Coronavirus pandemic is hitting the world a little harder with each passing day! And the panic is diving deeper. Amidst all of this fear, it’s smart to follow proper safety guidelines so as to protect yourself and your family from any danger. Maintain appropriate social distancing, don’t shake hands, sneeze or cough into your elbows, wash your hands with a hand-wash or high-alcohol sanitizer and most importantly, DON’T touch your face!
Remember that even if you are young and have a good recovery rate from the virus, you can easily pass it on to your parents & grandparents – who are high-risk victims of Covid-19. So try to avoid any social gatherings and stay home as much as you can!
With all that being said, there are couples who have been cancelling their weddings due to the pandemic scare and others who are going forward with it. We understand that it’s the day of your dreams and calling it off is difficult. It’s okay if you haven’t been able to do so. And in all cases, safety comes first!
If you are tying the knot amidst this coronavirus scare, here are a few things to-do so as to make sure your friends and family remain safe during the festivities.
#1 Stock up on hand sanitizers and hand wash
Washing and keeping your hands clean is the key to prevent this pandemic spread. Keep high-alcohol sanitizers and handwashing stations at multiple places. This will persuade guests to wash their hands as and when necessary.
#2 Reduce the number of items on your menu
More food items mean more food servers coming into the venue. It’s impossible to keep a check on their health or hygiene levels. Most of them aren’t even well off to wash their hands with proper disinfectants or get tested. This is why Indians can be at high-risk if pandemic spreads. Do your part and make sure you reduce the number of items on your menu. Make sure the servers and other vendors wear masks and encourage them to wash their hands as much as possible at the venue!
#3 Choose wide, open spaces for ceremonies instead of close, packed ones
This is a given! Close, packed wedding space means more social contact. Opt for venues that are outdoors and where the sun shines brighter. Some health experts believe that sun rays and high temperatures can kill the virus. So do everything you can do to make sure your wedding is coronavirus-safe!
#4 Reduce the number of attendees
Cut off the number of guests from your guest list. Your mother’s hairdresser doesn’t need to come to the wedding – along with his/her family. Bring down the guest list and people who are invited with family. Make it as private as you can. Take inspiration from this Real Bride Deepika Ghose who canceled her wedding in Bali in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic and had just a small ceremony at her Nani’s house.
#5 Keep extra care of those aged above 70
The mortality rate of Covid-19 increases dramatically with age groups above 50. So, take extra care of the elderly. Make sure they maintain proper hygiene and are at a safe distance from others. It’s also best if they don’t attend all the functions and even if they do, they keep the time period to 1-2 hours. This age group should stay at home as much as possible.
#6 Go LOCAL!
A destination wedding means attendees flying to the location and staying close all the time. Both of them are a big no-no as a part of the pandemic. Have a wedding in a city where most of your relatives are present. And for a few who come from outside, book a bhawan or a small guest house and keep some maids to take care of the guests. You can keep a close check on the maids and other safety measures which might be difficult to do at a hotel!
#7 Keep it short and sweet
A big fat Indian wedding is like welcoming coronavirus with open arms! Who wants that! Keep your wedding ceremonies short. Omit out any unnecessary functions especially pool parties and holi parties. Only plan the necessary number of functions like mehendi, sangeet, haldi and wedding!
#8 Maintain flexibility during bookings!
Before making any bookings, from hotels to makeup artists to food vendors, make sure you discuss the cancellation or deferral plans with them. Covid-19 is highly unpredictable and you may end up losing your money. Discuss this uncertainty with your vendors and include a clause that in any emergency to cancel/ postpone/ prepone the ceremony, they are willing to cooperate.
#9 Encourage anyone sick stay home
Put it on your card. We see a number of peculiar things being put out on wedding cards so why not this needful reminder. Just ask anyone who has cold-like symptoms like dry cough, fever, etc. to stay at home. Even though those with coronavirus start spreading it even before the symptoms show, droplets of cough and sneeze spread it rapidly. So it’s better that these people don’t attend the wedding revelries and help protect others as well!
#10 Be aware!
Be mindful and vigilant. Keep checking all relevant sources of information to be aware of any changes that are happening as a result of the pandemic. As mentioned before, the future of the pandemic remains unforeseeable. You should be willing to adjust the changes. And you certainly don’t want your big day to turn into a lifelong regret for anyone! Keep your safety and the safety of your loved ones first before everything.
Earlier, we also did a blog on Coronavirus & Your Honeymoon: Here’s How to Stay Safe! However, now we highly recommend that you postpone your honeymoon plans completely. Even though you might be relatively safe from the virus, there are people around you who carry high-risk. This could be the best for them and your community as well!
Are you going forward with your wedding plans or postponing them for now? If going forward, are you using any other tips to stay safe?
Comment down below and help your fellow readers stay safe as well!
