June 13, 2020 /
A Modified Wedding Experience
Say what?! A modified wedding experience? What does that even mean?!
Don’t worry, friends. We haven’t completely lost our minds. Yet. Welcome to part 6 of our 7 part blog series: Ways to get married during the Coronavirus. Does our title make more sense now? We sure hope so! By now you’ve gotten the gist of how this series is going to go, so let’s not waste time and dive right in.
So what exactly is a “modified wedding experience?” Well, it’s just that. Kind of a combination of some of the ways of getting married during Coronavirus that we’ve talked about so far, plus some. What does that look like? Well, just for example, maybe you and your boo-thang have a small ceremony with just your immediate family in the backyard. Immediately after your “first kiss,” you share your first dance, and cut your wedding cake. And then maybe some of your VIPs in attendance toast you. All of this up until this moment? It’s being live-streamed so your guests can tune in virtually, even those in the “at-risk” group. They don’t miss a single thing or detail that would normally happen on a wedding day.
But then.
You, your honey, and your photographer get in the car. Or, separate cars, whichever is most comfortable for you. Heck, we would maybe recommend having someone drive you. And then you start popping around to the homes of your virtual wedding guests that are within a close distance to celebrate with them in person. Yep, that’s right!
You’re taking the party to them!!
Maybe this means you show up, drop off a piece of wedding cake (or cupcake) and a mini-bottle of champagne. Maybe it means they toast you. Or maybe you all gather in their yard for a few socially distant “group” wedding photos. You see where we’re going here? After visiting your virtual guests, you and your honey go to your favorite spot to take some photos, and then head home to relax after a long, super-fun, non-traditional, modified wedding experience.
Not so bad, huh? 😉
Let’s take a deeper look at the good, the not-so-good, and some things you might want to think about along the way.
A Modified Wedding Experience
Pros of a Modified Wedding Experience
Your guests can tune in virtually. | Yep, just like all of the other virtual experience we’ve talked about, they’ll be right there. And they won’t miss a thing.
You’ll get to see some of them in person. | Now this is a perk! There’s just nothing better than getting to spend the best day ever with your favorite humans. And getting to see even just a few more of them for a few more minutes on your wedding day? Friends. That’s priceless!
You can celebrate in person with each home you visit. | This might be my favorite. Because I’m not even going to lie. I LOVE the idea of taking a little piece of “normal” wedding day to your virtual guests that are within a reasonable driving distance. And while it might not be the best idea to share a glass of champagne at each house? I’m 100% sure that you’ll still get well wishes. Take your photographer along so you can get some special photos too!
Cons of a Modified Wedding Experience
Again, you need your own tech team. | You remember that whole Livestream thing we talked about? Yep. That comes in to play again here as well.
More planning & time. | This plan will require a little bit more planning, and a few more willing participants. Instead of just tuning into a livestream, those that you want to visit need to be ready for you to come visit. And that might look different for each of them. You’ll also likely want to book your photographer for a little bit longer to ensure you get all of those precious mini celebrations captured too.
Things to Think About
- If you’re planning on celebrating with each of your guests, what does that look like? Likely pre-packaged cake/cupcakes and mini-bottles of champagne. Make sure you’ve got enough for everybody. And just like planning for a regular wedding make sure you’re keeping everyone’s dietary restrictions in mind.
- What’s a reasonable distance to drive? Just because you CAN drive to Platte City to visit your great aunt on wedding day when everyone else lives in OP, doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Talk with your honey and come up with a plan for the people that you want to visit in person on wedding day so you’re not just winging it.
Pro Tip
You’ll want to let the guests you plan on visiting know ahead of time. Again, as much fun as it might be to surprise the guests you choose to visit, you’ll probably want to give them a heads up on your ETA. Some people don’t care a bit when people just randomly show up at their door. Others are super picky. You know your humans best, friend. Especially since Coronavirus is still a thing that we need to be worried about you want to be sure that they’ve got time to prepare for you as well. And be sure to give them an ETA. There’s nothing worse than when someone tells you something fun is going to happen, only to have to wait, and wait, and wait for it to actually happen.
Industry Insider Point of View
THIS IS AWESOME. Just make sure the vendors included are clear on your ideas for their part in your day. And make sure they can meet your expectations. If you need your cake baker to individually package cupcakes or cake, ask what she needs to make sure that happens and if there’s an extra charge.
The Whole Series
1 | Ways to Get Married During Coronavirus
2 | Rescheduling Your Wedding During Coronavirus
