The pandemic is far from over.
The past year has been relatively uneventful in terms of weddings. As the highly-contagious virus spread worldwide, governments issued restrictions that forced people to spend most of their days inside their homes where they and their loved ones are safe. Events were mostly canceled. Those that pushed through were held online to allow social distancing.
The Year of Weddings
However, with a significant portion of the population vaccinated against COVID-19, celebrations are permitted again. Many restrictions have been pulled, allowing a slow return to normalcy. The weddings that were postponed last year are now pushing through.
Instead of a wedding season, the world is seeing the year of weddings.
Millions of couples are scheduled to tie the knot throughout 2021 and until 2022. The Wedding Report research firm estimates that about 1.9 million weddings will take place by this year, slightly lower than the numbers recorded in 2019. However, by 2022, 2.5 million couples will be wedded, surpassing yearly totals in decades. The last time that the United States has seen this many weddings was in 1984.
However, the pandemic has persisted nearly two years after it was first detected in Wuhan, China. Now, more transmissible variants and vaccine hesitancy are threatening the return to normal.
Although social gatherings are, once again, permitted, couples should still try to maintain social distancing in their weddings. No one wants their wedding to be remembered as the event where every attendee got sick.
It will be a little challenging, but it is possible to have a safe wedding during a global public health crisis.
An Outdoor Venue Is Preferred
The same precautions that were enforced in the past year still apply today.
Your wedding will be safer if you hold it at an outdoor venue where the air flows freely. While infections can occur outdoors, the likelihood is low. If a virus carrier coughs, laughs, talks, and breathes, the droplets and aerosols will be immediately dispersed.
But of course, it is better to still follow health precautions. Guests should still wear their masks and avoid sitting or standing near one another. You might have to make your guest list a lot shorter to ensure space for social distancing.
Nowadays, live-streaming weddings is popular. Those who cannot attend physically can still be virtually present. They can watch and celebrate with the couple via Zoom.
Communicate With Wedding Suppliers
Aside from family and friends, in your wedding, you and your guests will interact with staff members whose services make the event as seamless as possible. They, too, deserve to feel safe and be protected from infections.
Speak to vendors. They, too, should be required to wear a mask and regularly sanitize while at the venue. This is especially necessary for those entering an enclosed space or are close to you and your guests. Your hairstylist and makeup artist, for example, will have to stand near the bride. Being in a room with proper ventilation minimizes the risk of exposure.
When choosing a photographer and videographer package for your wedding, talk about the precautions they will take to ensure that they and the guests remain safe throughout the day. They will be around the couple and the guests a lot to capture important moments.
Buffets Are Out
Buffet-style food servings are no longer fashionable. It only invites people and makes guests break social distancing protocols. Thus, instead, serve the food per table. This ensures that guests no longer have to congregate at the serving area to get their food. They sit at their respective tables and wait for the catering staff to hand them their meals.
Couples should also consider having a tableside beverage service. A regular bar encourages mingling. If there is a mini-bar beside every table, each with an attendant to aid guests, there will not be a need to leave their bubbles.
Redesign the Dance Floor
There is a pandemic, but that should not stop guests from dancing. Many wedding planners have created strategies to ensure social distancing without compromising fun. Dancing is a significant part of every wedding. Couples do not have to remove it from the program to prevent disease transmission.
The solution is to redesign the dance floor. You can place markers on the ground to guide guests where to stand or have small barriers like high-top tables to separate guests. Some limit the number of guests on the dance floor at a time to make sure that there is space to be socially distant.
Final Thoughts
Weddings are happening despite the pandemic, but there is a way to do it safely. Couples should integrate social distancing and other health protocols when planning their weddings to prevent guests from becoming sick.
