When the pandemic hit, thousands of engaged couples with 2020 wedding dates had a decision to make: whether to postpone the big wedding or move forward with smaller, CDC-compliant COVID weddings. The pandemic wedding trend took the country by storm and everyone hopped on the bandwagon, with companies like Cinderella Bridez even giving tips on how to safely do makeup for pandemic weddings.
Pandemic weddings are inarguably way different from standard weddings. They’re smaller, much more intimate, and require tons of flexibility. Today Haley Strong (who writes our Cooking the Books series) is sharing everything about her own pandemic wedding, and some tips she has for any other pandemic brides out there!
When me and my now-husband got engaged in August of 2019, we were looking forward to taking a pretty laid-back approach to wedding planning. I was never really one to dream about my wedding and have every detail picked out before the engagement ring was on my finger. We had what we felt were the important details worked out quickly – date, venue, and photographer. We figured we’d deal with the details later.
Then March hit, the world was thrown into a global pandemic. Everything was cancelled. No one knew how long it would last, and I felt bad for those who had weddings in March, April, and May that had to be postponed. We thought that by October things would be in order.
“Well, we were wrong. We changed our venue three times, we cut our guest list, and decided early in the summer to cut out a reception altogether. “
. . . .
On October 3, 2020 I was able to marry my best friend in front of about 30 of our closest friends and family.
We tried to take as many precautions as possible. The ceremony was outdoors (luckily the sprinkling of rain eased up just before the ceremony, and waited until our photos were done for the skies to open up in a downpour). We asked that guests wear masks to their seats and whenever socializing with people outside their bubble. We arranged chairs in bubbles, and bubbles were at least 6 feet apart. We supplied hand sanitizer. We followed the local guidelines here in Ontario, Canada.
All in all it was a beautiful day, and we are happy we were able to get married, which was the focus of us having a wedding.
Here are some of my tips for planning COVID weddings during these odd times:
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Be flexible, and know that if you are having a wedding that it probably won’t be what you pictured it to be when you first got engaged.
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If you’re committed to having a large wedding, consider postponing it. I know this is easier said than done in many cases.
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Be patient with your vendors. The entire industry has taken a hit this year and there are a lot of people just trying to stay afloat.
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Follow your local guidelines. If where you are doesn’t have strict guidelines, act in best interest of your guests.
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Don’t get too upset if people RSVP “no” – a global pandemic is a pretty good reason to say no.
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Join a bride group, they know exactly what you’re going through, and can offer support and tips.
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Understand that the universe doesn’t have it out for you and your wedding. Did I say that the universe hated me throughout the planning process? Sure. But I can only assume it doesn’t hate me. That much at least.
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Try not to cry when people ask you how wedding planning is going.
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Think about why you are getting married in the first place, and focus on that.
I know none of this is easy. For many of us, we stood beside our friends as they got married and just wanted to have a fun, nice day with our friends and family and this is just not the case right now. I hope this helped, and just know that you’re not alone in the struggle!
And if you find yourself getting married in my neck of the woods and are looking for vendors, check out these amazing companies:
Photos: April & Joseph Photography
Flowers: Feeder Flower Farm
Dress: Second Dance Bridal Boutique
Makeup: Bianca Silvestri Makeup
Hair: Tia Morin Hair
Were you a COVID bride? What do you think of these tips for COVID weddings? Let us know your experience in the comments!
If This Article Was Helpful, You Should Read:
10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Got Married
Slay The End Of 2020 With Life Lessons From Queen Bey Herself
