When the Pandemic Struck Throwing Wedding Plans into Chaos

We know how frustrating it can be when all your plans fall down after months of preparations and expectations. But this is how life is. Since the beginning of Coronavirus’ first wave, we have been postponing and changing everything we wanted to do. So, if your wedding hasn’t come out as you expected, we are here to tell you that you are not alone. Millions of people resorted to the most low-key weddings, and many weddings were just way worse than yours. In this article, we will delve into the restrictions and problematic situations caused by Coronavirus to give disappointed newlywed couples a spark of hope that their weddings were par for the course.

In May 2021, Ireland imposed a handful of tough restrictions. To exemplify, wedding ceremonies, both religious and non-religious, can have a maximum of 50 guests. Indoor wedding receptions can have a maximum of 6 guests, whereas outdoor wedding receptions can have a maximum of 15 guests.Noteworthy, the couple and the venue staff are not included within guest numbers.Regarding the services,music, and dancing, and “novelty supplies/acts” were not permitted at weddings. Wedding receptions of up to 6 guests were required to be sit-down meals only. 

In Egypt, several weddings didn’t exactly end with “happily ever after” as not long after exchanging the rings that the police interfered. For instance, three weddings were dispersed in February 2021 by the police in Damietta governorate because of violating restrictions. Legally measurements have been taken against the violators. Besides, officials authorized to perform marriage ceremonies for Egyptian Muslims (known in Arabic as Ma’zoun) witnessed a huge decline in the number of marriage certificates as weddings in Egypt took a dive since the pandemic because many girls refuse to marry without having a great ceremony.

In India, Coronavirus ended the cultural phenomenon of weddings: After Indians used to have five days of lavish ceremonies, they recently came to overhaul their cherished traditions. Indian weddings usually encompass enormous venues, stunning garments, intricate decorations, and lots of gold, but not this time. A myriad of Indian families celebrated their weddings on Zoom. After gold stores have been closed, Indian brides restored to colouring their hands with dyes instead!

A wide range of Bollywood weddings took place amid the pandemic. The wedding of Kajal Aggarwal And Gautam Kitchlu was one of the most talked-about weddings in Bollywood in 2020. Kajal Aggarwal is an Indian film actress and model, whereas Gautam Kitchlu is an entrepreneur who runs an e-commerce company called Discern Living. The couple tied the knot in Taj Hotel, Mumbai. They held private pre-wedding festivities at home due to coronavirus restrictions. Subsequently, they hosted a reception for their close friends and family members. From their honeymoon hotel, Kajal Aggarwal shared some romantic photos of herself and her husband while capturing the beauty of their hideaway.

To be fair, we need to throw some light on the positive side of the matter: Having a downsized wedding doesn’t necessarily mean that your happiness will be curtailed. We have many examples of jaw-dropping downsized weddings of couples who decided to adhere to the toughest restrictions, yet everything was exceedingly impressive. Yes, selecting the nearest 12 people to both the bride and the bridegroom is more than challenging, but a wide range of newlywed couples mentioned how their weddings felt so romantic and intimate. 

Several celebrities were applauded for holding minimized, down-to-earth weddings to inspire people to find happiness in the hardest situations. To name a few, in October 2020, Scarlett Johanson, 35 and Colin Jost, 38 got hitched in a private ceremony, including their closest family members and loved ones and following all Covid-19 safety precautions. The couple’s low-key wedding took place at The Weekend, a US-based charity for elderly people. The ceremony was an emblem of the two spouses’ support for the organisation’s elderlies who were struggling during the tough days of Coronavirus. So, here is a veritable example of two celebrities who decided to turn their wedding day into a kind gesture and a meaningful, charitable act.

Emma Stone and Dave McCary were married in a lauded downsized ceremony earlier this year. Dave McCary popped the question in December 2019, and the couple got engaged after two years of dating. Throughout their years of dating, Emma and Dave decided to keep their relationship a private matter and not to get caught in the barrage of media’s forceful intervention, except for some press photos spotting the couple wearing matching rings. That is why rumours were spreading that they got married secretly. In January 2021, Emma Stone was spotted cradling her bump in Los Angeles and news broke that the newlywed star is expecting her first child with McCary.

If you want to prepare for your wedding in these challenging times, you need to adhere to all safety precautions strictly because as we know, drastic times carry drastic measures. You must have seen entire families suffering after attending a wedding. Therefore, we have rounded up for you the most important precautions you should abide by while planning for your big day.

 Double-check if anyone with COVID-19 symptoms (or who has been in touch with others who have symptoms, or who has been told to quarantine) is attending the wedding (even if they show no symptoms). Ask your band not to play music at a volume that makes normal talking difficult; if people can’t hear each other, they will start to draw nearer or shout while talking. Raised voices and shouting lead to more expulsion of air throughout the mouths, which increases the possibility of catching the virus. 

Ensure that all instruments are carefully sanitised before and after they are used. Tell performers to minimize face-to-face positions as much as they can. Make performances short in duration to reduce the possibility of infection. All windows should be open if you won’t go for open-air venus. It is needless to say how paramount ventilation is. Make sure that the area meets the requirements of 2m distancing between guests. Only members of the same family who live in the same home can sit close to each other.