Weddings are the irresistible force. Once you decide you are in love and you want to commit yourself in matrimony to the one person who completes you, then you begin making your wedding plans. Silently, you determine that you will not allow anything to prevent all your planning from being fulfilled in a glorious ceremony on your wedding day.

The COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, is the immovable object. For months, the virus has caused businesses, major sporting events, religious services, and entertainment venues to shut down. Globally, nationally, and locally, we still don’t know when we can get back to business as usual. 

Therefore, having a 2020 or early 2021 wedding scheduled puts you squarely between the irresistible force and the immovable object. You’re going to have to decide whether to go ahead with your wedding or postpone it an uncertain future moment. The best course of action in my mind is to proceed with your wedding. Whatever you do, don’t cancel. Here are three good reasons to go ahead with the ceremony.

We’ve All Become Pandemic Safety Experts

Our months of seclusion, practicing social distancing, and performing good hygiene, have taught us how to manage ourselves safely during the COVID-19 outbreak. Everyone you know has a good understanding of their own comfort level and boundaries when it comes to going to a public event while the virus is clearly still at large. 

Health officials and our state and local governments have actually been very helpful in our decision-making process. Because of these folks, you’ll have to follow strict guidelines during the ceremony in terms of how many people you can invite, how far apart they need to sit, whether or not they have to wear masks, and so on. Elderly family members and friends with underlying conditions will likely opt out of attending (And if they’re the kind who criticize you for not putting your life on hold until they’re not afraid to attend your wedding, how much will you really miss them anyway?). If you really want everyone to be able to attend, you can live stream the ceremony. 

The longer the pandemic lasts, the better we all become at workarounds to accomplish whatever we must. This includes wedding directors, caterers, DJs, and officiants. It’s a pretty good sign that, as the pandemic has continued, these professionals are almost universally willing to help you fulfill your dream ceremony. Set out your own rules for safety procedures if you wish but don’t cancel the ceremony.

No One Will Ever Forget Your Wedding

Quick—what year did your best friend get married? Did you have to struggle to remember? 

If you have a wedding during 2020 or early 2021, no one will have any trouble remembering the year, the location, or the bridesmaids’ matching masks. So often people base their wedding plans on what they observed at the weddings of friends or what a wedding consultant has shared with them. On the other hand, no wedding planner could have foreseen this pandemic or its results. The strictures placed upon us by the virus have caused us to change our routines drastically while still leaving us room to accomplish what we absolutely must. It’s a certainty that masks at weddings, half-filled rows of guests, and elbow bumping in the place of hugs will not be trending for future wedding ceremonies. Your service will be truly unique and unforgettable.

People Will Love You for Not Cancelling

The professionals who have committed to serving you during your wedding—people like wedding DJs, consultants, cake bakers, photographers, and all those who are necessary if you’re going to have a lovely wedding of any size—will be tremendously grateful that you have kept to your original schedule.

Your extended family members will be touched and grateful for having been asked, even if they are only attending the ceremony via Zoom. All your social media friends will love you for it, endlessly sharing the photos and perhaps videos you post of the ceremony. 

More than anyone else, your new spouse will love you for it. Deciding to have a wedding during a pandemic, whether it’s waning or not, is a dramatic expression of love. If you’re fortunate enough to have an intended spouse who loves you so much that waiting is unbearable, then you should definitely not postpone your matrimonial vows. Contact your wedding DJ and ask him to play “Let’s Get It On” or maybe “Going to the Chapel” as you contact all your friends and tell them the wedding is on.

Conclusion

Strangely enough, we may think that matrimony during dangerous times is unique to our society. It is not. Searching the archives of old photos from World War II, it doesn’t take long to come up with pictures of brides and grooms wearing gas masks during their weddings. To be sure, difficult times such as these will eventually pass. The important thing you can tell your grandchildren is that they’re living because you got married during the world’s most virulent pandemic.

Sources:

https://www.herecomestheguide.com/wedding-ideas/wedding-planning-during-coronavirus

https://www.marthastewart.com/7946922/tips-planning-micro-wedding-coronavirus-covid-19-jennifer-larsen-photography