2020 Spring & Summer Weddings
Even with these challenging times, your wedding can still be intimate and memorable. With beautiful green lawns, and flowers exploding with color, spring and summer offer a wonderful wedding backdrop.
Things to keep in mind… With many businesses and town halls closed to the public, be sure to check out our tips on navigating marriages during the pandemic. This will help expedite the process.
Location, Location, Location
If you’re thinking about a spring or summer wedding, one of the best venues can be your own home. It’s easy to control social distancing and other safety necessities. In some states, parks and beaches are beginning to reopen, but with many public spaces closed. You may need special permission to be on the premises of certain public properties like universities.
But remember, there are other options… your backyard, a pool at a private home or boat depending on who is attending. Being by the water can offer a calming feeling and a spectacular setting.
You can have a nautical, beach or other summer theme, on or off a boat. It can open the door to a lot of fun décor.
Six Degrees of Separation
Your wedding ceremony can still be everything you want it to be, just be sure you choose an officiant you are comfortable with. Meet them first on a video meeting and ask about how social distancing can be managed.
The reception may not be the way you might have imagined, but these times invite creativity.
Six degrees of separation, or as it is known in the time of COVID 19, “social distancing,” dictates a small gathering. This also means setting up your chairs or standing 6 feet or more apart. It is both considerate and important during these uncertain times, (unless all the attendees are members of your family or others you are living with).
Be sure to take lots of pictures to capture the day. And, you might want to live stream the wedding so others who can’t attend in person can be part of a virtual experience.
Themes
Of course, you can be as casual or gussied up as you want to be. A relaxed dress code could be a lot of fun. The bride can wear flipflops or even go barefoot. The wedding dress can be flowing, or a white suit would be stunning. You can ask guests to dress up or down. Anything goes!
Maybe you want to make it an all-white wedding, or Hawaiian shirts for men and flowery dresses for women. I officiated at a wedding around a pool where the bride wore a bathing suit and a veil and long train. Creativity at its’ best!
If you’re thinking of having a beach wedding when the beaches reopen, and you don’t want women to have to walk with heels in the sand, ask them to wear flip flops or go barefoot. At one wedding I officiated at, women were given heel covers so their heels didn’t sink into the grass. Comfort makes sense.
Whether it’s your first wedding or you’ve been married before and merging families, choose the best fit for you. If there are children from a previous marriage, there are options to include them.
In a unity candle ceremony, the bride and groom each take a lit candle and simultaneously light a third or “unity” candle symbolizing that they have not lost their individuality in their unity. If children or other family members participate, it represents the merging of families.
Similarly, in a sand ceremony, the couple and children pour from separate vessels of sand into a third vessel. This also makes a wonderful keepsake after the ceremony.
Be in the Moment
Weather is always a consideration. Although we hope for the best, it’s wise to be prepared for anything.
Given the variation in temperature, particularly in the summer, I try to be mindful of guests and modify the length of the ceremony – especially if it’s going to be extremely hot and humid, or if there are elderly people in attendance and there’s no shelter from the sun. In the current situation, there isn’t always seating for attendees and there’s nothing worse than standing for a long ceremony in 90-degree weather.
If you want to be “in the moment,” give out personalized bottles of water, handmade masks and hand-painted gloves, hand sanitizer or fans. What is most important is to stay safe and enjoy your special day.
Find your perfect JP at findaJP.com
Adria Belport is a justice of the peace in Connecticut. As a longtime communications consultant, Adria brings a wealth of insight into her personalized ceremonies. Adria is also a volunteer EMT in Weston, Connecticut, and she uses these skills to keep people safe during these challenging times. As a member of the Justice of the Peace Association, you can find Adria and our other wonderful officiants at findaJP.com.