For The Busy, Professional And Distinctive Couple
Love Is Not Cancelled
Updated Covid Guidelines
Earlier on this year, it seemed like the world was at a standstill and we didn’t know what directions we were moving in. Businesses were shut down, weddings and events got cancelled or postponed, other business had to quickly learn to Pivot to survive the pandemic. Now 8 months into this ordeal, we are figuring out a way to move on with our lives and find ways to adapt to what we are calling the “New Norm”. The new norm is different for everyone, but shares a common ground of taking extra precautions and keeping a social distance practically everywhere you go. One thing is certain though, is that LOVE is not CANCELLED! Couples are still getting engaged and planning their wedding and it is great to be able to do what we love doing in the event industry again.
What does this “New Norm” look like for couples who may have postponed their weddings from earlier this year to next year? Or for couples who are recently engaged and are now starting to plan their wedding? Due to the constant changes with the CDC guidelines and Covid guidelines from state to state and county to county, you may want to check in with your location and venue to confirm what standards they have put in place to ensure a safe gathering for your event. While some venues may be stricter with their enforcement than others; keep in mind that it is your responsibility as the host to ensure the safety of yourselves and your guests so that there is no liability on you after the event.
Here are 5 main guidelines that our team encourages our couples to ensure are in place to allow a safe gathering for their guests:
Your guest count should be at 50% of the venue’s capacity. If the maximum capacity at your venue was 400, you are encouraged to reduce your guest count to 50% of that capacity at 200 guests to allow for effective social distancing.
Tables must seat no more than 6 per table. The only exception to seat a max of 10 at a table is if they are all from the same household. The tables must be 6ft apart from one another and ceremony chairs should be spaced out. A few things to keep in mind here is that there is a strong possibility of your décor budget increasing as you would need more tables to set up. You are encouraged to do an assigned seating for your guests in these times.
Plated dinner is strongly encouraged and some venues are not allowing buffet at all at this time. If your venue allows a buffet dinner, then there must be a serving attendant at each food station to serve the guests. Guests are not allowed to touch the utensils or serve themselves under any circumstance. Keep in mind that this may increase your staffing fees as well.
No food or drink can be left out any longer. Gone are the days or preset salads or self serve drink stations; while some venues may allow you to still do this at your own risk, others are strongly enforcing that food can only be brought out while guests are seated. If drinks are to be preset, venues may require the clients to provide coasters to cover the drinks up. Some venues may also enforce that flatware must be fully wrapped up and not left set out on the tables. You can still set flatware for your picture and design aesthetics by renting a special set of flatware for the head or main tables for photo ops and they can be removed after photos.
Sanitizer stations must be set all around the venue and masks are enforced in most venues for the guests to have on and can only be removed to eat. Couples are encouraged to provide mini sanitizers and custom masks for their guests upon entry. A bonus would be to book a venue that has an outdoor area so that guests do not have to feel claustrophobic hanging out in a small foyer space during the cocktail hour. An outdoor space allows the option for social distancing.
Hope these updates will allow you better prepare for your upcoming event and continue planning in great spirits and not worrying about things that are not in your control.
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