I Went to a Wedding during COVID – Here’s What it was Really Like

So, you’re officially a #CoronaCouple or invited to a wedding during the pandemic. What can you expect? Here’s one account from Sarah, who shared her story about attending a COVID wedding with our team!

My COVID Wedding Experience

When I was asked to be the maid of honor at my best friend’s wedding, I obviously said yes. That was in October 2019. The wedding was going to be in May. In February, it was pushed back to the first week of October.

Surely the pandemic would be over by then! As we all know, it was nowhere close to over.

The Week of the Wedding

So, as October approached and I made preparations to drive across the country (ya girl wasn’t ready to get on an airplane), I started worrying about what a wedding during the pandemic would look like. Would people be wearing masks? Would it become a super-spreader event? What about the bride’s grandparents!?

My husband and I have been taking this pandemic seriously. We wear our masks, we don’t hang out with friends, we haven’t eaten inside of a restaurant since February! We have no idea what the other guests had been doing for the last six months. While the guest list had been cut significantly (from 160+ to about 40), that still felt like a lot of people to share close quarters with.

Lots of People Got Tested First

Before we left, we got our flu shots – at least that was one thing we could try and protect ourselves against! My husband also happened to get a COVID test a few days before the wedding. He had a small cough and panic-booked a COVID test; by the evening, his cough was gone, and the test came back negative as we expected. But we wanted to make sure it wasn’t Corona before we attended a wedding.

Little did we know, we weren’t the only ones who had gotten tested!

The wedding party and the bride’s mother were the only ones we knew we’d be around without masks. When we were all hanging out in the hotel room, almost everyone (including the bride and groom) were like, “Oh yeah, I didn’t want to panic you, but I got tested two days ago just to be safe. It was negative!”

Knowing that the people in the room with me had recently tested negative made me feel soooo much better. But there was still a lot to do!

At the Rehearsal

We headed to the venue for the rehearsal. The wedding party kept their masks off during most of the rehearsal. However, if we were interacting with the grooms’ parents or brides’ grandparents (who we had not yet been maskless around), we masked up.

The rehearsal dinner was a little more stressful. We walked into a restaurant that was wayyyy too crowded for my liking. Seriously, it looked like pre-COVID times. Thankfully, we had a private dinner waiting for us in the basement. We all wore our masks until we were seated at our tables of eight.

The restaurant for the rehearsal dinner was also catering the wedding the next day. Their only rule was that we wore masks when getting food from the buffet line or ordering drinks at the bar to protect their staff. Everyone did a really great job of covering up!

We Had Cute Wedding Face Masks!

The bride’s mom gave all of the bridesmaids these gorgeous rose gold sequined face masks that she bought at a… wait for it… gas station! Never underestimate the power of your local gas station for cute accessories! The masks paired beautifully with our wine-colored gowns. The bride wore a similar sequin mask in silver to match her jewelry.

The guys, who were in light gray tuxes, each had a dark gray mask to don. The other family members who were part of the processional wore their own masks, and all of them looked great.

The next day at the wedding, we wore our masks any time we left the bridal suite during the “getting ready” portion of the day. All venue staff and vendors wore masks throughout the night. My husband, who was hanging around to be an extra pair of hands, wore his mask basically the entire day.

If I remember correctly, the only time the venue technically enforced mask-wearing was for the guests seated in chairs during the ceremony, and while getting dinner from the buffet.

That said, the bride and groom had a cute little mask station set up with a sign that said “Forgot your mask? We’ve got you covered!” There was, of course, tons of hand sanitizer. The bride’s brother has a hand sanitizer hook-up through work and provided mini bottles of scented sanitizer for all of the tables. They definitely gave off the vibe that they’d like people to be in masks – which was fine by me!

Did the Guests Wear Face Masks?

That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?

Leading up to the wedding, I had read articles about how guests don’t wear masks at weddings. They might wear them to the wedding, but by the time pictures are being taken or drinks are being served, they take them off and don’t put them back on.

I’m happy to report that was largely not the case at this wedding! I think part of it had to do with the fact that all of the wedding party had their masks on. We kind of set the tone. If the maid of honor who just paid $70 to have her makeup done can wear a mask, you can too!

The wedding party wore masks during cocktail hour, only taking them off to munch on cheese and crackers. Most people removed their masks after they were seated with their dinners in front of them (by the way – best dinner at a wedding, ever! Maple-glazed carrots, garlic smashed potatoes, and braised short ribs).

After everyone was done eating, most guests put their masks back on, even if they were just sitting at their tables – and almost entirely if they were walking around. I was so impressed! But then it was time to dance. Surely, no one would keep their masks on while dancing, right?

Super wrong! I’d say about 90 percent of the people who danced did so with their masks on, including the wedding party. The wedding took place in a big barn with two sets of double doors that remained open, letting airflow throughout.

The groom’s mom even passed out some cute little chains that clipped onto your mask so it would hang around your neck when you weren’t wearing it on your ears.

The only time things got a little iffy was toward the end when most of the guests had already left. A few lingering guests got a little loosey-goosey with their masks, but we were able to still remain six feet away from them. Not perfect, but something!

My Favorite Part of a COVID Wedding

The bride and groom forgot to tell their bakery that they reduced their guest list by two-thirds, so there were, like, a ton of cupcakes. I ate three-and-a-half.

But for real, I think the best part of this wedding was having the bride and groom’s closest friends and family – many of whom I had met before – together all in one place. Everyone was in a great mood and just happy to be celebrating the happy couple. It was my first time attending a micro-wedding, and I absolutely adored every moment of it.

It was equal parts chill and so stinking fun due to the small crowd size! And while we still have a couple more days until we hit the two-week all-clear for COVID, so far it doesn’t sound like anyone is any worse for wear. We obviously understand how lucky we are to say that, but I think it definitely helped that the wedding was attended by a group of people who have been taking this pandemic seriously and who wore masks throughout the evening.

Have your wedding plans changed due to COVID-19? LoveStream can help you share your big day with all of your loved ones from the safety of their own homes. Book a consultation today to discuss live streaming your wedding with LoveStream!