How To Make Your Wedding Covid Safe
Vaxxed, relaxed, and ready to party.
The Outdoor Art Club | Studio XIII Photography
As more and more people get vaccinated and restrictions begin to ease up, more and more engaged couples are feeling confident enough to (finally!) set that wedding date.
Although we're not entirely out of the woods when it comes to safely gathering, there are certain precautions couples can take to safeguard their celebration. Here are 12 ways to make your wedding as Covid-friendly as possible.
Consult With Your Venue
Don't be shy about asking your venue what precautions they have in place, and if they're up-to-date with the latest local, state, and federal safety regulations and guidelines. If you're not sure what to ask, refer to our Questions To Ask Your Wedding Venue: COVID-19 Edition. It covers everything from social distancing and sanitation to contingency planning and cancellation policies.
Outdoor venues are your best bet for hosting a Covid-friendly event; though if you choose an indoor venue, just make sure there's a good amount of ventilation and a creative layout so you can safely space out your guests.
Kurstin Roe Photography | Sara Muchnick Events | DC Rentals | Revolution Events | Pretty Mail Calligraphy
Hire A Planner
Planning a wedding during a pandemic is complex, to say the least. If there was ever a time to hire a wedding planner, it would be now! They'll advocate for you when it comes to vendor communications, contract negotiations, and ensuring your entire venue and vendor team have the proper safety measures in place.
Consider Minimizing Your Big Day
Who says you have to take the term "big day" literally? Bigger isn't always better—especially during a pandemic—so consider embracing a smaller-scale event.
From microweddings to minimonies, there are several new tiny wedding terms that are trending. Don't get bogged down in the labels—the point of downsizing is to reduce the risk of transmission, so choose an appropriate number of guests for your event space and call it a day.
Glorious Moments Photography | Montaluce Winery & Estates | Like the Dazzling | Anik Flowers | Luv Decor Rentals
Lay Out Guidelines on your Wedding Website
Your wedding website is the perfect place to outline the safety and sanitation measures you've put in place due to COVID-19. You can alleviate any confusion by stating clear guidelines when it comes to mask wearing, social distancing, and all that other fun stuff that comes along with having a wedding during a pandemic. Giving your guests this information ahead of time will set everyone up for success.
Space Out Your Seating
Help your guests maintain their personal space with strategic seating arrangements. Ideally you'll want to group together families from the same household, and leave an appropriate distance between parties of different households.
You may also want to use distance markers on the floor around the bar, food service areas, or other popular gathering places to discourage guests from crowding.
Kurstin Roe Photography | National Museum of Women in the Arts | Sara Muchnick Events | DC Rentals | Revolution Events | Main Event Caterers | Flowers at 38
Use Clear Barriers As Needed
If space is an issue, clear barriers can be used in lieu of 6-feet of separation. According to Ray Ko at ShopPOPDisplays, "Keeping guests comfortably distanced during a pandemic wedding takes some creativity—and a little bit of acrylic!"
The last thing you want at a wedding is to block a guest's view, make conversation difficult, or turn the venue into a gauntlet of glass. Since acrylic is optically clear, lightweight, and shatter-resistant, it makes the ideal divider—shielding your guests while still allowing for easy interaction and unobstructed sight-lines.
Ko says, "They're portable, so they can be taken to indoor or outdoor venues. They also come in several sizes and multi-person configurations for cocktail tables in a bar area or sit-down situations. You can even get creative with a hanging barrier between rows of guests if there's something to hang it on, such as a sturdy branch at an outdoor event or ceiling hang points in an indoor space such as a hotel ballroom."
Kurstin Roe Photography | National Museum of Women in the Arts | Sara Muchnick Events | DC Rentals | Revolution Events | Main Event Caterers | Flowers at 38
Get Creative With Your Catering
Caterers are now offering a multitude of Covid-friendly options for weddings, including canned signature cocktails at each place setting, pre-plated hors d'oeuvres, and boxed-to-go cake slices. Instead of tray-passed apps, guests can enjoy being served at standing cocktail tables or having their own "household" mini crudité platter or charcuterie board.
Plated meals are the most sanitary option, but if you have your heart set on a buffet you'll need to take added precautions. Socially-distanced line markers, serving in shifts to keep the lines limited, and using sneeze guards are just a few essential safety measures.
Another fun Covid-friendly catering option to consider? Food trucks! With socially-distanced line markers and proper safety protocols in place, food trucks are a great option for outdoor weddings.
Kurstin Roe Photography | DC Rentals | Revolution Events | Main Event Caterers
STOP. Sanitize!
Supply guests with masks and/or hand sanitizer as wedding favors, in welcome baskets, or at strategically-placed "sanitizing stations" around the event space. To be extra careful, you could consider doing temperature checks upon guest arrival, or requiring a negative test or vaccine confirmation before the big day.
Put Safety Measures on a Sign
Use wedding signage to spell out what safety measures you'd like your guests to abide by. Whether it's directing a certain flow of foot traffic or reminding guests to mask up (and party down!), signage is a fun and friendly way to remind everyone of the rules.
Jessica Jones Photography | Littera
Live Stream Your Celebration
If you're having a microwedding and want more guests to attend virtually, live streaming your wedding is the way to go. It's a good idea to put the livestream link right on your wedding website. Include any information virtual attendees may need to know (e.g. "You'll be muted automatically" or "Please sign our virtual guest book!") so that they can reference it in advance.
Encourage Covid-Friendly Entertainment
If the thought of guests getting after it on the dance floor makes you nervous, never fear—there are tons of socially-distanced entertainment options to consider!
Lawn games are a clear winner here, especially if you're having an outdoor reception. From cornhole and bocce ball to giant jenga, there are so many ways to encourage guests to safely play at your party.
Live entertainment is another great option. A fantastic musical performance, stand-up comedian, cultural dance groups, or caricature artists will WOW your guests with an experience they won't soon forget.
Younger Ranch | Mallory Munson Photography
Limit The Libations
You may want to consider limiting the alcohol to make your wedding even more Covid-friendly. (Hear us out.) If you don't want people getting a little too comfortable as the event goes on, a two-drink minimum on a deliciously fancy signature cocktail could be a good solution.
Kurstin Roe Photography | Main Event Caterers
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