Hi Everyone!
We hope that you’re running into 2021 full of energy and optimism, and that you are getting excited about the start of another beautiful wedding season.
We thought that with the beginning of a new year, and the slight madness we all shared at the close of the last one, it would be the perfect time to reflect on what we’ve learned while hosting weddings in the midst of these crazy COVID times.
We won’t lie to you; the learning curve has been real. Newish to the wedding industry ourselves, and just starting to get this dream of ours off the ground, we’ve been tossed around while trying to work out the best way to help you bring a little more love into this world of ours.
And while COVID restrictions seem to be winding down for the moment (knock on wood), we believe that many of the lessons learned remain relevant. So, without further adieu, here are our top tips for nativaging weddings in the midst of a pandemic.
1. Be Flexible, Work Together
There’s a reason that this one lands at the top of our list. With things changing quickly and constantly it has proven so important when planning your wedding to leave yourselves some flexibility in the details. Rules around key wedding aspects like guest list, table seatings, drinking and mingling and dancing have all been hot topics of change over the past few months.
Fortunately, everyone in the wedding industry has been working hard to be flexible and accommodating alongside you. So, if you need to make a last-minute call on your seating plan or the type of dinner service you need, rest easy because we and our vendors will have your back.
We understand that it might seem a little scary when rules and regulations are changing so frequently. Fortunately it seems that restrictions in general have been easing, and with the resurgence in weddings over the past few months, the pros have ironed out the kinks. When it comes down to it, we’re all here to help make sure your day runs safely as well as beautifully. Just how you dreamed.
2. Creativity Is Key
While some of the ‘normal’ entertainment and seating options at weddings have had to be modified at times to ensure everyone’s safety, it’s been amazing to see how couples have adapted to these. There has been so much thought and innovation in the way they shape their weddings.
We have seen couples get creative in their dance choreography, allowing all of their guests to enjoy this long-time favourite at every wedding. Couples are paying extra attention to seating plans to ensure that tables and settings are well spaced and allow for close family units to remain together. Things like gift registries and guest books have been made available online, or in the flesh, with plenty of hand sanitizer nearby. We have noticed that couples are taking advantage of outdoor areas for seating and games, where it is easier to allow adequate space and risk of spread is much lower. Guests who are unable to travel are joining into the festivities through live stream and by sending in warm wishes and speeches.
What we are realising is that COVID weddings are, in most ways, the same as old weddings. The main difference is that just a little bit more thought has been put into the details.
3. Weddings Within The Community
One thing that has become so clear to us over the past several months, is that everyone who makes their living through the wedding industry has had a particularly difficult year. It seems as though weddings have been given an especially bad rap from the government and unfortunately this means that all of the beautifully creative souls who make our weddings so magical are suffering.
So, if you’re considering whether or not to move forward with your wedding sometime soon, try to consider the positive impact that your wedding could have upon the community.
Not only will you get to live the day of your dreams sooner rather than later, but you will get the chance to bring joy and love to your family and friends as well as some much-needed support for vendors, local accommodation hosts, restaurants, shops and the list goes on.
4. It’s Still Your Special Day
And finally, the most important thing to remember when planning your COVID wedding; you and your person. When it comes down to it, this is the reason we’re all here. To celebrate your love, and the life that the two of you will create together.
While we understand that there are some non-negotiables when planning your big day, and we are here to support you in whichever decision you make, we hope that we have helped you to understand that at the heart of it, a COVID wedding is still a wedding. With a little extra thought, some flexibility, communication and teamwork, we promise that your wedding will still proceed as the day you have always dreamed of.
Like everything else, weddings have been thrown by this curveball called COVID. But what we have come to realise is that the silver linings peeking through that cloud have been many.
We will always remember those whose love was greater than the pandemic and who couldn’t be stopped from saying their ‘I do’s’.