Look, we live in weird times right now, where having a small wedding is the norm.
It seems like the option for even a medium sized wedding is something that is in the distant past, or the very distant future. With the global pandemic, large group gatherings is just not something that is social responsible, or something that most places allow anyway.
So what are brides and grooms to do?
- Wait it out and have that big wedding one day when it’s allowed by your local ordinances.
- Have a small local gathering sooner rather than later.
If you always pictured a big wedding, and don’t want to wait, I’d like to go over ways to change the route for a small, safe, amazing wedding.
Here are my suggestions:
GUEST LIST
This is where you make sure that every single person coming to the wedding is one who absolutely needs to be there. Not because you were invited to their wedding. Or because your parents work together. Not because, not because, not because. . . Because they are an essential person in your lives and you cannot imagine getting married without them.
This is not the time to allow plus-ones who you’ve never met. Not the time to allow children, unless you wouldn’t get married without them there. This is the place to make hard choices and stick to them.
VENUE
With most locations limiting social interaction, you may be limited on places to get married. However, with a small guest list you may be in luck. Consider a family backyard, or a local restaurant (if your restaurants are open).
BUDGET
The good news is that your spending will go down a lot with the guest count. So you can splurge on different areas if you need to. You’ll want to spring for a photographer, food, attire, and the usual wedding items, but you may be able to save on entertainment or venue fees.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
Hopefully next year, or the year after that, this won’t be an issue, but in 2020, even if you are planning on having a small wedding, you’ll want to help guests limit their interaction.
Here are some ways you can help keep your guests safe:
- Have dinner served by professionals who adhere to local hygiene guidelines
- Limit dancing to reduce a bunch of people all together at once
- Space tables / chairs out
- Provide lots of hand sanitizer, masks (perhaps customized? I personally think it’s a nice touch at this point), and signage letting guests know how to limit their own exposure to each other.
ENTERTAINMENT
- Have safe forms of entertainment, like a running slideshow of photos or videos you can showcase
- Allow more time for speeches and positive words of affirmation for you and your new spouse
- Hire a performer, and keep at a distance. Many local musicians are dying to get back out there. Also, you can think outside the box with contortionists, fire eaters, and caricature artists.
- Provide lots of food and drink!
- Have a trivia game, either involving your guests, or between you and your partner
More From Hummingbird Wedding Advice:
How To Have An Amazing Virtual Wedding
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[…] one of the changes for 2021 weddings is that the wedding guest count will be smaller than usual, for most weddings. This means some changes to the guest experience, for the […]