Planning a wedding during a pandemic was never a thought that would never have crossed your mind until a few months ago. You’re probably feeling all sorts of emotions and it’s OK to get sad over the fact that your wedding day is likely not going to be what you originally planned. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be the wedding of your dreams! Here are a few tips for planning your wedding during the pandemic. You got this!! 

Trim your guest list

Trimming your guest list can be such a touchy subject. If you want to go on with your wedding date and decide to keep it small, but already sent out your save the dates or invites, choosing who to un-invite can add a lot of stress. But just remember, everyone knows the circumstances of our world right now and should just want to support you through this. Think about who you absolutely want there, like the first people you told when you got engaged and who comes to mind when you think about sharing life’s happiest moments. It’s okay to un-invite guests via email/text but for those guests that you’re torn up about not having definitely call them or video chat them, they’ll understand and feel appreciated that you cared so much to do it in person! 

Elope now and celebrate later

This is a great option if you don’t want to wait to get married, but also don’t want any of your family and friends to miss out on being there. Consider eloping or having a very small ceremony, then planning a big party in the future (maybe to celebrate your anniversary). You could also live stream the ceremony so that your guests still feel like they are apart of your big day!

Keep your guests safe 

If you decided to go on with your wedding and are going to have your friends and family with you to celebrate, you’ll want to make everyone as comfortable as you possibly can! Instead of letting your guests sit wherever they’d like during your ceremony, place their name tags on the chairs to ensure couples and families can sit together with enough distance between them and other guests. Another idea is ordering cute masks and bottles of hand sanitizer as party favors for your guests that match your wedding colors or say your names. There are plenty of cute hand sanitizers sold online like these and Etsy is a great place to look for personalized masks like these. Getting masks for your guests will make your photos look more cohesive as well! 

Social distance at the reception

Just because you can’t have an official dance floor doesn’t mean the fun is taken away from the reception! Consider entertaining your guests with games like table trivia or the shoe game! For table trivia, have your wedding planner or a friend come up with a list of questions (have them get the answers from the wedding couple beforehand). These can include questions like where did they go on their first date and what is their favorite song as a couple. For the shoe game, have the couple sit back to back, each holding one of their own shoes and one of their spouse’s shoes. As statements, facts and questions are read aloud for everyone to hear, the couple each lifts up a shoe for every statement representing who it most accurately describes. Some good old fashioned family fun!

Have a virtual photo booth

Renting a photo booth will give your guests a fun keepsake to take home virtually! Victoria Saint Martin Photography offers a high-end virtual photo booth that takes photos, gifs, videos, and boomerangs! Guests are able to download their images using a QR code to limit exposure and the bride and groom get a virtual copy of ALL the images taken in the booth! Visit my contact page to inquire for more information on photo booth options!