After a year of micro-weddings , rescheduling and cancellations, it’s here! Wedding season, 2021. Could weddings ever be “normal” again? The announcement that businesses can resume 100% capacity and masks are a thing of the past for most areas comes just in time for Memorial Day Weekend, or the beginning of wedding season for most vendors. This will truly be a wedding season to remember, with most people not having seen anyone outside of their bubble for over a year.
Perhaps you feel excited. Perhaps you feel anxious. Perhaps you feel nothing and will continue to feel nothing after over a year of sustained stress and trauma.
If you are planning your wedding, or plan to attend weddings at any point in your future, you may be wondering,”what is it going to be like?” We have some predictions on how venues, vendors, and guests will be adjusting to a post-pandemic world. These are just predictions and not suggestions. We are all figuring this out at the same time!
Masks.
Your servers and other vendors may continue to wear them. Partially out of safety, partially for the comfort of you and your guests, and perhaps a tiny bit because they have now felt the freedom of being able to do their job without worrying about guests asking them to see, “that million dollar smile ;),” while they scoop your mashed taters. Some of your guests may continue to wear them. It may take years for everyone to feel comfortable gathering in large groups, and if a mask lets them feel safe enough to help celebrate you-just let them!
Dance Floors.
For smaller outdoor weddings, we predict that dance floors will resume even in 2021. For 200+ indoor weddings, we don’t foresee everyone being comfortable joining the dance floor. Your venue may have certain restrictions, or even you may create your own restrictions. We have seen many invites for 2021 stating that vaccines are required to attend. Having this restriction may make everyone more comfortable bumping and grinding with their cousins again.
Buffets & Family Style.
We have seen articles stating that these serving styles may be a thing of the past due to safety concerns. However, if people are comfortable sitting at a table together, dancing together, sitting next to each other during your ceremony...then they probably will be comfortable with buffets and family style. For buffets, it is always better to have servers rather than guests serving themselves. This keeps the flow of the line going, prevents running out of food, and is easier on your guests.
Family Drama & Trauma.
If you thought families fought over weddings before Covid, there is now a whole new layer added into wedding planning. Some of your family may never attend a wedding again because they are suffering the trauma of the last year. You may want to have a small wedding after the impact from the past year, but your mom wants to celebrate the end of what she keeps calling the “scamdemic” with a 200 person maskless indoor wedding. You and your friends may be so ready2party after being cooped up that you can’t wait to hit the dance floor, but your in-laws refuse to attend if there is a dance floor. Your partner has always dreamed of using school busses to shuttle guests from the church to the reception, but you are scared of shoving all your guests in like sardines. Can we even DO shuttles for guests to and from the reception anymore?? The seating chart has never been more important now that our country has been divided in two over politics. We don’t really have any advice for this, but will circle back once this wedding season is over to tell you how our couples fared!
We know that weddings this year will be very special, and so many people are ready to emerge from isolation. What better reason than to celebrate love??
There are sure to be more things to consider as the world reopens and weddings are able to take place in their original form once again. It is a lot to take on yourself, so consider hiring a wedding coordinator to help lessen the load and help you to pick the best option for your and your family.
Happy Planning!