It is definitely, however, a weird time to get hitched. Nothing like a pandemic to spruce up the wedding drama! I would definitely know. I had my own COVID wedding a few weeks ago, and it was amazing! ...but definitely not the wedding I had always dreamed would happen!
I thought I'd share a few tips for all those beautiful brides out there who are navigating these crazy times!
Tip #1: Host a drive-by or virtual wedding activity.
This is a great way for friends and family to be able to meet the groom and bride-to-be without anyone getting put at risk. The bride, for example could host a drive-by bridal shower, where people drive by her house at a certain time to say hello and leave a gift. Or, the bride and groom can host a meet-n'-greet video call for their family and friends,where they can share the story of how they first met, what their first date was, and how the proposal went. I will be posting more ideas about virtual wedding adaptations in the future, so stay tuned!
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Photo by Chris Montgomery from Unsplash 7/16
Months before my wedding, things were starting to look pretty grim for me and my then fiancee. We weren't sure if we were going to be able to have anyone besides our parents present for our small civil ceremony, and we were having to cancel previous wedding plans left and right. To help myself combat all the melancholy, I decided to focus on creating new wedding traditions instead of dwelling on the traditions that I could no longer have. One of those traditions that I chose to participate in was the FIRST LOOK.
Now, the First Look isn't a new concept, but it was a new concept for me. Basically, a First Look involves a dramatic reveal of the bride's wedding gown and the groom's suit or tux. Usually, a cute photo sesh follows that captures both the bride and groom's reactions to each other as well as their excitement for the coming marriage. Previously, I had always wanted my actual wedding to be the moment that my fiancee would first see my dress, but I soon fell in love with the first look idea. It gave me something to look forward to, and it's a great COVID safe tradition since it only needs to involve the bride, groom, and photographer.
Tip #3: Adapt Old Wedding Traditions
Instead of having a traditional huge wedding reception, my family opted to have a small intimate dinner at a nice restaurant. We were able to adapt many of our favorite wedding traditions to this new setting, and this helped our family dinner have a traditional reception feel to it. We had little gift bags with bride and groom trivia, as well as blocks for people to give us date and meal ideas.
The crowning moment of the night was the daddy-daughter dance and the subsequent first dance with my man. It was so, so special, made even more so because I didn't have to feel embarrassed or self-conscious about dancing in front of a million people. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Tip #4: Discard Wedding Traditions You Dislike
I ate a ton the day of my wedding. Yup. It was great.
Most people complain about how on their wedding day, they don't get a chance to eat all the wonderful food that's available to them because they're busy greeting all the guests. Luckily, I didn't have to worry about that! My husband and I were able to sit down and have a nice, relaxing, delicious meal. I even had time to breakfast AND lunch too!
Photo by Tony Eight Media from Unsplash 7/16
Tip #5: Spend Time Together
Usually, the weeks leading up to a wedding can be intensely stressful because of everything that is going on. Although having a COVID safe wedding doesn't make all marriage-related stress disappear, it's nice to have such a special time in your life simplified! As a couple, we decided to do a fun countdown to the wedding. We took turns thinking up of little ideas for how we could celebrate every day we had together, including the excruciatingly slow days leading up to the wedding.
For day 6 before the wedding, I found 6 pennies and told my fiancee, "A sixth sense tells me that I should marry you."
Thought I was pretty clever with that one! ;)
Whatever is is that you choose to do, a few simple tweaks to your weddings will help ensure that this important time in your life is a special, safe, and happy experience for everyone!
