Coronavirus & weddings: Information and tips for your wedding during Covid-19.
In recent months, the question of how to celebrate your wedding in times of COVID-19 has come up repeatedly. Therefore, I would like to share a few experiences from myself and fellow photographers about how we perceived the wedding celebrations of our bridal couples in 2020.
First of all, many of my clients have postponed their weddings, initially to the fall and then to 2021 or even 2022.
In 2020, I was still able to attend a few weddings and saw different approaches to celebrating this big day in style despite COVID-19, while still complying with existing requirements and health regulations.
Below are a few observations that made it possible for my bridal couples to celebrate their wedding during the Covid19 pandemic. Perhaps you will find a tip or idea for your wedding here.
Obviously, the option is to celebrate the wedding on a much smaller scale than originally planned. A more intimate celebration, and one that is also held outdoors—weather permitting—is a good compromise. From intimate celebrations with 8 guests to 150 guests outdoors, I've seen it all in 2020.
A live stream of your wedding is another way to celebrate in a small setting while still including many friends and family members. A live wedding stream is an ideal option, especially if many guests would have traveled from abroad. As a small bonus, you also have a complete recording of the entire ceremony or even the wedding from different camera angles.
Larger tables with fewer guests per table. Seat guests in pairs next to each other and leave sufficient space between each pair. The number of guests per table can be reduced to 50% in order to maintain the appropriate distance. It is important to always seat guests in pairs and not to mix them.
Wear MNS/FFP2 masks. In indoor areas or as soon as sufficient distance is not possible, make wearing masks mandatory for all guests.
Rapid Covid-19 testing for all guests on site. Initially not very widespread, rapid Covid-19 tests are now easy to obtain. An on-site testing team can quickly test all participating guests with a Covid antigen test, thereby increasing safety for everyone at the celebration. Be prepared for the fact that not all guests will pass this test, as they may be unaware that they are infected.
Communicate measures in advance. Whatever you ultimately decide to do about your wedding and COVID-19, communicate the measures to your wedding guests in good time and make it clear that there will be no exceptions. You can communicate this information with the invitation card, a separate letter, or via your wedding website. It will definitely be too late to do this on the day of the wedding itself, as this will only cause resentment among your guests.
Document guest list and contact details
Documenting all guests and their assigned seats is now state-of-the-art and often mandatory at events. This makes it possible to quickly inform all guests in the event of a COVID-19 infection and also simplifies contact tracing for the authorities.
I hope these suggestions and experiences from my weddings during the coronavirus pandemic will help you to still make your wedding day wonderful and celebrate it in style.
I have one more option to share with you: many bridal couples celebrated in a small, intimate setting in 2020 and are planning to have their big wedding party in 2021.
Let's hope that we will soon be able to move around and celebrate carefree again. Until then, there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate one of the most beautiful days of your life with family and friends.
