Creative Ideas for Saving Your COVID-Era Wedding
May through October is normally Canada’s peak wedding time. The beautiful weather and summer fun make for a perfect atmosphere to tie the knot–but not during the COVID-era. In April, Canadian officials banned large gatherings due to COVID-19 concerns. Since then, the country has seen over half of scheduled weddings cancelled or postponed. While data showed a decline in COVID cases over the summer, there has been a surge in cases this fall.
If 2020 was supposed to be your year, you joined thousands of other couples who are revisiting the drawing board and rescheduling, redesigning, and rethinking their plans during the COVID-era. Wedding planners encourage moving small weddings to larger venues that will accommodate proper social distancing. Larger weddings may create health risks for you and your guests. It may be best to postpone or re-vision these big events. Before you make your decision, consider going ahead with a wedding redesign that honors your original vision while keeping everyone safe.
Backyard Micro-Weddings in the COVID-era
Even prior to the pandemic, a “micro-wedding” trend had begun to emerge across North America. For reasons ranging from saving time and money to reducing the carbon footprint, couples have begun choosing smaller venues with fewer than 25 guests. Paring down your guest list to just the essentials and choosing a backyard venue with plenty of space may be the perfect solution for preserving your wedding. You can add a larger virtual reception to include your original guest list.
Virtual Celebrations in the COVID-era
You are undoubtedly familiar with the virtual options for gatherings through Zoom and other platforms which have become the norm during the COVID-era. A few creative touches can make your virtual wedding extra memorable.
In addition to the ceremonial elements you want to include, you can involve your guests in the ambiance of the celebration by sending them a pre-wedding guest package. This could include items such as your wedding favors, non-perishable hors d’oeuvres, Jordan almonds, place cards, table decorations, themed napkins or tablecloths, and of course, champagne. Include items that are specific to your original theme and personalities.
Some couples also include optional participation items, such as writing prompts or questions for the guests to answer about their connection to you. You might ask them to share their contributions during the ceremony and then send them to you for your memory book. Virtual weddings involve less physical celebration, so you can be creative with guest participation games and exercises that focus on you — the happy couple.
Stoop Weddings
This COVID-era idea involves supportive neighbors and a ceremony out on your stoop or in your front yard. You can ask your close-in neighbors to lend their front porches and yards to small groups of your friends and family for an evening. Your wedding march may be up the steps instead of down the aisle, and a catered meal can be served to tables spread out on the sidewalks. You may want to use a microphone and speaker to amplify your voices and for the music. Tie it all together with mini-lights and themed yard décor, and enjoy that first dance. You won’t even have to leave the house for this in-person, socially distanced idea.
The Great Outdoors
If you are nature lovers, that outdoor wedding you once considered may be a solution. Outdoor celebrations can be beautiful and memorable. You will want an adequate plan for rain or wind. Multiple pop-up tents will help with distancing. You can begin by researching outdoor wedding venues in your area. From Vancouver Island to Halifax, the Canadian outdoors may be the perfect backdrop for your wedding redesign.
If you’ve concluded that the show must go on even during the COVID-era and you are forging ahead with your wedding, that’s half the battle. Maybe the date is particularly relevant, or a beloved family member is only in the country temporarily. Whatever your reason, redesigning your wedding day can become a fun puzzle for you and your beloved. You never know — your wedding remix may be even more fun and memorable than the original plan.