Fall is a fabulous time to consider having a wedding. Cooler temperatures and beautiful colors provide a quintessential backdrop for you to invite guests to share your celebration. This year couples have to put a little more thought into their wedding and receptions plans due to Covid-19. Conklyn’s Weddings is glad to help you create your perfect reception while following protocols to ensure that you and your reception guests remain safe and healthy.
How Big is Too Big for Your Venue?
One of the first areas that many engaged couples focus on when planning a reception is the venue. Especially during the time of the pandemic, the choice of a venue allows you to choose the options that they find most important. Will it be an outdoor wedding that may make staying safe and social distancing for the guests a little easier, or will it be inside, perhaps in a large building with plenty of room to space the tables well? Choosing an outdoor wedding and reception venue can be a successful way to make sure that guests will feel that their health is safeguarded while attending the celebration. While small venues with close seating are generally discouraged at this time, there are definitely indoor locales that offer large rooms with plenty of room to allow guests to safely social distance during the wedding and afterward, at the reception.
Style Your Reception Accordingly
Once the venue has been decided upon, the couple can consider food service at the reception. An afternoon wedding with dinner to follow will usually be either a buffet-style meal or a seated dinner. Generally, while buffets are often easier on the wallet than a formal dinner, during the pandemic, a number of safety precautions are required if the couple chooses this option. Reception buffets will include plexiglass shields and servers who will plate food for each guest. Servers are also required for the seated dinner option. In the wake of the virus, why not consider having a smaller dinner reception with fewer tables spaced apart. Receptions, in the past, often featured dancing after the dinner. While the bride and groom and father and bride dances are still encouraged, during the pandemic consider foregoing any other dancing to encourage social distancing. Music can still be a part of the reception with a small orchestra or single instrumentalist.
Respect Your Guests With Safety Measures
Perhaps most importantly, each couple should consider what safety measures are required by your state, county, and local city. Are masks mandatory at gatherings with more than 10 people? How far apart should tables be placed in an indoor hall for the reception dinner? Should sanitizer stations be placed in several areas of the venue for guests? Such are the questions that you’ll face as you plan your wedding and reception during the era of Covid-19.
Weddings are momentous events at any time. With careful planning, a wedding and reception during the pandemic can be a beautiful, safe celebration for the guests and couples alike. Choosing a venue, considering the type of food service you prefer, and providing health and safety measures to guests are all ways that Conklyn’s Weddings would love to be a part of your special day.