Planning a wedding can be stressful enough, but planning a wedding during a global pandemic? Well, that’s even trickier to navigate!
If you’re currently planning your wedding during COVID-19, it’s a good idea to prepare yourself for some of the curveballs you may be thrown along the way. Of course, we hope you don’t have to deal with them – but planning ahead for these potential scenarios will save you a bunch of indecision and stress.
From guest numbers to safety precautions, keep reading for 5 ways COVID-19 might impact your wedding and exactly what you can do about it.
Your Guest List May Need to Change
Throughout the pandemic, gathering limits have ranged everywhere from 10 to 150+ people. Depending on the restrictions in place at the time of your wedding, you may need to tweak your guest list to adhere to your venue’s COVID-safe policy.
What to do about it:
We’d suggest being extremely thoughtful about creating your guest list in the first place. During COVID times, you might want to consider planning a more intimate event as opposed to going all out with a huge party. This way, you’re less likely to be impacted by restrictions closer to the day.
Once you’ve created your “dream” guest list, break this down into a couple of different categories: guests who absolutely need to be there, and guests who you would like to be there, if restrictions allow. This should make things a little easier if you do find yourself needing to trim your numbers at the last minute.
You may also want to think about how you would go about “uninviting” guests from your wedding if restrictions were tightened. It’s never going to be an easy scenario, but having a plan in place will help you avoid as much stress as possible.
If you do need to downsize your guest list, we’d recommend contacting your loved ones individually with a sincere message explaining the situation. For example:
“Hi (name),
We hope you and your family are staying safe and well.
Unfortunately, due to the new restrictions around guest numbers, we’ve had to make some really hard decisions about our upcoming wedding.
We are so incredibly sorry to have to do this, but at this point, we need to cancel the invitation to our wedding in order to abide by our venue’s current policy. We are absolutely shattered about this decision, and hope you can understand that this is a situation we never expected to be in.
We will be live streaming our ceremony for all guests who can’t attend, and hope you’re still able to be involved in our special day from afar. Please accept our apologies for not having you with us personally for this occasion – we can’t wait to celebrate with you at a later date as soon as we are able to!”
Your Guests Might Not Be Able to Attend
Along with capped guest numbers, COVID-19 might also mean certain loved ones who live interstate or overseas might not be able to travel to your wedding. You may also have elderly or high-risk guests who are unable to attend for their own health and safety reasons.
What to do about it:
It’s upsetting to think that your loved ones won’t be able to join you in person, but you can still get them involved in your special day by planning a virtual wedding. Why not live stream your ceremony so they can watch along at home, or give them the opportunity to make a virtual speech at your reception? You can even host a virtual bridal shower before the day, or set up an online guestbook via your wedding website!
You Might Need to Implement Extra Safety Precautions
If your wedding is taking place during COVID-19, you’ll likely need to adhere to some extra safety protocols on the day. Depending on your location, this could mean mandatory face masks, sanitizing stations or changes to your food and beverage service.
What to do about it:
First, think about it as a good thing. These extra precautions will make your event as safe as possible for your loved ones! Plus, playing it safe doesn’t mean your wedding has to feel clinical – you can still create a COVID-safe event that looks and feels beautiful.
What about supplying personalised face masks as wedding favours for your guests? Setting up dedicated sanitizing stations complete with florals and stationery? Displaying cheeky signs encouraging social distancing? Think about how you can embrace these guidelines and turn them into a memorable experience for your guests.
You May Not Be Able to Dance
Due to social distancing rules, it’s possible that dance floors may be off-limits at the time of your wedding. If you can no longer dance the night away, you’ll want to consider some alternative options to keep your guests entertained.
What to do about it:
Don’t stress – if you’re not allowed to dance, that doesn’t mean your night will be ruined! You can absolutely create your own fun without the dance floor. Why not plan some crowd-pleasing wedding reception games, host a trivia night, or have interactive entertainment like stand-up comedy or live music?
Don’t overthink this portion of the evening, either. Remember, dance floor or not, your guests will be just as happy to enjoy good food and wine while mingling and meeting new people!
You May Need to Postpone
Finally, consider the absolute worst-case scenario if tightened restrictions leave you unable to proceed with your wedding. How would you go about postponing your special day?
What to do about it:
Don’t be blindsided by a last-minute postponement! Ideally, we’d recommend monitoring the situation and making the call within 3 months of your wedding if possible.
Once the decision has been made, your next step will be communicating the changes with your guests (more on that below) and rescheduling your wedding vendors. To simplify this process, create a shared spreadsheet with a selection of potential new dates, and ask your vendors to confirm their availability. This way, you’ll be able to lock in a new date that works for everyone.
Don’t forget to plan something special for your original wedding date, too. Book a romantic dinner at your favourite restaurant, plan a staycation or pop a bottle of champagne at home while looking through old photo albums together.
How to Communicate and Keep Guests Updated
So, what’s the best way to keep your guests in the loop when it comes to unexpected changes before the day?
We’d suggest making things as easy as possible for you and your loved ones by using your wedding website as a central hub of information. You can create a detailed FAQs page addressing any COVID concerns, and send email alerts with important updates. Whether you need to enforce mandatory masks or postpone your special day, your guests will be totally understanding.
Finally, remind yourself that you WILL get married (regardless of any curveballs) and your relationship will be stronger than ever. Because if you guys can get through planning a wedding during a global pandemic? You can do anything!
