If you’ve ever been involved in the preparation of a wedding, you know things don’t always go 100% to plan. Maybe an unexpected rainfall or snowstorm forced the ceremony to be changed from outdoor to indoor at the last minute. Or the groom showed up an hour late because he forgot his dinner jacket at home. Perhaps the marriage license was left at the hotel, and the maid of honor had to dutifully fetch it during cocktail hour. At Wedgewood Weddings, we’ve seen all these scenarios play out.
With over 30 years of events under our belt, we’ve witnessed (and resolved!) our fair share of wedding woes, so we’re always working behind on the scenes to make sure no one notices if you move to Plan B. The coronavirus crisis and its impact on weddings across the globe has certainly put us to the test. Rest assured, our team is up for the challenge, and ready to do whatever it takes so you can still have the wedding you desire.
As local jurisdictions and ordinances begin to loosen their restrictions and guidelines surrounding social gatherings, we will follow suit and adapt by having a new plan that coincides. What this looks like for you will depend heavily on your individual state, county, and venue. As always, we have an entire team dedicated to plans B, C, and D. We always keep the safety of you, your guests, and our team at the forefront. Here are some of the ways Wedgewood Weddings can make your event happen within these unforeseen circumstances.
This concept maximizes your guest count despite large gathering restrictions. With staggered arrival times, your event remains within the restrictions, and you have more time to hang out with each guest – a win-win! To assist, you will have more time at the venue so that no guest feels-shortchanged. We may also be able to show your ceremony video on loop during the latter part of your event so that everyone can see your beautiful exchange of vows.
“Having been a part of so many weddings, we realized there is a natural progression of guests coming and going during any event. This tends to organically occur at many parties. How many weddings have you attended where older guests and family leave early? Or where colleagues are invited for the reception only? This is a long-held tradition which we’re now officially enacting, and we think it will create a greater connection between the couple and their guests.”
Robyn Miranda, Wedding Team Champion
With so many events having to be postponed due to COVID-19, sequel weddings are making their way into wedding culture. Host your ceremony now with your closest family and friends and celebrate later with an awesome reception that involves your entire guest list. We’ll help by providing you with a venue where you feel comfortable and safe, By the time your second event rolls around – you’ll feel right at home!
“I love sequel events because it gives you double the fun. Celebrate now and then celebrate again later! By completing parts 1 and 11 of your event at the same venue, your photos will even match. Beautiful!”
Anna Worthington, Regional Manager, Colorado Area
Creative Distancing
We’ve prepared alternative floor plans to keep guest tables six feet apart. For your ceremony, chairs can be arranged in groups of five to maintain the regulated social distancing requirement. We can also reduce the number of people seated at each table as an extra precaution. Sign markers on the floor will keep your guests from getting too close while at the bar.
“To protect guests, we reviewed every venue to make sure there is no possibility of bottlenecks or crowding. Happily, the design of each property means that we can adapt and open up many of our ballrooms to allow for more tables, spaced further apart with fewer people on each. As weddings are normally more than 50 people, we checked to make sure the extra space feels comfortable. It does. In fact, we may continue to separate tables by this distance as standard!”
Julia Henning, Vice President, Sales
We’re lucky to live in a world where video calls are second nature. You can now stream your ceremony, provide extra amplification to guests spaced further away, and help as many people as possible see and hear your vows whether they’re with you at the venue or not.
“You may have noticed we always refer to our vendors as family, and what do you do when you want help? You reach out to family! By working together, we have found tremendous solutions like adding screens, setting up high-speed streaming, and making sure that more people can be part of an event. “
Paige Lorenzen, Regional Manager
Enhanced Sanitation
Cleanliness, sanitation, and the safety of you and your guests has always been a top priority for Wedgewood Weddings. Now, we have stricter procedures and have increased frequency. Each event will be assigned a sanitation captain who will be dedicated to maintaining high levels of sanitation and disinfection: making sure the facility always stays clean and safe. All our team members have masks and gloves that they will wear when directed by local ordinances. If these do not apply, then you can decide if you would prefer for them to be worn or not.
“At every event, sanitation is critical so ramping up our procedures was welcomed by our team companywide. We’ll be there to unobtrusively wipe down a countertop or hold a door open so that you and your guests can continue to focus on fun and romance!”
Roman Cota, Executive Culinary Leader
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We’re sharing our ideas so that you can be confident we have the best minds in hospitality working to make your event happen despite the restrictions that protect us all. Our team is confident that weddings with these small but critical adaptations will be as joyous as any other, but you benefit from peace of mind know that your family and friends are safe as they celebrate.
