This couldn’t have come at a better time for me to write this as as I am currently at home, isolating, with Covid! So I completely understand the fears of getting it, for many reasons, mine being that I have work to do and I don’t want to be stuck indoors! I think we are all finding that even though Covid is more common now than ever it seems, it is far less deadly, but this doesn’t mean that it cannot be extremely harmful to some and also just down right annoying if you cannot leave your house to work, go to the shops, do things you had planned, so of course, it is going to be something that is in the back of many of your guests minds when attending your day. I have seen guests swerve the cake cutting, decide to sit out side during the evening entertainment and take regular breaks from the sit down meal in order to feel safer, so what can you do to help your guests?
1. First of all, be accepting of it. You may not like that some guests want to wear a mask, or take some time out during your first dance, but let them, don’t let it worry you or stress you. The same if they decide that they do not want to attend your day – that’s up to them and is most likely not personal to you.
2. Don’t cram your tables or the room your tables are in. Just because there are now no restrictions on how many guests are on your guest list, doesn’t mean you need to invite the maximum you are allowed. The same as on the tables, don’t crowd them to the maximum, give guests some room, regardless of Covid, there is nothing worse than barely being able to more your elbows when you are eating
3. Are there plenty of windows and the space you will mainly be in? If so, ask your venue to open them up and get some airflow going before you all arrive. Don’t worry about it feeling cold, as soon as you get all of your guests through the door, it will warm up! If it is a beautiful summers day, you could even keep them open throughout the day, especially in the space for your wedding breakfast as this is where many people will come into contact.
4. Speak with your venue about how they handled the Covid restrictions before and what they think worked well. Will they still have hand sanitizing stations for example? They will have worked with couples when there was specific guidance in place so will know what works well.
5. Think about having parts of your day outside, for example the drinks reception or your band if the venue allows. This could be particularly important if the space. you have hired has no outside area for guests to escape to, or no windows/doors. Of course, this isn’t always possible with venues who do not have outdoor areas, but if you do, it is something to think about, although make are you also have a wet weather plan!
6. Have hand sanitizer and face masks subtly available for any guests who would like to use it. It also shows you are happy for them to do so if they wish. You don’t necessarily need to make it a part of your day, some couples do, I’ve seen hand sanitizer as favours and in the wedding colour palette! But you can make it discreet.
7. We now live in a world where it is now so easy to quickly take a lateral flow test and check if you are positive and it is also the norm to do so before events, so guests may do so anyway, but just ask guests to make sure they have a negative lateral flow on the morning of your day- pop it on your invites or on your wedding website. This will also make guests who are concerned feel more at ease. Yes, you may loose some guests due to positive results, but it’s better than having your whole party come down with it and having to miss your honeymoon!
8. Ask suppliers and venue staff to lateral flow before setting up etc. This is very much a norm for them now and most likely will be anyway!
This is still very much a thing. Guests are still declining or feeling uncomfortable in crowds due to Covid, so get on top of it now! Need more inspiration and tips for your day? Pop on over to our Instagram page here.