Your Comprehensive COVID19 Wedding Guide
The entire world has been affected by the COVID19 pandemic, and just like any other industry, the wedding industry was also greatly affected. It's not only that, but many couples who had planned on getting married in 2020 have postponed their weddings due to social-distancing and quarantine laws and regulations, while some couples went ahead and had small and intimate weddings shared virtually with their larger circle of friends and family.
The pandemic changed many things as far as weddings and events are concerned, but to give you all some hope - we say "where there is Love, there is a way". Weddings will definitely change, but this doesn't mean that brides and grooms won't be able to celebrate the best day of their lives with their loved ones in a beautiful setting.
It was indeed great seeing many couples staying positive during the lockdown period and taking advantage of it to plan some details of their wedding. Click here to read: Planning a Wedding During Corona Outbreak!
We understand how frustrating it is these days for couples not to know when they could celebrate their wedding, or how many guests they could invite to the wedding. Although weddings are gradually coming back and more and more countries are applying effective regulations and guidelines to control the likelihood of a Corona outbreak due to weddings, we still have a long way to go to get to a reasonable state of normalization.
See: Number of Permitted Wedding Guests at Destinations Around the World
To help you plan your wedding under present circumstances and stay positive and inspired, we bring you here everything you need to know about weddings during the COVID19 pandemic and valuable advice.
Guest Numbers
Weddings are becoming smaller, not by choice, but largely dictated by new regulations and social distancing guidelines. This has given couples, wedding planners and vendors an opportunity to create beautiful intimate weddings that are COVID19 friendly - and we have seen a lot of those.
Hello to intimate weddings and micro weddings! Cutting down on your guest list is more difficult for large Arab and Indian families who celebrate among hundreds, if not thousands, of close and distant family members, colleagues, neighbors and friends. Trim down your wedding guest list with these tips and, in the present pre-vaccine stage, exclude the elderly, young and vulnerable guests and those who would have flown in from other destinations as rule number 1.
One way to include guests who couldn't make it to your wedding is to live stream your wedding or use applications such as Zoom, Skype, Meet and others.
For some unique ideas on how to have a beautiful micro wedding click here!
Last Minute Changes
Most couples who were planning their weddings in March 2020 and onwards have postponed their weddings. Some got married as soon as the full lockdown was over, and some are still moving their wedding dates forward a bit by bit, as the situation in their region develops, while fully aware that they may have to tie the knot at short notice.
Last-minute changes are stressful on many people, compromises may need to be made, and dreams may have to be downsized. Here are some helpful ways to share last minute wedding changes with your guests.
Many wedding planners are being very helpful when it comes to last-minute changes, so if you have already hired a wedding planner and had to postpone your wedding, chances are that they will help you plan a smaller and more intimate wedding in a shorter period of time.
Digital Wedding Invitations
Couples do not have the luxury of time anymore, they are being challenged to take quick decisions to, for example, take advantage of a relaxed local social-distancing regulation or a plateau in the COVIDE19 curve in their town. In these circumstances, you can opt to do without a printed wedding card and send digital wedding invitations instead.
Seating Plan
With the COVID19 restrictions and new rules, wedding planners and couples are getting creative with seating plans, while still making sure their wedding is romantic, emotional, and special. All you need is to have a few changes to keep your wedding guests safe.
We love how Saudi wedding planner Sarah Al Dabbagh of Lace Events, included all the restrictions in an adorable way in a wedding she planned in Jeddah. Sarah applied the social distancing rules throughout the wedding, used custom-made floor stickers to keep a safe distance between guests and the banquet tables. For a cute touch, cards were printed with the phrase "6ft Apart Yet Close to My Heart" which was what the wedding was all about. Click here to see more of this breathtaking wedding!
Safety Measurements
Wedding venues, planners and vendors are making sure that all safety measures are being taken during the wedding. For example the team of Lebanese wedding design and planning company Strawberries and Champagne took all necessary safety measures by having the people working on the venue wear masks and distribute masks as well, they also made sure sanitizers were easily reachable. Click here to see this beautiful wedding!
And for the 6 Feet Apart wedding in Jeddah, Sarah Al Dabbagh, made sure every detail at the wedding was sanitized and cleaned.
Appropriate Wedding Favors
Wedding planners are getting creative when it comes to wedding favors this year, from personalized facemasks and hand sanitizers, you will love these beautiful personalized hand sanitizers spotted at one special wedding in Lebanon, see more here!
Another idea is to have special pouches or bags filled with special gifts for your guests. For a wedding in Jeddah, Sarah Al Dabbagh had pouches that were thoughtfully filled with sanitizers, wipes, mints, and other items.
Support Each Other
From couples to wedding suppliers and destination wedding venues, everyone has been affected by the pandemic, and all the new changes in the wedding industry and wedding styles have taken a toll on everyone. By supporting each other, everything will work out and we will keep on doing so until one day the pandemic is over.
Having Fun
Because love conquers all, couples have become even more aware that the most important thing for them is to stay together, support each other and enjoy a happy marriage; the wedding at the end of the day is a celebration of love.
What we love most about these love stories and weddings is that when 2 beautiful souls want to be together nothing can stop them - take a look at these unique wedding pictures and love stories in times of the Corona.
Location
Smaller and more intimate weddings call for more appropriate venues, and couples are choosing to have their weddings either at home, in private farms, or in restaurants.
As restaurants have recently become more popular for intimate weddings, Taline and Ali chose to have their wedding at Em Sherif Restaurant, a popular Lebanese restaurant in Ain Al Mraiseh in Beirut. Click here to see more pictures of their beautiful intimate wedding!
