More COVID-19 Articles
You Can Still Get Married During COVID-19
If you’ve ever thought planning or having a wedding was a demanding experience, those of you who planned to tie the knot in 2020 have found out just how daunting it can be. You can still get married during COVID-19, but the challenges are more complicated and the impact more serious.
While it seems almost everything has been delayed or cancelled since the beginning of the pandemic, marriage planners have tried to stay open and assist couples and families through these uncertain and disruptive times. One couple says they planned for a big wedding in April that got cancelled because the airlines were all-but shutdown. They planned it four more times before settling on a small social distanced event with masks and barriers.
So many couples have been impacted you might have begun hearing terms like “minimonies” or “microweddings” and no doubt elopements have increased during the pandemic. Social distancing and protecting the elderly and more vulnerable family members is paramount to making it happen.
Most states are restricting gatherings to under 50 people, but that varies from state to state, so check in with state governments to see what they are doing. Also, many states are deferring some of these guidelines to counties and cities, so not only are federal and state guidelines important, those of local jurisdictions are too.
Not all wedding venues are the same either, and many vendors have their own rules, in addition to CDC and other government guidelines. So, it’s important to talk to your venue and vendors to see what they suggest and how they are managing the situation.
It’s probably true that not everyone on your original guest list is going to be able to make it, either for travel restrictions, or for safety reasons. See who can and can’t come, and make some decisions about the impact of people not being there in person.
You can Facetime or live stream the ceremony and even have people who aren’t there participate from afar. A virtual toast or enjoying a bite of wedding cake is something that can be done virtually, and can be a lot of fun.
When you get married during COVID-19, make sure your guests are fully aware of the “rules” and “restrictions” that will be in place for the celebration, dining and reception. Don’t leave this to chance or assume everyone knows what they should do. You may actually need to assign certain people to police the event to make sure everyone, especially the elderly and more vulnerable participants, understand what they need to do, and make sure they follow the guidelines.
Most of all, even with the coronavirus, it’s important to remember that you are having a wedding to celebrate your love for each other and sharing it with your friends, relatives and loved ones. Your commitment to each other and your life together does not stop because of COVID. If anything it makes it stronger. It may even turn out that having a small wedding and many virtual guests makes the celebration even more special and memorable. One thing for sure, we will never forget 2020!
