New Age Weddings

Words Nothando Mpala  

Wedding planning is stressful enough and with the unprecedented global health pandemic thrown into the mix, many obstacles have arisen. However, love will always find a way to make your perfect day just right. Nothando Mpala, Freelance Events Coordinator delves into the conversations of weddings during the age of social distancing.

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It’s no secret that weddings have always been one of the most expensive events of all times, as the industry makes a whopping income of 10 billion per year. According to the National Wedding survey conducted by Bridebook and Hitched, couples will spend an average of £31,000 on their special day. Since the hit of the coronavirus lockdown, the wedding industry has been hit the hardest, as 64% of UK weddings have been cancelled or postponed until 2021/2022. However, as the lockdown rules begin to ease, will couples have to swap their ideas of a big fat wedding for a smaller, more intimate affair? Could this be the new normal?

In March, the Church of England announced that they would only be hosting wedding ceremonies for a group limited to five people due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. This rapidly changed as the rules from our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson stated that an outright ban would be implemented to all weddings along with any social gatherings during the lockdown period.

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Months later and it is unclear when the ban will be lifted in England and Scotland, yet the Welsh government have recently announced that from the 22nd June ceremonies can go ahead but social distancing rules must remain. Under the new measures in Wales, couples will be able to have ceremonies with just their witnesses and their registrar.

Even though, it's extremely unlikely that we will be attending weddings in the traditional way that we’ve known. Many couples are choosing to reclaim their day in a positive way. The crisis has given some couples the opportunity to rethink their priorities by focusing on having a smaller and more intimate ceremony with just the closest members of their families. On the other hand, this year has shown other couples the importance of having massive gatherings with family.

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Nevertheless, with the world slowly reopening, many business owners and venues are eager to get back to business as usual whilst maintaining social distancing rules. In Ohio, wedding venues have reopened and will be hosting up to 300 people, even though guests will be restricted to safety protocol that includes “No dancing or mingling and six feet distancing between tables”. Many argue that, although this protocol follows the social distancing guidelines it limits interaction and the necessary features of enjoying a wedding.

In the last couple years, small weddings have become more trending due to couples not being able to handle the financial burden of having a big wedding. Some couples choose the option of having a smaller wedding, to invest and provide their guests with more of a valuable experience. During this time, it is understandable that guest lists will only get smaller and smaller in order to accommodate social distancing. Whilst social distancing weddings are not what couples initially envisioned, there are plenty of ways for couples to make their original wedding day in this season. 

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Many couples can host “Minimonies” which is a new term for mini ceremonies that give family and friends the opportunity to experience seeing them get married virtually without the reception which would be held later. In addition, COVID-19 has allowed couples to be creative with photography as many photographers have been proposing doorstep photoshoots. Wedding and event planner at ‘Perfectly Planned 4 You’ Cherelle Joseph mentioned that “It has also given couples a chance to get all dressed up and admire each other in their wedding outfits”. Overall, couples are choosing to make their original date special even though they have had to cancel or postpone their wedding to 2021/2022. 

Despite the fact that many weddings won’t be happening this year, we can be sure that 2021 will be an exceptionally busy year for the wedding industry. Even the off-peak seasons such a winter and specific weekdays will be filled with bookings of postponed weddings.

Nothando Mpala - Freelance Events Coordinator