If there is one good thing to come out of this Covid-19 mess, it’s that planet earth humans have really upped their creativity game.
From the workplace, to schooling, to rerouting whole businesses, to this thing(!), there have been some uber impressive redirects in a short time and we couldn’t be more impressed.
The wedding industry is no exception.
Every year in the United States, there are approximately 2.5 million weddings. That’s a lot of couples getting the wrench thrown into their wedding plans from March until now. While some have postponed until 2020 sobers up and decides to go home, others have opted for getting creative and rolling with it.
Micro Wedding The first thing we are seeing with the restrictions in place is the Micro Wedding. This is typically a small intimate wedding at a regular venue only paired down. Here we cut out the number of guests but leave all the style and flair. This wedding will have all of the fun elements you expect to find at a 2019 wedding, just smaller.
Do I hear the happy dance of 1.25 million pairs of introverts' feet? It’s ok - your secret is safe with us. These Micro Weddings leave money leftover for extravagances, switching to a destination, or throwing into the honeymoon pot.
Here is Bethany + Blake getting their dream wedding, albeit on a smaller scale. For them, as Bethany says, “Love wasn’t canceled.”
A few changes you will notice in the micro wedding is sit down dinners (buffets + Covid do not get along) and larger dance floors to keep social distancing + all your best 80’s dance moves intact.
Micro Destination Weddings Another amazing option is to take it on the road. Although not all countries are open for travel, several are. This is also a great time to look into domestic travel. Sedona, a ranch in Montana, or scenic Colorado Springs are just a few examples of knockout places you may not have considered when Paris was open for travel.
Also, did you know some resort locations will let you test drive your destination? Yep. Stay 2 or 3 nights depending on the location, meet with their wedding planners + check the place out. If you book your wedding there, you can put the full cost of your test drive stay towards your wedding package. Win-win.
Small Wedding Now Big Reception Later You just can’t wait to be with your love forever but were really looking forward to dancing the night away with all of your best friends + loved ones. No problem. Have the small ceremony of your choice now + plan waaay ahead for blow out later.
Backyard Wedding Is this the comeback of the backyard wedding? Possibly. Who says Aunti Gigi’s backyard where you spent your youth playing croquet + downing root beers with a view of the bay isn’t the perfect place to tie the knot? It’s scenic, it’s free, + it’s intimacy + family ties can make for the perfect launch of your own little family.
Zoom Ceremony This is the option that will truly be about you two without your loved ones feeling too left out. Which is going to be the perfect balance for some of our 2020 engaged couples. (For some of you this was your secret dream all along.) This choice leaves options wide open. The location - wifi or hotspot capabilities will be about your only limitations here. The attendees. Will it be you two + the officiant? The parents + siblings only? The best friends? Wedding traditions hold much less weight during a pandemic + what you decide to do after is entirely up to you.
Progressive wedding Progressive dinners are fun + interesting and some of our 2020 couples have opted for making a wedding version. In the dinner version, everyone meets at someone’s house for a cocktail. When that is finished, they all go to someone else’s house for appetizers and on they go switching houses through the courses of a meal with the grand dessert and coffee finale. With a progressive wedding, the couple starts somewhere with a ceremony (either alone or with a few spectators) then leaves the locale and goes on a progressive celebration to different family and friends’ houses. These can be customized for the person you are visiting. Your elderly aunt + uncle might prefer a limo drive-by while another family member might like you to stop for a socially distanced champagne toast. Again, the world is your wedding oyster.
Elegant Elopements This is just what it sounds like. Eloping with a little pizazz. This is picking up speed in our Covid times + we can see why. The thought, the details, the beauty + the style are all still invited but germs are not. If you never considered eloping as an option, here is a fun list of reasons to elope from Colorado Elopement Photographers + Guides. It also might just change your idea of what an elopement looks like.
Just Get Creative If nothing else, 2020 has flexed our creativity muscles in ways we never imagined. Here is an inventive idea for a wedding venue that may have just been considered for a pre party locale before. This NY Soho Penthouse has a new limited capacity of 20 people which may be perfect for a small wedding + celebration for those who might like to like to do The Wobble with a panoramic city view.
We know there are just no end of innovative ideas out there for weddings 2020 style, so comment below with your unique idea or tag us at #tomassoblack so we can see how you pulled it off. Love will always find a way.
Love,
Tomasso Black
