What Does a COVID-19 Wedding Look Like?

The wedding industry has slowed — but not halted — during the COVID-19 pandemic. And for those who still want to celebrate, there can be a lot of confusion about the details of a coronavirus wedding. 

We’ve been able to provide the tunes for a couple weddings this summer, and we’re here to tell you what’s different about them — and what’s stayed the same. 

Planned from Afar

Meeting with vendors and dress shopping is a bit more complicated in the coronavirus world. But it can still be done! 

To start, most of your initial consultations can be done by video chat. Here at Maryland’s DJ, we’re doing virtual consults with our clients to talk about music preferences and order of ceremonies. 

And for most other vendors, you’ll just need to make an appointment in advance instead of dropping by florists or gown boutiques. As long as you do a little planning ahead, you can still meet with most of the vendors and visit venues. Just don’t forget your mask.

Smaller Sizes

Clearly, the greatest change to the COVID-19 wedding is its size. With venue capacities and group numbers restricted by both local and state authorities, wedding sizes have gone micro. 

Photo by Kir TuBen Photography

Minimonies (around 10 people) and micro weddings (fewer than 50 people) are the name of the game for most weddings in 2020. These intimate weddings let couples say their vows and celebrate with a few close friends this year. Then they can have their “sequel wedding” with the full guest list when things get back to normal. 

Spaced Out

Even with fewer guests in attendance, social distancing among non-related people still needs to be considered. For the ceremony, leave space between a few small groups of chairs. Let family members sit together, but give them some breathing room between clusters. 

If you’re serving dinner, keep the same idea for tables. Leave enough room between each table so guests can get up and walk between them without getting too close to each other. 

Another fun idea — lay out blankets and turn your wedding reception into an old school backyard picnic! 

Photo by Photography By Brea

Catering

Catering can still be an option for a COVID-19 wedding. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions. How are they changing their policies? What are their sanitation procedures? What kind of masks will employees be wearing? Are they still doing buffets? If so, what protections are they taking?

Good caterers will have all these answers at the ready to make you feel at ease. 

Fewer out-of-town guests

It’s no surprise that some states have been faring better than others with new cases of the virus. While you want to trust that your guests have been doing the safe thing in the weeks leading up to your wedding, you can’t know for sure.

So couples in less at-risk areas are often choosing to only invite local guests and immediate family, rather than including guests from hotbed states. This is purely a matter of personal preference that each couple has to decide on for themselves.

For guests who can’t attend, you always have the option of live-streaming your vows, so you can share them with the people who can’t be there in person. 

What about a dance floor?

Listen — we’re DJs. So there’s nothing we love more than a packed dance floor. 

But we also want you and your guests to be safe and healthy. So we understand that most couples are skipping the “official” dance floor right now. The ceremonial dances are still on the table — the first dance, father/daughter, and mother/son. 

And guests can still shake their booties. It’s just safer to get your groove on tableside, rather than up in Aunt Millie’s face.

Photo by Photography By Brea

If you’re throwing a minimony or micro wedding, we have special packages aimed at providing a safe and easy musical experience. We will bring the music to your ceremony and reception with a small speaker set up and a DJ to manage it all. 

Learn more about our minimony and micro wedding packages. 

Header photo by Photography By Brea