Vent

So many of the restricitions don't make sense, least of all in VA. I totally feel your frustration. The outdoor caps are so ridiculous, especially after the 10,000 person protests that apparently didn't result in any spread at all.


I rescheduled 4 times trying to work with my family on travel and safety before just getting married in a minimony last fall. Now doing a celebration this winter and if it doesn't happen, I'm moving on with my life forever.

I'm also in VA and we're moving forward with 6/12 no matter what (first date, haven't rescheduled). I honestly think we'll get up to 50% capacity by May. I put our date on so many things already and I couldn't imagine dealing with wedding planning for any longer. Some people can't picture their wedding without their 200 person guest list there, and are understandably postponing. While we'd like all of our guests present, we decided that as long as our intermediate family and wedding party can be there, we'll have our perfect wedding.

We didn't want to risk anything. We decided to elope.

We postponed from October to April and are going forward with the wedding. I am nervous for my parents, but I think overall the event should be pretty safe as it is likewise outdoors (the reception anyway).

We have essentially no restrictions other than guests are required to wear masks in the church, but even that, I don't know how well it will be enforced. We are getting married in SC, where my fiance is from. I'm from the Northeast and in a group for weddings in my home state and I feel for all y'all having to go through all this.

I second that the restrictions do not make sense. My state (MA) is now pushing for students to return to in-person learning. Stating that it has been proven there is no risk of spread in schools, even for the teachers who aren’t yet vaccinated. If this virus is so highly contagious, how are you going to tell me there is no risk of transmission in elementary age kids who don’t understand personal space or personal hygiene? Yet adults can’t host weddings of more than 25 people outdoors- gatherings that are largely made up of families from the same households or who see each other regularly anyways? In the past year, I’ve traveled to other states and countries. There are places where there are no restrictions and covid doesn’t exist. I’m all for reopening the country. A year of these nonsensical restrictions is long enough and has done more harm than good to the economy, mental health, and education. In life, there is always a baseline of risk. It’s time we get back to living.

I should add that my state has some of the strictest mandates currently: guest counts limited to 25 outdoors/10 indoors, masks at all times, no dancing, no walkup bar, 6 guests to a table, and tables 6 feet apart, to name a few. If our governor begins allowing sporting events at stadiums, and doesn’t adjust the gathering limits for weddings, he will be hearing from me lol.

I hate this for you! I'm hoping things go back to normal soon for the sake of all of us and our big days.

We are, personally, moving forward. We are blessed in the sense that there aren't a ton of crippling restriction where I am. But we've also decided that we won't have a Covid themed wedding. If for whatever reason, we are told we can't gather the way we've planned, we will simply elope.

If I were you, I would keep your wedding date! I would try my best to not let this run your life - if you want to have a party after your wedding when restrictions are lifted and you feel more secure planning an event, that would be totally fine!

We have rescheduled 3 times. The first time was back in the very beginning and we got canceled 3 weeks before our wedding. I was in the first wave of brides to deal with this and it was SHOCKING. Our original wedding date was April 9, 2020.

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I'm from MA too! Hoping to get married this June (postponed from last year). I totally agree with you! He is beyond strict and the no dance floor thing is such a deal breaker for me. He said last year opening up phase 4 with the vaccine, but his roll out is embarrassing! We need to start a petition for all of us MA brides lol!!!

View Quoted Comment I’m all for that! Baker is holding a press conference today at 1pm with an update on the reopening plan. I have a feeling they’re going to start allowing fans at stadiums for sporting events. If that happens, but they keep the wedding restrictions the same, brides are going to lose it. Anxiously awaiting 1pm.

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Thank you!! I'll have to watch, lets pray for some good news!!!

I totally agree, at this point who knows what vendors/venues will be left if there is another year of no weddings! My dj has already ghosted me, and he was paid in full on our original date.

View Quoted Comment Wow, that is terrible about your DJ. I hope he reappears and does what he was paid to do. Where are you getting married? We’re June 12th at Hammond Castle in Gloucester.

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Were getting married June 6th at Danversport. Is this your original wedding date? Since we postponed last year we are locked in and cannot make any decisions until April or we will lose our deposit.

How was your venue with the restrictions also? They are very adamant about masks even outdoors. I don't want my dad to wear a mask walking me down the aisle.

I'm in Nova and we are moving forward with our May 15th date. We already postponed once and are not doing it again. If the trend continues, our venue is thinking we can have 75 people outside and I'm willing to take it. But I agree that the VA restrictions make no sense. I think Northam's priorities are screwed up with allowing 30% capacity at sporting events. Why can't he come up with a plan for people who have been waiting to finally have their wedding??

We are in CA and moving forward with our 4.24.2021 wedding. If restrictions force us to, we'll just have the wedding party and immediate family with a larger reception once all this is over. However, we will not be postponing. It just doesn't make sense for us to put our lives on hold like that.

Yup totally agree on the hypocrisy of some of these restrictions! I'm getting married April 10 in NJ - which just announced that fans can return to stadiums. Weddings however have no limits on outdoor ceremonies but a limit of 25 people for an outdoor reception. Thank God I'm getting married at a venue that is willing to work with brides and be a little lenient on the restrictions. But I'm also hoping that the recent announcement that indoor dining restrictions were increased to 35% capacity means good things for wedding restrictions. We're getting married regardless of what the restrictions are because at the end of the day, the day is about us. As much as we want all of our friends and family there to celebrate, I want to marry him more than I want to reschedule for other people.

View Quoted Comment I'm with you! I understand about safety, I've been the safety girl this entire time. We were scheduled for Oct 24, 2020 and decided to postpone to this October. Our wedding is mainly outdoors and open air so we better be able to have more than 25 max. I was discouraged to hear that the 25 includes your vendors! So, really I'd be happy with 75-100 at this point!

Are you ladies moving forward with May weddings in Virginia? My fiance and I originally agreed we would postpone if the indoor limit was under 50, but now that the limit in April will be 50, I'm saddened by the thought of cutting loved ones like cousins from the guest list. We're hopeful the limit will raise even more in May, but there's just no way of knowing--vaccinations are going up but so are infections because of the variants. I just hope the governor doesn't decide to increase restrictions again!


Have any of your venues provided options like opening doors/windows (increasing ventilation) at indoor locations? Are they counting vendors as part of the limit? Do they care if guests are vaccinated?

View Quoted Comment Our venue is outside, but they do count vendors as part of the 100 guest, which really sucks. I do hope that things open up more, we will see spikes as things open up but we need to open up or our bodies will never produce their own antibodies towards COVID. My fiance and I will be looking at list and bringing it down to at least 150 for now. We are at 207. My frustration is that they open entertainment venues but wedding venues still suffer. Mask only help so much as well. We had spikes when mask were mandated. It's been over a year. I miss my family I miss my friends I miss the normalcy. I've seen so much the mental health of children decrease as well as adults. But also all this has caused so much hatred and laziness.


Sorry I got off topic. But, as the vaccine becomes more I do not see why we should shut down again. Our venue also let's us have a choice about mask since we are outside. We will give our guest a choice.
Now our church is limited to 30 people in the sanctuary. So we are planning to some how live the ceremony for those that can not join us for that part.