedding, a place from our list of exclusive venues for smaller weddings is bound to catch your eye.
Let your guests celebrate from home
For those couples who have had to reduce their guest lists, don’t let your loved ones miss out on all the fun, as they can simply join in with the celebrations from their own home! There are various digital platforms that will allow you to live stream your wedding day, from the ceremony to the speeches to the after-party. In this way, you can hold a smaller, more intimate wedding whilst still having all of your loved ones witness your marriage and attend the celebrations.
A unique ceremony
Without a doubt, your wedding ceremony is going to be particularly special, especially if you have had to postpone your original wedding day. However, this part of your wedding may need to be adapted to our new situation, and a good way to do this would be to have your guests stand for the ceremony, rather than sit in a crowded seating area. This allows your guests to stand as close or as far away from people as they are comfortable with, and also perhaps brings them closer to the action of the ceremony. As a result, your ceremony itself may need to be shorter, so that your guests are not standing up for too long.
It will also be necessary to think about the exchanging of the rings, the handing out of the programmes and the role of the ushers. Some social distancing rules may still be in place, and therefore we recommend that you limit cross-contamination as much as possible. It would be a brilliant idea to write the programme for the ceremony on a large placard at the front, as this would be a unique decorative touch and would avoid having to handle piles of paper. The role of the ring bearers is no longer an essential, as the bride and groom could simply place the rings on a luxury cushion and then later pick them up themselves for the ring exchange. The ushers’ roles are also less important, as you could simply use placards to indicate the side on which the guests should sit or stand. Whilst these changes are unusual, they will not take away from the special and romantic atmosphere at your wedding ceremony. Realistically, as long as your loved ones can come together (at the venue or at home) and witness your marriage, your wedding ceremony will undoubtedly be beautiful.
A new seating plan for the banquet
When it comes to planning or reviewing the seating plan for your wedding banquet, you may have to have a rethink in terms of who sits with who. As a result of the pandemic, your guests should perhaps be seated with people from their households rather than their friends, and you should plan for smaller, more spaced-out tables, rather than long tables with a mixture of people from a mixture of families.
A banquet with a twist
Get excited for enjoying a taste sensation on your wedding day! This certainly will not change as a result of the pandemic, but the presentation of the food and drink almost certainly will. Buffets will unfortunately be no more, and open bars will have a higher number of staff to alleviate queueing. In fact, open bars may have to be substituted for unlimited wine pourers etc. in order to limit the amount of people coming into contact with the drinks, dishes and crockery and tableware. Canapés, appetizers and desserts will need to be served to each guest individually to avoid touching communal services and even the food itself. Your banquet will be much more enjoyable and special if it is the safest it can be.
A greater emphasis on the decorations
With less money to be spent on the guest list, couples may have more money to spend in other areas, such as the decoration. And there is most certainly an infinite number of opportunities! Given that your venue will now host fewer guests, it will be important to fill the space with decorations so that it does not feel empty. For this, bigger can be better, and so it would be a good idea to choose more extravagant floral displays and table centrepieces. Furthermore, it would be very effective to use your decorations to remind your guests to take more precautions throughout the event to ensure everyone’s safety. For example, use beautiful and intricate posters to remind your guests to wash their hands for 20 seconds or to avoid crowding. You could even add little details such as pretty hand sanitizer bottles or face masks placed around the venue to help your guests to stay safe and feel more comfortable at your wedding. After the pandemic, we will see a surge in new and unique ways to decorate!
Low-key afterparties
Huge crowded dance-floors may be left in the past, as future weddings will most likely feature smaller, more intimate after parties, with an emphasis on socialising and enjoying each other’s company but in less close proximity. There are many advantages to this, as it allows you and your guests to make stronger connections and have more powerful conversations without having to shout over the loud disco music, making for a more intimate and special affair. You will also be granted more freedom in terms of choosing the music for this part of the wedding, as you could opt for a more sophisticated jazz band, a pianist or a romantic singer to provide some stunning background music. Or, if you do still want to have fun on the dance floor, you could opt for a silent disco with a limited number of headphones to reduce the volume of people on the dance floor. This activity also ensures that the more sophisticated atmosphere where the guests are busy socialising doesn’t get spoilt by the loud disco music.
As you can see, it is undeniable that the weddings due to take place after the COVID-19 pandemic will have to undergo a few changes, and we will have to get used to a new normal. That being said, this does not mean that your wedding will be any less spectacular. It is still possible to ensure everyone’s safety and still have a good time! With a smaller of number of guests, a live stream to make sure that everyone is involved, a more formal banquet and a more intimate after party, your wedding will be sure to keep everyone happy and entertained, whilst ensuring that each guest stays safe and comfortable. As we have said before, we will learn that it’s the simple things that really matter, and just being able to witness your marriage and celebrate all together will be the best feeling in the world.
And of course, if you need any help with planning your wedding during COVID-19, we at Perfect Venue are always here to help! Just get in touch and we can assist you in all areas of your big day, from choosing the most exclusive venue to the perfect wedding dress… Be patient, and your special day will finally arrive and will undoubtedly be a huge success!
Better days are coming!
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Photos via Tanya Vasiliuk Photography
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