So far, 2020 has been somewhat of a doozy. The novel coronavirus has upended just about everything we took for granted prior to this year, and weddings are no exception. Those that had weddings scheduled for earlier in the year have likely postponed or dramatically shifted activities associated with the wedding itself, and those that still have weddings to come may be wondering if the wedding can even happen at all. 

The good news is that it’s up to couples to decide their fate together, and there’s no shortage of vendors that will work with you to throw a COVID-19 wedding in 2020. All it takes is a bit of planning and a dash of precaution, making a COVID-19 wedding one of the most memorable ways to tie the knot today. While it may sound like all those masks and hand sanitizers will put a damper on the festivities, there are a lot of neat and interesting ways to have a distinctive and personal wedding during these most tumultuous of times.

That said, you might need to pare down your guest list. A large, COVID-19 wedding with hundreds of attendees is likely not something you want to embark on at this point in the battle against COVID-19, and there are very real dangers associated with the elderly and people with preexisting conditions, such as cancer or heart disease. And especially because COVID-19 brings on such varied responses — you could feel nothing or end up in the local hospital’s ICU — it’s hard to screen guests, many of which could be coming from hotspots and be carrying the disease without showing symptoms. This makes temperature checks and quick screenings helpful but certainly not enough, so make sure you have plans in place for face masks and social distancing, particularly while indoors.

While drive-by birthdays have been a staple of early COVID-life, you can’t exactly do a drive-by wedding, though drive-through weddings are possible on the strip if you’re interested in a shotgun-style wedding. For the rest of us, however, nothing beats getting together with your friends and family to celebrate your beautiful union. But if you really have your sights set on a traditional wedding and reception where COVID-19 isn’t an issue, you may want to push your pending COVID-19 wedding to next year or after a vaccine comes out. Once everyone’s safe and the spread of COVID-19 has subsided, you’ll be able to throw the bash that you and your partner deserve, without compromises and those little, nagging reminders of COVID-19-life.

And don’t think you’re alone. According to The Knot, a popular wedding planning site online, more than one million weddings were scheduled between March and August 2020, and many if not all of them will have to postpone, reschedule or take proactive measures to ensure the safety of their guests, many of which may be traveling from out of state, which is currently discouraged by many municipal and state laws, as well as health institutions such as the CDC and WHO.

But if you have your heart set on tying the knot this year, it is still possible to throw a COVID-19 wedding and reception as long as you take the necessary precautions. Face masks and socially distant seating is mandatory to ensure the safety of all guests, and it might be a good idea to rethink a boisterous reception filled with drinks, dancing and partying, instead focusing on something a bit more personal with a more restrictive guest list.

However, just because you can’t get everyone you know into one room doesn’t mean that they have to miss out. With modern technology like Zoom and other streaming platforms, you can share the moments of your wedding with close family from halfway around the world, which is a great way to augment the photos and videography that accompanies just about every modern wedding — odds are you already have the capability to do so with your existing photographer, but in a pinch a phone or laptop in a strategically placed spot will do. 

But most COVID-19 weddings might just be one of those things where you have a small ceremony — a minimony if you like — and follow it up later in the year or next year with a larger party to help ring in your union. While weddings of this type were common prior to COVID-19, they stand to become a bonafide trend in 2020 and possibly beyond. In fact, for those that look forward to a small and intimate ceremony with a larger follow-up party, COVID-19 has made that approach acceptable, if not outright desirable.

But even under COVID-19, optimism runs high. According to WeddingWire, 95 percent of couples surveyed in May reported being happy with their existing budget, and they don’t plan on reducing it for a post-COVID-19 wedding. Others believe that 2021 and 2022 will be huge years for weddings as all the pent-up demand from 2020 spills over. 

COVID-19 also hasn’t soured most couples on their wedding plans, even though many have postponed or suspended their wedding until a later date. In fact, three-quarters of those polled on Facebook that had pending weddings in June, July or August reported moving ahead with the wedding on the original wedding date, though the wedding itself may have been changed somewhat. That’s compared to less than a third from earlier in the year, which suggests that maybe we’re just learning to live with COVID-19, at least a little bit.

Regardless of what you’re planning, it’s important to communicate with your venue and vendors. Because of the lack of work and the low number of events being thrown in 2020, they’ve likely got some great ideas as to how you can have a memorable COVID-19 wedding due to an excess of free time. Instead of a buffet, a plated dinner may be best for your guests, and hand sanitizer and masks can dominate the table placements for a fun take on wedding favors — you might even think about contacting a local brewery to see if they can make some special hand sanitizer for your big day, or you can really dress up your masks to make them a legitimate part of the day’s fashion. 

All we know for sure is that love always wins, and just because COVID-19 is here doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to a lackluster COVID-19 wedding — this could be your one chance to have a truly unique wedding in a time where everyone else is looking backwards and trying to do the same thing they’ve always done. It’s clear that COVID-19 has changed a lot of our day-to-day activities, but it’s still possible to have that wedding of your dreams even if you need to postpone your reception or make some changes along the way.

To learn more about COVID-19 weddings in Las Vegas at safe and socially distant resorts and clubs, contact the experts at Occasions4.us. We’ve partnered with five fabulous venues in the Las Vegas area — from Henderson  to Primm and North Las Vegas — and odds are we have the perfect venue for a successful COVID-19 wedding. Even if you want to hold a ceremony and hold off on a wedding reception until a future date, we’ll work within your budget and needs so that you can have the wedding of your dreams. From the Aliante in North Las Vegas to The Legacy in Henderson, as well Primm Valley at the Nevada State Line, Spanish Trail in Las Vegas and Wildhorse in Henderson, the perfect COVID-19 wedding venue is just a quick click or phone call away.