Life is full of unexpected occurrences, and I believe when you were setting a date for your wedding, you never thought of the outbreak of a pandemic that can stale your plans. But your date has been set whether for this month or subsequent months; the venue booked, guest participation confirmed, all arrangements set. Should you still go on?
In the wake of the COVID-19 brouhaha, everyone is extra cautious on observing safe hygienic methods. Imagine waiting for so long to get married only to think of a plan ‘B’ few weeks to the big day, because you don’t by anyway want to endanger the health of your guests. But don’t worry, you can still maintain the ‘soon to be married’ mood and see the positive side to this.
It is a perfect opportunity to get married actually. Why do I say so? You get to massively cut down cost since you don’t have to make arrangements for refreshment or photography or decoration or any other thing that increases the wedding budget.
But if you’re are postponing your wedding because of COVID-19, here’s a second thing to consider:
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Consider a ‘family only’ restricted ceremony
Frankly, social distancing is key in decreasing the spread of coronavirus, and it will be much more easier to observe it with family members you know don’t have the virus. The people present can be the parents of both partners, and two or three family members who will play a role in the ceremony.
For your traditional marriage, your husband-to-be can bring the dowry to your house together with his parents, the family head and any other member of the family. On your side, your parents, your family head and two or three siblings can be present to witness the occasion. One can opt to be a photographer for the event. Then invite only your pastor who will officiate the ceremony. When everything is over, snap nice pictures and post on social media. Your friends can congratulate you afterwards.
Consider a court wedding
This should be your sure bet if you anxiously want to get married. Together with both of your parents who will serve as witnesses, decide to do your wedding at the court where there will be a limited number of people around. But this should be after fulfilling all legal and traditional requirements.
Consider a live stream wedding
Use technology to your advantage. Consider a Facebook or Periscope live stream. The list of people present can be narrowed to just three people; you, your partner and the pastor. Then, do a live streaming of the event. Inform your friends about your decision and admonish them to follow the event online. They don’t have to be physically present to be part of your day. Explain that because of the peculiar situation, all contributions should be monetary and can be sent via mobile money. But don’t forget to send a thank you card afterwards.
Whether marrying for the first time or not, wouldn’t you want your day to be glorious? Everyone will wish for that. Thus, people who want to have a ‘close to perfect’ wedding with everything in its right order, plan ahead of time following the cue, ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Your plan wouldn’t be entirely futile. One may say if you have waited all this while to get married, why can’t you wait till the air is entirely cleared of COVID-19 to get married?
It’s highly possible to wait, and it’s good to be optimistic that things get back to normal soon, but do you know when all this will be over? Though it gives you extra time to put things in order, try and consider these options if you are thinking of postponing your wedding to a later date.