The coronavirus outbreak messed with your wedding plans and you’ve had to postpone your celebration. If you are asking yourself “How can I still get married during the coronavirus pandemic?” , above all, we’ve got some answers for you! Certainly, the shelter-in-place order doesn’t have to stop you from saying “I do.” You can still say your vows and even have your friends and family attend. But it’s all via technology! Sure, it’s not traditional, but we certainly think it’s something worth considering! Therefore, to help you plan a virtual wedding, we’ve written this article with resources and suggestions to guide you through the processes of how to get married during the coronavirus pandemic. Need creative ideas for your wedding? Look no further. If you are a couple that still wants to get married on your original date, you can Host a Virtual Wedding in the Time of Covid-19 by following these tips!
*Note on Legal Marriages
Before we begin, we must differentiate between hosting a virtual wedding versus a legally binding marriage. Inquire with your state’s County Clerk if they are open, if you can obtain a marriage license, and/or if they are performing marriages and offering wedding ceremonies via video chat. This is the only way to make your marriage legal. In contrast, if you don’t have a marriage license or cannot obtain one, you can always choose to do a virtual wedding on your original date and plan for the legal marriage to take place later. There is no right or wrong answer, and you can do whatever is feasible for you at the moment. However, a legal marriage is only possible with a marriage license, witnesses, and an ordained officiant.
Getting Started
Who do you want to Invite?
First up, you’ll want to decide your guest list. Is it going to be everyone that received an invitation to your original wedding? Rather, only your nearest and dearest family and friends? Or, only the two of you and the officiant? Since there may be a concern of people being unable to travel, then this is a great way to have them involved. Invite your guests to join you in a virtual wedding ceremony.
Send Invitations
Invite your guests to join you in a virtual wedding ceremony. Remember, you’ll still be able to have a reception or another ceremony when the coronavirus is over. Sending invites for a second time? You can certainly save a lot of money by sending out an email invitation. There are some wonderful invitation services online with gorgeous designs for any occasion. Most are pretty easy to use and offer many beautiful options to choose from!
Here are some of our favorite options:
“Online invitations for all the moments that matter”
Collection of Postponement, rescheduling specific invites.
Cards that you can design easily online that are mailed for you.
Make sure you include the link to your virtual meeting room or group, date, and time. Then, ask friends to RSVP. If you want to take it a step further, include instructions on how to use their video and mute their mic. Further in the post you’ll find a list of services for virtual meetings. If you are in the beginning stages of rescheduling your special day, please refer to our post: 5 steps to take if you have to postpone your wedding because of Covid-19.
Include Your Vendors
Just because it’s virtual doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make it extra special. Involve your vendors to make the event exceptional.
Make it Official!
An officiant can join in-person (keeping social distance of course) or attend your virtual event online. This will really depend on if you are getting married legally or not; and if your state allows virtual marriage licenses. Check with your local officials. If bringing an officiant inside your home is not an option, something to consider is having an individual in your household get ordained online through American Marriage Ministries.
Include Your Photographer
Ask your photographer to join your virtual wedding to take “photos”. Your photographer can take screenshots of your ceremony and attendees’ reactions. This can become a one-of-a-kind wedding album down the road. Subsequently, after you log off with your guests, your photographer can stay with you for an additional virtual photo session.
Have Your Cake and Eat it too!
Make the day sweet by ordering a small cake or cupcakes from your local bakery. You can even talk to your baker about placing an order for a mini version of your wedding cake. It will taste delicious and you’ll be supporting a local business! This way you’ll be able to do a ceremonial cutting in front of your virtual guests! If you cannot or do not want to order a cake, then you can get creative and make your favorite dessert with ingredients from the grocery store. Here are some very easy delicious no-bake desserts we’ve tried! Little ingredients but lots of flavor! (Shout out to the original cooks’ blog).
Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
Dress Up!
It must be a celebration if you are wearing your wedding dress! If you don’t have your wedding dress yet (because of unfortunate business closures), there are several options online that allow you to shop. At varying prices, you can receive samples to try on at home. Local bridal shops also offer this service and you can sometimes purchase the samples outright. If you are in a time crunch, there are a lot of cute boutiques online that offer budget-friendly options with quick shipping. Here are a few we want to highlight.
Offers standard sizing, good pricing, and fast shipping options! And a great return policy.
You’ll get paired with a stylist and samples will be shipped right to you.
We adore Rent the Runway and Lulu’s for something less traditional. .
Certainly ask guests to dress up too! They’ll probably be super excited to get out of those sweatpants.
Hair and Make-up
Talk to your vendors about the possibility of sharing some easy video tutorials. You can also learn some skills on your own by watching make-up artists on YouTube.
Create the Mood
If you are planning a wedding amid quarantine you’ll soon learn that technology has become your new best friend. The altar may now be your living room, but that shouldn’t stop you from going-all-out!
Decorate, Decorate, Decorate!
You can set up backdrops, banners, and flower arrangements. Blow up some balloons and hang twinkle lights. This is where you can go crazy with those Pinterest ideas. Search for “wedding shower decor” or “bridal shower decorations” for concepts that you can easily mimic.
Smell the Flowers
Consequently, place an order with your florist for a bouquet, and if able some additional decorative pieces too to spruce up your room. Many florists will deliver straight to your door. An alternative choice could be to order some artificial florals online.
The Set-Up
What gear do you need?
Depending on if you are using a computer versus a phone, there are few items that will certainly assist you in hosting your virtual wedding.
Most noteworthy, a tripod will hold your phone or tablet steady. If you do not have a tripod, you can use a chair. On the other hand, if you are using a laptop, stacking several books on a chair will make a good contraption with a nice height. Likewise, you can set your device on a counter looking out to the room. You’ll want to make sure that the camera is placed somewhere that gets the whole picture. Be sure to test your equipment and play around with your camera location and test your angles.
How to set up a Live Stream?
Obviously, the most important step in making a virtual wedding a possibility is choosing your platform. Depending on how many people you are inviting, there may be some limitations. Here is a list of services that you can use. To keep hackers away, make sure to password protect your stream and you don’t share the link publicly outside your guests. If the service allows, be sure to hit the record button too!
Zoom is perhaps the most popular video conferencing app on the planet! You can use a free account or pay a subscription. If you are using the free account, it will time out at 40 minutes. With a paid account you can host up to 100 attendees, time is unlimited, and you can also record your “meeting”. Totally worth a one month fee to have that video recording. You can always cancel your subscription afterwards. Anyone on the video call can become a “Speaker”. This is perfect if guests want to give speeches. You’ll need to toggle the view to be able to see the multiple screens, but after using the service for a few minutes, you’ll quickly get the hang of it.
If you have a Google account, you can create or host a hangout with other Google members. However, there is a limit to how many guests can join based on your Google membership. (10 free).
Unlimited time. Up to 25 people can join!
FaceTime is an Apple system so it will only work if you are an Apple user. This is a super easy feature to use, but may limit the number of people sharing your video call. As a result, it’s best used with a phone and we recommend it for short calls.
Facebook Messenger vs Facebook Live vs Messenger Rooms
To be honest, we really had to research this one! We are a little confused too so hopefully we’ve got this right. The biggest limitation to using these options, is that everyone must have a Facebook account.
Facebook Messenger is the messaging app tied to your facebook account. You can call up to 8 people with Facebook Messenger. With Facebook Live, you can create a private group and host an event (guests can also ‘RSVP’). A huge pro about Facebook live is that the video will remain in the Facebook event as long as the group exists. Plus, your guests will be able to post comments, sort of like a guestbook! In contrast, Messenger Room is a new service that was recently launched by Facebook. You can now video chat with up to 50 people. We’ve read that hosts “can invite anyone to join, including people who don’t have a Facebook account.” Did we mention it’s totally free?
Celebrate!
Finally, the current state of the world doesn’t have to throw a wrench in your plans. You are now ready to Host a Virtual Wedding in the Time of Covid-19. It’s your wedding day and you deserve to celebrate.
Add a first Dance
Have a playlist or your wedding song queued and ready to go so you can have a quick spin around the room after you exchange your vows.
Toast!
Have your maid of honor, best man, siblings, or parents have speeches prepared. Above all, Pop some bubbly!
As social distancing continues, many weddings are moving online. Although this is probably not the celebration of your dreams, we hope these suggestions can turn into something unique and joyful. Let go and highlight the heart of it all: the love between two people! We bet you’ll see that loads of people will still be crying tears of joy through the screen.
How to Host a Virtual Wedding in the Time of Covid-19
If you are suffering from symptoms of Covid-19 please use the resources at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!
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