Whether face masks or disinfectants. If we’re honest, the aesthetics of a wedding are extraordinarily important. After all, you only want to get married once in your life, spend enough money on decoration and want to avoid at all costs that the wedding location resembles a hospital. Therefore, here are some tips and tricks on how to organize a Corona wedding without having to make visual compromises and still not disregarding the applicable regulations.
- What should be considered for the wedding location?
- Are free weddings possible despite Corona?
- How does the correct communication about Covid-19 work?
- What options do we have when it comes to wearing mouth and nose protection?
- How do I provide disinfectant without looking like a hospital?
- Is a served menu or a buffet more suitable in Corona times?
- Does a safety and hygiene concept have to be drawn up for weddings?
What should be considered for the wedding location?
In times of Corona, it is first and foremost important to consider how many guests you want to invite when looking for a location. In consultation with the location, you should have a true-to-scale seating plan drawn. According to the current Corona Ordinance in Berlin, the same rules apply to events as to gastronomy. This means that up to 6 people are allowed to sit at a table, as long as these tables are 1.5m apart from each other.
At weddings, where children’s tables are planned, it is in most cases the case that the children come from different households. Since many children cannot yet understand what it means to keep their distance, there is a playful trick – you put a large teddy bear on every second chair. This cuddly friend not only ensures that the distance is maintained, but also looks cute.
For weddings that are planned indoors, it should be noted that the air is changed at regular intervals, it is advisable to choose a location that has a professional ventilation system or that offers the possibility to open the windows. Summer weddings can alternatively take place outdoors.
Are free weddings possible despite Corona?
At the moment, the regulations of the civil wedding are such that only a minimal number of family and witnesses are allowed to participate. Of course, this is a pity, considering that many bridal couples want to get married in front of their friends and relatives. An outdoor wedding ceremony is a solution, which is covered with a sail, for example. The regulation now applies here as for cultural events. People from one household can sit directly next to each other, all other seats must be 1m apart.
Now you think that it certainly looks messy if the chairs are set up in a wild scheme for the eye, so it is of course nicer for the look to set up a little more chairs and not to occupy the seats to be kept free. With the help of discreet seating cards and an usher, you can also ensure that everyone sits down in their prescribed place.
How does the correct communication about Covid-19 work?
Since the regulations can change from time to time, it is very important on the wedding day that the service, bar and kitchen staff are correctly instructed. If photographers, DJs or other artists come to the wedding, don’t forget to instruct them as well. Communication with the guests is always the most difficult, as they usually arrive individually, so it is very important to hang signs directly at the entrance area informing about the measures.
DEHOGA Berlin provides templates for information signs on its website. Below you will find signs that contain all the basic measures, such as maintaining distance or wearing mouth and nose protection. However, since these are in DEHOGA style, it is recommended to use them only as a template and adapt them to the aesthetics of the wedding, e.g. color matching to the decoration and with the personal wedding logo.
During the welcome speech of the wedding guests, the so-called Corona rules can be briefly addressed again. For guests who want to be particularly careful, there will also be the opportunity to show their appreciation with a golden sticker, for example, that they like to keep their distance and do not want to be approached without a mask.
What options do we have when it comes to wearing mouth and nose protection?
According to the current regulations, it is mandatory to wear mouth and nose protection if a distance of 1.5m cannot be guaranteed. This means that mouth and nose protection must be worn when entering the location until the assigned seat is occupied. After taking your seat, the mouth and nose protection can be removed. As soon as the guest moves away from his table again, e.g. to go to the toilet or to the bar, his mouth and nose protection must be put back on. Since there will always be guests who forget their face masks, it is always advisable to have a few disposable models on site.
However, a mouth and nose protection is not exactly a pretty accessory. The question now is how to take advantage of it without breaking the rules. You change the design! Custom-made masks are more than just trendy at the moment. Here, the bride and groom can live out their creativity to the fullest, whether with a golden wedding logo, their own initials, the wedding date or a specially made design to match the decoration. These reusable fabric masks can be handed out directly at the entrance on the wedding day and are also a nice Corona gift.
How do I provide disinfectant without looking like a hospital?
As a bride and groom, it is your duty to ensure sufficient disinfectant. Be it in the toilets, at the CandyBar, at self-service counters or at the entrance. But if you don’t want the location to resemble a doctor’s office, it is out of the question at all to simply put the disinfectant dispensers from the drugstore, but should think about decanting the contents into beautiful soap dispenser containers.
In addition, contact surfaces such as door handles and counters should be disinfected regularly. Since the bride and groom certainly do not want to take care of it themselves, it is advisable to hire a disinfection officer.
Is a served menu or a buffet more suitable in Corona times?
Self-service buffets as we know them are not allowed in times of Corona, so there is the possibility to upgrade a supervised buffet with e.g. LIVE Cooking stations , where everything is freshly prepared in front of the guest, be it homemade pasta, carved fish or flambéed dessert.
If you are afraid that queues will form in front of the buffet, you should consider having a multi-course menu served directly to your table . This is the most corona-compliant way. The service staff are perfectly briefed, no one has to wait at a distance in front of the buffet and those who are very hungry are sure to get a second helping.
Does a safety and hygiene concept have to be drawn up for weddings?
As for any event, it is mandatory in Berlin to create a safety and hygiene concept . You can already find plenty of patterns online that can be revised relatively easily. In this case, have the floor plans or seating plans of your wedding location sent to you and incorporate them into your concept. In these room plans you can also draw the guidance system. The concept must also list all prescribed measures that you use to protect everyone present. These include, among other things, where the signs and disinfectant dispensers are placed, how often the contact surfaces are disinfected, how groups of people and queues are prevented and one-way systems are managed.
The safety and hygiene concept also includes the contact data collection of all guests, artists and staff. This can be created in advance on the basis of the guest list. Since you certainly already have the home addresses when you send the invitation cards , they only have to be summarized in a list and checked for actual attendance on the wedding day.
To be on the safe side, we always recommend hiring a wedding planner who will take care of all Corona measures before, during and after your wedding. So you can hand over the responsibility and sit back and relax.
