This year the wedding industry, like many others, was ravaged by the pandemic. Now as couples eye 2021 for their big day, ceremonies are expected to look very different compared to what they would have been a year ago as health and safety become primary concerns, Kristen Maxwell Cooper, editor-in-chief at The Knot, told Cheddar.
"According to our data, nearly all couples with upcoming dates are making some sort of adjustment to their future event. So, that means that they are watching the local event restrictions and abiding by those and they are adding things to their celebration that will prioritize the health and safety," she said.
Items that are trending among couples for their reshaped weddings, according to Cooper, include customized face masks to match wedding attire and sanitizing stations throughout the events. Event planners are also paying special attention to mitigating crowding around food and are opting instead for individual options, like mini cakes or cupcakes instead of traditional wedding cake, she added.
While Saturdays are traditionally the most popular for couples to wed, weekday weddings are growing in popularity among couples who have had to reschedule their ceremonies.
"There's a lot of reasons. One, when you're postponing, oftentimes it's hard to coordinate all of the vendors' schedules," Cooper said. "So, by choosing a Thursday or a Friday, even a Monday, which we've seen, it's going to be easier for you to get all of your vendors on that day."
Taking ceremonies online
Weddings in the era of COVID-19 will mean smaller, more intimate ceremonies but as companies like Zoom and Skype bring people together, Cooper says couples are considering including a "virtual element" so friends and family across the country can celebrate the newlyweds.
"Imagine big projector screens, which I know everyone has seen on their Instagram for movie nights and things like that but, imagine that at different nuptials across the country and then just sitting down and having one-on-one moments with the couple," she said.
Though some brides and grooms are still moving forward with their nuptials, others have indefinitely postponed their weddings as the plan for vaccine distribution en masse is uncertain. The Knot, according to Cooper, is working to help couples figure out what they can do to move their ceremonies forward.
"We have a hub that gives answers to all of the questions that couples may be having during this time. We also set up a hotline this spring that couples could call into and talk to a wedding expert, whether that was someone at The Knot or an event planner or somebody like that to just answer questions," she said.
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