The count-down is on! Couples are gearing up to have their weddings after many weeks of quarantine restrictions due to COVID-19. Not only are caterers and restaurants ready to get back to what they do best, but family and friends are anxious to reconnect with loved ones. If you are planning your event, how do you responsibly create a safe wedding reception for you and your guests?
More than likely, churches, venues, caterers, and wedding planners are already making safety provisions, but there may be other steps that you can take to increase your safety levels.
If you’re having a wedding in the upcoming weeks or months, you are most likely concerned about the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak and its effect on your wedding plans. Although it is uncertain when the virus will be under control, if you do continue with your wedding plans, here are a few tips.
The Receiving Line
After the wedding or reception, it is common for the bride and groom to participate in a receiving line where they can greet their guests. This custom allows guests and the newlyweds the opportunity to exchange well wishes and affectionate gestures. In light of the recent onset of the contagious coronavirus, couples might want to alter this common practice.
Instead of exchanging hugs and kisses, replace it with a formal curtsey, bow, or informal elbow bump. The ultimate goal is to acknowledge and greet guests with limited contact. Understandably, avoiding the temptation to embrace guests may be a challenge for many, but finding an alternative will benefit everyone.
Bubble Free Zone
At the end of the wedding ceremony, it is common for guests to blow wedding bubbles to salute the couple’s nuptials. In the days of coronavirus, you may want to shy away from this practice. There is no need to encourage others to participate in something that can transfer their saliva droplets. If a guest is asymptomatic with the coronavirus, they may unknowingly spread their germs.
Scale Down
Instead of having a large wedding, consider scaling it down to a smaller intimate crowd. Having a smaller wedding creates an opportunity to upgrade features that may have otherwise been eliminated due to budgetary constraints.
Video Live Stream Virtual Celebrations
The CDC and other officials have implemented orders limiting crowd gatherings. So, what do you do when you have more guests than what is recommended? Or you have guests who are in the coronavirus high-risk population group who are concerned? Fortunately, there is no need for friends and family to miss out on being included in your special day. The option to live video streaming the ceremony and reception is a great alternative.
Wedding videographers such as Lawson’s Video Production, specialize in live video streaming special events. For the do-it-yourselfers, you may prefer to take on the task yourself and use platforms like Facebook Live, Youtube Live, and Zoom. Live video streaming the event is the perfect solution for out-of-town guests who cannot or don’t want to travel right now. This solution permits the most vulnerable wedding guests to be involved without fear of compromising their health.
Stay Home
Should you decide to move forward with your wedding as planned, encourage guests who may feel sick to stay home. Assure them that they have no obligation and should, therefore, feel no guilt by not attending the wedding. The primary concern is for everyone’s safety.
You may want to take the lead from some restaurants by having someone greet guests at the door and scan their temperature before entering the event space. If a guest shows evidence of having a fever, you then have the opportunity to encourage them to forgo entering. That said, you may want to ask your guests to take their temperature before arriving at the event to ensure the safety of themselves and others.
Skip the Self-Serve Buffet Line
It is not uncommon for couples to plan to have a self-serve buffet dinner. Unfortunately, this is not a wise option these days due to most of the guests touching and handling the serving utensils and other items located at the buffet line. An alternative is to request that gloves be worn by servers and have them prepare each plate at the line or eliminate the buffet line altogether and exchange it for a plated dinner instead. Contact your caterer or venue to discuss the price differences from changing from a buffet-style or family-style dinner to a plated dinner.
Masks
Obviously, wearing masks is a good idea, especially when inside of an enclosed space with others. You’ll need to exercise caution during the reception because masks are restrictive and are difficult to wear when dining. In some states, restaurants require patrons to wear masks when entering the business but once seated guests can option to remove their masks. Discuss what policies must be followed at your wedding venue and wedding reception site. Also, make sure to ask about the establishment’s policy regarding their wait staff wearing masks at your event.
Gloves
In that same vein, request that your venue have the servers wear gloves when tending to guests during the entire event. More than likely, businesses are already practicing these safety measures. However, there is no shame in asking questions and requesting additional precautions to be taken to ensure a safe wedding reception for you and your guests.
Wedding Favors
When giving wedding favors to your guests, include gifts such as hand-sanitizers, spray bottles of alcohol, or antibacterial hand-wipes. This is not only a useful wedding favor, but your guests will likely continue to use the items days after the wedding. These favors may be smarter alternatives compared to other wedding favors having less value.
Hand Sanitizer Anyone?
In addition to having beautiful centerpieces and decorations on the table, consider having hand-sanitizers and other handy cleaning products on hand for your guests.
If you don’t like the idea of actually having sanitizers or sprays on the table, consider selecting someone to mingle among guests with a platter of sanitizing gel and hand-wipes, as if they were serving a tray of hors d’oeuvres
Attendants
Speaking of plated hors d’oeuvres, it would be advisable if you are using a wait staff with a strolling hors d’oeuvres at the event, have the staffer to hand treats to guests directly versus having guests pick up the food off the tray.
Minimal Place Settings
So, what are some banquet halls doing to create a safe wedding reception for their clients? Well, some businesses halls are deciding to place minimal items on reception tables before the wedding reception, like centerpieces and wrapped eating utensils. Once seated, then guests are served their plates and glassware. Taking these precautions helps eliminate guests from touching others’ plates and glasses.
Spaced Out
During the wedding and reception, if space is permitted, try to physically put distance between guests, as is recommended by the CDC. Create at least six feet of space between each person and have table spaced out.
Wedding Gifts
The CDC recommends that commercial establishments begin to accept more tap-and-pay methods of payments instead of handling money that may have germs on its surface. On that note, you may also want to encourage your guests to give you your wedding gifts electronically, such as PayPal donations, CashApp gifts, retailer gift cards, or other electronic gift options. Since, it has been reported that coronavirus contaminated items may live on surfaces for days, by making arrangements to receive non-physical gifts, couples need not worry about coming in contact with unclean gifts.
Upgrades It!
Talk to the venue event coordinator to see what options you have regarding modifying or enhancing your contract. For instance, if you had to reduce the number of guests who will be attending the reception, and you are unable to get a refund for the difference in headcount, look for ways to upscale your wedding to reallocate the funds. As an example, instead of having a lower costing entree, talk to the venue coordinator to see if you can upgrade the menu entree to a premiere selection. Why not switch from chicken to filet mignon or from whitefish to lobster? Make your dinner one that your guests will talk about for years to come.
Perhaps you may decide to reallocate the money that would have been otherwise used towards the guests’ dinner, towards other features at the venue like audio-visual equipment or maybe even offering an open bar.
Most likely, your venue will be willing to work with you to find a mutually beneficial alternative. Your venue, like countless other businesses, values your business, now more so than ever before. The COVID-19 global pandemic has united us in so many ways. Many business owners are looking for ways to creatively overcome business hurdles. Not only do vendors want to create a safe wedding reception experience, but they also want to provide quality service.
Alternatively, you could use the unappropriated funds towards additional room space. For instance, if you were originally planning a wedding reception that had your guests snuggly fit in a divided room in a ballroom, you could now upgrade the room. Ask if it is possible to use more space to give your guests greater social distance.
Wedding Insurance
In a recent interview with James Ralph from James Ralph Agency, it was discussed how wedding insurance could protect clients from wedding day mishaps. It’s not the intent to imply that wedding insurance covers all expenses, however it is advisable to discuss what’s available. Feel free to review the short interview with James Ralph, which was conducted in February 2020 to learn more about wedding insurance.
Drive-Thru Weddings
For couples who can’t wait to tie the knot, a drive-through wedding chapel option may be the solution. This is more commonly seen in areas such as Las Vegas, but don’t be surprised if you see some pop up in your area.
Home Wedding Ceremony
A home wedding ceremony not only cuts expenses, but it can help reduce crowd count due to there being limited space. This is an good alternative for some couples.
Reschedule Date Announcements
If you had to postpone your wedding due to the COVID-19 statewide quarantine orders, this now gives you a great excuse to take a second photoshoot to announce your rescheduled wedding date. By its very nature of the photoshoot session, photographers are probably already social distancing with their clients, so why not take advantage of a photo opportunity. Sending out an updated change the date notice keeps your friends and family informed of your revised wedding plans and gives you one more reason to get to have a professional picture snapped of you and your spouse-to-be.
Postpone the Wedding
A final alternative is to follow the examples of many event promoters and reschedule a larger compromised less safe wedding reception for a future date. Undoubtedly, there will soon be a treatment for the coronavirus. You may want to have a small wedding accompanied by a handful of people now, but later host a reception party. Or you may want to extend your wedding engagement and reschedule your wedding and reception for later.
If you decide on the latter, contact the wedding vendor right away to book a new date, because many business calendars may be filling up quickly due to the COVID-19 shut-down.
Before finalizing your plans, to insure that you have a safe wedding reception and healthy virus free life, keep up to date about COVID-19 updates by visit https://www.cdc.gov.
