Social Distancing Wedding Ideas

knottie21370ef0fddf0730

My fiance and I are going ahead with our July 25th wedding. We are hoping to be at phase 2 and have 100 guests.
Family style dinner is one of the ideas for dinner to maintain social distancing. 
Need more ideas for fun wedding activities with social distancing in mind.
We are having masks made with our names and wedding dates on them for the guests and as wedding party favor.
Please share your ideas. 

OliveOilsMom

knottie21370ef0fddf0730 said:

My fiance and I are going ahead with our July 25th wedding. We are hoping to be at phase 2 and have 100 guests.
Family style dinner is one of the ideas for dinner to maintain social distancing. 
Need more ideas for fun wedding activities with social distancing in mind.
We are having masks made with our names and wedding dates on them for the guests and as wedding party favor.
Please share your ideas. 

Unless you have a table for each family unit who is social distancing together, family style is not a good idea.  Very easy for cross contaminating the utensils for serving.  I would speak with your caterer for the best idea on how to best serve the meal. 

Social Distancing or not, no wedding needs activities!  Your guests are there to watch you get married, eat and converse with other guests.  Try to have as large a dance floor as possible, so people can really spread out.

charlotte989875

Depending on where you are located I’m surprised you’re still planning an event for that many people in a public place. I’m in NY and Phase 2 isn’t starting in my area for a week (at best) but events like this probably wouldn’t be allowed until Phase 4. If you are moving forward I’d be prepared for people not to feel comfortable attending. 

That said I agree with @OliveOilsMom; you’ll need to have one table for each family until, 6 feet apart from everyone. If you’re doing family style then each family needs their own utensils. I don't see how it could work otherwise. Family style seems more risky because of the need to share utensils and pass between people. If everyone at the table is from the same house the risk declines a bit. 

I’d also say if you can be outside that’s much less risky than an indoor event. All the guidelines that are coming out suggest the highest risk of transmission is indoors with large groups or people, from different houses, for an extended period of time. So basically a wedding. Whatever you can do to mitigate those risks you should. 

banana468

Agreed.   I am surprised that your phase 2 will allow 100 guests. 

Our phase 2 in CT isn't yet released for a date and I am doubtful that in phase 2 we are going to be able to have large crowds of that size but maybe it's possible?   For your situation I'd keep it outside if possible (in evening if you can for the climate) and seat households at the same tables.

I would anticipate that plenty of people are just not going to go.   In Phase 2 if you're not likely to see the same people frequently I'd be reconsidering large events unless they're with people I would plan to see often.   I love weddings but they're often mingling with those I see 1x year or less. 

climbingsingle

Agreed that family style is not the way to go. 

Are you having a DJ? Will people be dancing? If so, I don't see any further need for activities. 

downtondiva

Anything that involves people handling the same dishes and utensils is not the answer right now. If you are determined to go forward with the wedding on that date, I recommend you figure out another way to serve dinner. I agree with PP's that having your event outdoors may be a good idea and could reduce the risk of transmission so long as everyone does what they're supposed to do in terms of social distancing.

I don't know where you live, but where I am, "phase 2" would absolutely not involve large events like wedding receptions. That'll probably be one of the last things they start allowing again. Even if your state includes large gatherings in phase 2, keep in mind that some people may still not be comfortable attending a large event and therefore may not come to your wedding. Be understanding about this and don't take it personally.

MyNameIsNot

I'm going to guess that you're in my state or one that's like mine if 100 people will be permitted in one place in July. My state has taken the approach that we just really don't give a shit about anyone. 

Even here where restaurants are open, places are using disposable dishes, servers are supposed to pass plates to people on trays and tables are supposed to be limited to households and 6 feet apart. Staff all wear masks and guests are supposed to wear masks when they move through the restaurant. No one is allowed to congregate near bars or wait for tables indoors.

For a wedding, I would say you need to figure out how to seat people with their households and separate tables by 6 feet. Guests should go straight to their tables when they arrive at the reception, cocktail hour would need to be nixed. All drinks would need to be served to guests at the table, not at the bar. You'd have to figure out a way to keep people from crowding in small spaces like a bathroom. I don't see dancing making any sense, but if you do set up a dance floor it will need to be large and you'll need to provide the DJ with some sort of divider to prevent people from invading their space.