The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many of us live. Businesses shuttered and suddenly many of us were either out of work or working from home. For those who continued working in-person, they had to worry about contact with others, as well as working longer and harder to make up for the needs of others now working remotely.
Beyond that, many of us began spending our days at home, going nowhere, spending more time online. But the changes didn’t end there. It also led to weddings being affected.
For many people with 2020 weddings planned, they had to postpone their wedding, keeping the swap of their unique wedding rings for another day, another year. Besides postponements, COVID has changed the world of weddings forever. How so? Let’s look at the changes together.
1. Leave traditions in the past
One of the first things to go by the wayside during the pandemic was tradition. Wedding traditions vary from country and culture around the world, but they’re so deeply infused that they are basically a part of the weddings themselves.
However, with the pandemic, many couples have decided to leave tradition behind, with little care. The most common reason is that many people downsized their weddings, which means they weren’t able to feature as many guests for traditional celebrations to mean as much as they normally would.
It’s also due to the fact that many couples wanted more intimate weddings. They weren’t concerned with following their cultural traditions as much as they were trying to celebrate their love with their closest loved ones.
2. Destination weddings are a thing of the past
It was common for some couples to schedule a destination wedding, but COVID has made that a thing of the past. Why? Part of it is restrictions, as many countries limited travel abroad during the pandemic. In other cases, it was the worry of getting everyone to travel to you amidst COVID.
Rather, many people settled for something far more comfortable.
3. Favor the backyard reception over the expensive hall
Instead of planning a destination wedding or paying way too much money for a reception hall, couples decided to start holding their weddings and ceremonies in the backyard. For many couples, it made them realize just how comfortable their wedding could be.
Limit the stress by not having to handle a ceremony and reception at separate locations. Just combine them all into your backyard. It’s a simple way to enjoy their own home while inviting over everyone they want.
That’s the other benefit — with the backyard wedding, you’re limited on how many people you can comfortably invite, especially due to the size of your home.
So couples are forced to have a more intimate wedding simply by shrinking the guest list. It ensures that your guests include only the closest people in your life, making for a ceremony and reception that feels as relaxing and pleasurable as possible.
4. Rethink your celebration
Along with rethinking how the ceremony will take place, many couples also need to reimagine how the reception will take place. In particular, how are drinks and food going to be served?
The biggest change is that grazing won’t be as common as it once was. People are often used to having an open-bar cocktail hour, where cocktails are served in pitchers or handed out on trays, as well as having large food bars where people can grab appetizers, fill up their plates and enjoy the snacks.
But cleanliness is issue number one when it comes to COVID. Washing your hands is one of the best ways to stay diligent against the spread of COVID, and the problem with open food bars and cocktail bars is that it can lead to people (with unwashed hands) reaching out and touching multiple things at once.
Rather, many couples are starting to rely on vendors to serve food and drinks. Besides that, others are relying on pre-packaged drinks and food, especially when it comes to the cocktail hour. It’s a simple way to ensure that people get what they’re looking for while staying safe. Canned cocktails have become more popular in recent years, as companies have been perfecting it as of late.
5. You could be going virtual
People started spending more time online while stuck at home during COVID, which also led to people spending more time on Zoom meetings, whether for work, meeting up with family or hanging out during happy hour with friends.
Many weddings went virtual during the pandemic so they could still get married without having to postpone. To-be spouses can still share their couple’s wedding bands without having to wait another year to have their ceremony.
6. Thinking about cleanliness
For people still holding in-person weddings, they have to spend more time considering cleanliness for themselves and their guests. The easiest way to achieve this is to have hand sanitizer dispensers all over the place. But it can go further than that.
They can also choose to hire staff who will regularly clean common stations, such as the cocktail bar, food tables, bathrooms and more. It’s an added cost, but it’s a simple way to ensure that your guests feel okay with the cleanliness of the reception, rather than worrying if COVID is lurking right around the corner.
7. Your wedding is what you want it to be
Lastly, and best of all, it means that many couples have more freedom. Suddenly, they can make decisions that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to — their wedding is truly in their hands. It’s an excellent way for couples to make the most of the pandemic, making it truly an event of their own.
So don’t be afraid about the changes pandemic has made to wedding traditions because, in the end, you can make it all your own.
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