Michigan covid Wedding

Hi, and welcome!

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this.

From what I understand, Michigan has been hit the 3rd worst - right after us, here in NY/NJ. If your stay-at-home order has been extended into June, I ... highly doubt you'll get to 50 people at a gathering by July. Here in NJ, our governor has just allowed *outdoor* gatherings of up to 25 people... we'll have to see how that goes. Indoor is still max 10, I believe. I don't know when that will be expanded, so, extrapolating to you... you might be able to do a small-ish gathering outdoors, in July. Maybe.

Have you spoken to your venue? They may have guidance for you, or at least rules to help you figure it out.

Hi Alyssa,

First, welcome to the WeddingWire Community! I'm so glad you've reached out, and I hope you get some good information. Obviously, the situation is different everywhere right now, and I'm not aware of the specific orders/regulations in Michigan. You should always seek official local guidance. Regardless, my advice to all couples who are planning weddings during the COVID-19 pandemic is to consider your options. If you have to reduce your guest count to 10 people, what will you do?

Also, as the PP mentioned, I'd definitely encourage you to check with your venue to see what they're recommending. The general consensus for July weddings is that you should monitor the situation and try to make a decision by the end of May (which is soon, eeek). Obviously, you are NOT alone. Here's a couple of discussions with July brides that may be helpful to you:

July 2020 Weddings

July Wedding

I'm hoping for the best and sending all the positive vibes your way!

Hi Alyssa, congratulates on your upcoming wedding!

Like you I do not ever post anything but I have been watching these discussion boards like a hawk since Covid-19 came around. I figure I can share what we have decided to do since I also live in Michigan and my wedding date is July 25th.

Before Covid-19 we were planning a big outdoor wedding, 200 people invited, at my parent's house (northern lower Michigan). Just this week we decided to postpone the big reception to next summer and are now moving forward with a small ceremony, backyard bbq to follow, with a max of 30 people invited (immediate family, very close friends, and grandparents). I am lucky in that I will be able to have a bigger 'reception' (more like large outdoor bbq with yard games) next year with everyone who would have been invited this year to the wedding.

The decision to go ahead with just a small ceremony has taken away all of my stress. I went about 3 weeks without a good nights sleep before I decided I didn't want to wait any longer to see if a big wedding was possible. I personally was not handling the 'wait and see' situation well (I am a natural worrier and I like to have a plan to follow). The extension of the stay at home order really solidified it for me. I was not mentally ready for that to be extended to mid June.

I agree with Rebecca to discuss with your venue (if you have one) all of your options. As slow as our state is opening back up it is really hard to say what the end of July is going to look like for social gatherings. If the waiting, and all of the unknown stress, is not going to ruin your excitement for your wedding then keep doing what you are doing. Send out all 125 invites and see how the chips fall. If the unknown is starting to get to you, maybe it is time to talk with your fiance and see where you two stand. You could just send out 50 invites, instead of 125, while still including the card stating that you may need to restrict the number of guests when it gets closer to your wedding date. If you do that you can have a video chat going for the 75 guests who will not receive an invite and if you do have to trim back the guest list further the video chat would already be in place.

Good luck to you and congratulations again!

Hi Alyssa, congratulates on your upcoming wedding!

Like you I do not ever post anything but I have been watching these discussion boards like a hawk since Covid-19 came around. I figure I can share what we have decided to do since I also live in Michigan and my wedding date is July 25th.

Before Covid-19 we were planning a big outdoor wedding, 200 people invited, at my parent's house (northern lower Michigan). Just this week we decided to postpone the big reception to next summer and are now moving forward with a small ceremony, backyard bbq to follow, with a max of 30 people invited (immediate family, very close friends, and grandparents). I am lucky in that I will be able to have a bigger 'reception' (more like large outdoor bbq with yard games) next year with everyone who would have been invited this year to the wedding.

The decision to go ahead with just a small ceremony has taken away all of my stress. I went about 3 weeks without a good nights sleep before I decided I didn't want to wait any longer to see if a big wedding was possible. I personally was not handling the 'wait and see' situation well (I am a natural worrier and I like to have a plan to follow). The extension of the stay at home order really solidified it for me. I was not mentally ready for that to be extended to mid June.

I agree with Rebecca to discuss with your venue (if you have one) all of your options. As slow as our state is opening back up it is really hard to say what the end of July is going to look like for social gatherings. If the waiting, and all of the unknown stress, is not going to ruin your excitement for your wedding then keep doing what you are doing. Send out all 125 invites and see how the chips fall. If the unknown is starting to get to you, maybe it is time to talk with your fiance and see where you two stand. You could just send out 50 invites, instead of 125, while still including the card stating that you may need to restrict the number of guests when it gets closer to your wedding date. If you do that you can have a video chat going for the 75 guests who will not receive an invite and if you do have to trim back the guest list further the video chat would already be in place.

Good luck to you and congratulations again!