January wedding & covid stress

Back before we postponed our July 2020 wedding, we were planning on these precautions:

-limiting the number of people at each table, and spacing tables further apart (and only seating people with their households and/or people they regularly hang out with)

-providing masks and hand sanitizer

-spacing ceremony seats further away from each other

-limiting our guest list

If the vaccine were available at that time, we probably would have asked for either everyone to be vaccinated or to take a COVID test. (Though obviously it wasn't available,)

We are still waiting until our new date gets closer before we make a decision on what precautions we want to take.

I got married back in 2017 but if I were getting married today I would require none of that (and I'm an immunologist) The new variant has had close to zero deaths and very few hospitalizations, which is a good thing. COVID is never going away; it will mutate into a less severe form which we are already seeing. We have a very effective vaccine and an oral antiviral which prevents 9/10 hospitalizations. We need to start living our lives normally again because like I said, It's never going away. We didn't do this for cold/flu season in years past. If you feel safer requiring vaccines, leave it at that. I would never pay for a covid test (while vaccinated) to attend someone else's wedding. I didn't even have to do that for a sold-out concert I went to last Saturday at a really large venue (no mask either)

While I think it’s admirable that you want to go to any length possible to protect your guests, I agree with your fiancé that this may seem like overkill to a lot of people. That’s not to say you can’t do it!… this is your wedding, and you can do whatever makes you feel safe. If I were in your shoes, I think I would choose either vaccinations OR a negative test; and make masks available for those who wish to wear them (but not require they be worn, unless mandated by local government).

I would recommend following any public health policies in your region. Our protocols just got stricter again (Canada). Personally I would require vaccinations and masks when up and away from the table as per current guidelines.

I am getting married on Jan 16, and my fiancé and I are not requiring proof of vaccination and/or a negative test. We definitely welcome and encourage people wearing masks if they would like to, but if they feel unsafe we are not hurt if they decide not to attend.

View Quoted Comment We have the same wedding date!! Congratulations to you and your Fiancé!

These comments are meh. I got married in September and I required proof of vaccination or negative test 24 hours in advance to enter. Not one of my guests complained. Everybody thanked us for taking the extra steps and people were understanding. Omicron will throw a wrench in your plans because of breakthrough infections. If I was having an indoor wedding right now I would require both vaccinations and proof of negative test 24 hours beforehand. If people are mad at taking precautions then they can rsvp no. Especially if you plan on having elderly or immunocompromised at your wedding.

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Well, I guess if the hosts don't care about the welfare of their guests, then you shouldn't expect your guests to return the consideration. I would expect the stress of no-shows and/or possibility of a super-spreader event.

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much!! You as well!

We are having an outdoor wedding in March.
I will be putting hand sanitizer all over the venue and 98% of our guest list is vaccinated. I will also be seating families together and not mixing households. We will not be requiring covid testing.

View Quoted Comment I agree I’m getting married on the 4th and I’ve put no restrictions in place as long as everyone has fun that’s our main thing xx

We are getting married January 8. I would love to require vaccines but my future mother-in-law and sister-in-law are both anti-vaxers. We have decided to require everyone to take a home COVID test the day of the wedding. We will notify everyone of the requirement this week and plan to purchase the tests ourselves (we are having a small wedding, only 40 guests) and provide them to the guests but we are still working on the logistics of how to get the tests to everyone, where to setup the testing area, and how to keep everyone separated while testing. I was really hoping we wouldn't have worry about this!

View Quoted Comment I feel your pain! I honestly would mail them to guests ahead of time so that there aren’t any delays in your wedding schedule with waiting for guests to find out their results. Congratulations on your wedding, it will be a great day no matter what.

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Thank you, Rachel. Congratulations to you as well!

I am doing nothing for COVID. If people want to wear a mask, wear a mask. If people aren't vaccinated, so be it. If people want to bathe in hand sanitizer, bring your own. I've had COVID! I'm fine. It felt like a cold. For others, it could be different. If COVID is a concern, don't come to my wedding. It isn't going away, and there are plenty of ways guests can prevent illnesses themselves. I don't need to be the one to hand out hand sanitizer or masks in a world where those have become permanent fixtures everywhere you go. COVID is now part of everyday life. My wedding will not be modified to include PPE for everyone else.

I get married Jan 22 requiring vaccinations will do nothing but upset many guest with different beliefs as you can still get COVID being vaccinated. All the people I know in the past week who have gotten it are vaccinated. However I am thinking about possibly making everyone provide a COVID test if things get worse in my state. My main concerns are shutdowns and has me extremely nervous

We aren’t taking any. I’m not their doctor, or their parent. If they wanna wear a mask, cool that’s awesome go you. If they don’t, so be it it’s their body and their rights to not. All I’m asking is they don’t go partying with randoms and they stay home if they’re sick. I think micromanaging friends and family is ridiculous 🤷🏽‍♀️

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You're actually asking your guests to self-quarantine to attend your event. This is the strictest level of caution.

View Quoted Comment No I’m not asking them to self quarantine 😂 if I meant that I would have said that. They can still go out and do what they want, just askin them to be a little careful. And by sick I meant with covid.

View Quoted Comment I totally agree! Every person should have the right to do what makes them feel best and safest.