Written by: Emma Stefanick
With social distancing becoming the new normal, it is devastating to have to reimagine your big day. Safety, above all, should be your biggest concern, but that doesn’t mean you have to postpone your vows. Remember, being married is more important than getting married. Despite the planning that you have already done, you may find it easier, even a bit more relaxing, to reimagine your big day in a new way.
For some, it may be too late to cancel your previous plans or there may be some trouble with getting a refund on your deposits. In that case, it might be better to postpone your wedding to a later date, but don’t let that discourage you. You can still indulge in these special ways to celebrate your love while social distancing.
Have a Private Wedding
When practicing social distancing, it’s important to make sure there are as few people as possible in attendance to prevent the spread of the virus and ensure everyone’s safety. This could mean cutting quite a few people from the guest list. Consider just having you and your significant other in attendance. You can even hire a virtual officiant, such as Connie Sky of Moongate Weddings in Cleveland or Diane Demuynck of Blonde and Ordained in Hudson.
Although this may ruffle some feathers, you might find it less stressful and more intimate to spend your day alone together. The rest of the day could be a romantic evening with your sweetheart and you can save the big reception for later. This won’t be an easy decision to make at first. Afterall, you’ve probably spent a lot of time and money planning and you have strong feelings about how your big day should be, but it will all be okay.
The wedding can be recorded or live streamed to all the guests that were supposed to be there and everyone has the opportunity to share that moment with you. But if you do choose to have any sort of guests, remember to seat people in every other chair and to avoid all the hugs and kisses from family and friends.
The Venue
Thanks to social distancing, a lot of venues, catering businesses, bands and photographers are unable to take part in events. Again, if it’s early enough, you might be able to postpone your wedding day to a more preferable time. For those who are unable to do this, consider having the wedding at home.
Photographers may also be unavailable at this time, but if you have a quality camera of any kind, buying a tripod could be in your best interest. Learning how to capture quality images, make edits and shoot with a timer can be extremely beneficial for your big day, especially if you are opting to make it a day for you and your sweetheart only. These skills can also help you set up a camera to live stream and record your wedding for others to watch at a later time.
The Reception
While it may be a bit unrealistic to have a large reception party, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a party! You can invite your guests via Skype, Zoom, or Microsoft meeting. Or you can get creative and go out on your front patio and have your loved ones drive by and honk and wave and yell out well wishes as they go by. They can drop notes in your mailbox or send old fashioned letters, or put sticky notes on the window for you to see.
In regards to live bands, they too are probably not going to be at your event. Don’t worry, music can still go on. You can use music streaming services like Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Pandora to make your own playlists that feature the kinds of music you were going to or want to hear at your party. This playlist can easily be played throughout your reception by connecting to speakers through bluetooth or USB.
Have Fun Social Distancing
While the situation is nothing to make light of, it’s important to have fun at your wedding and make the best of it that you can. Feel free to stage some wedding pictures displaying social distancing activities or put some goodie bags together for your guests of hand sanitizer and clorox wipes. Embrace the fact that you cannot hug your guests and try to remember that this day is not about a big ceremony, it’s about expressing your love to each other.
Written by: Emma Stefanick