We all know that smaller is better as far as keeping your guests safe from Coronavirus is concerned, but here’s some advice, from our professionals at The Reid Rooms, for keeping your wedding socially savvy but beautiful to boot.
The guest list
Whilst the rules still limit the number of guests to 30, there’s a lot of serious guest list revision going on for families up and down the land. Bear in mind that your 30 people includes you as a couple, the two witnesses (if you’re having a legal ceremony), the registrar and the photographer. So, chances are, you’re going to have to make some tough calls on who else you can allow in the room.
Sit down with your other half and write a list of the non-negotiable top 10 VIPS and then, if you want to achieve your full quota, work together to fill the other spaces with people who you know will feel comfortable in attending a social gathering and be supportive of your decision. With so few faces in the room, you won’t want a single one of them looking anxious about the situation or anything less than delighted to be there.
Another thing to think about is that people are limited to staying within their social bubbles, so think carefully before inviting too many people who are flying solo – no one wants to spend an entire wedding sitting on their own at the best of times and the event will surely be more fun with a few small groups of people from a limited number of bubbles, rather than lots of individuals from lots of bubbles, all trying to keep their distance from each other.
At The Reid Rooms we are more than happy to arrange for Zoom calls to be made, so that special guests who cannot attend in person can make contact with the bride and groom at some point during their special day. But please bear in mind that Wi-Fi signal is not at its strongest in the middle of a field, so we may have to think creatively about how we achieve this. Speak to our wedding coordinators to discuss the options and we will help in any way that we can safely do so.
Don’t forget that babies and children count towards your 30 people too, but also, that they are prohibited from playing with other children outside of their bubble (not easy for any parent to manage!) so, if possible, perhaps ask your guests to leave their little ones at home, with another member of their bubble, rather than bringing them along.
The Ceremony Seating
There are plenty of seating arrangements that work well within the social distancing guidelines, so think carefully about how you can seat your guests to best appreciate the celebrations.
Our suggestion for outdoor ceremony seating at The Reid Rooms would be to use our super-rustic hay bales, which look brilliant in the photos, and are easy to move around and build into different sized bubbles. You can provide us with the breakdown of how your 30 guests fit into bubbles so that we can arrange the bales just so.
Entertainment
Since your guests are required to pretty much remain seated for the duration, why not think outside the box when it comes to keeping them entertained.
It’s not really enough to just have a couple of sugared almonds as wedding favours if you want to keep your guests amused for a longer period of time than usual at a wedding, so think about providing each table with all the props needed for some dinner party games like Pictionary, charades, Mr & Mrs quizzes or even go old-school with disposable cameras and some accessories to take some daft shots!
PPE
Be as creative as you can with your PPE: Granny going full facial shield? Why not make her a special shield adorned with flowers!
We’ve seen some fab coordinated lace-covered facemasks on bridesmaids and some very cheeky best man masks too…! We’ve even seen an increase in the number of vintage lace gloves being worn by brides this season, as a subtle way to provide an extra barrier. Check out Pinterest for lots more ideas for jazzing up your personal protective equipment.
Get in touch today to have a chat with one of our highly experienced in-house wedding coordinators here at The Reid Rooms and let’s discuss how we can plan the perfect smaller scale celebration for you this summer.
Please note:
We hope it goes without saying that all venue staff, wedding guests and food, drinks or entertainment suppliers attending a wedding reception or celebration must be certain that they are not showing any symptoms of COVID-19. Anyone displaying symptoms should stay at home and get tested.
If anyone becomes unwell with symptoms of COVID-19 at a venue they should go home and be advised to follow the stay at home guidance. If they need clinical advice they should go online to NHS 111 (or call 111 if they don’t have internet access). In an emergency, call 999 if they are seriously ill or injured or their life is at risk. They should not visit the GP, pharmacy, urgent care centre or a hospital except for emergency access as above.
People who may have been in contact with a person who has become unwell should wash their hands thoroughly after the interaction, but they do not need to take any other specific action unless they develop symptoms themselves or are advised to do so by NHS Test and Trace. If they do develop symptoms they must follow the stay at home guidance.
