- Derrick Heydon
Advice for Planning a COVID-19 Wedding in Nebraska
From guest list to dancing, these are the ways you can make your wedding special despite all of the COVID restrictions.
Back in March 2020, we had no idea that we'd still be talking about COVID-19 late into the following winter. This continues to be a challenge for anyone getting married soon but no matter where you're at in your wedding planning, Crown DJ's is here to help.
Whether your wedding was originally scheduled for the spring or summer and you've since had to reschedule, or your date is a few months (or years) from now but you're just not sure what to do, we've had countless conversations with other wedding professionals throughout Nebraska to come up with a way to help couples move forward with their planning.
Guest list
When people were once again able to gather, the guest turnout at our summer and fall weddings were 25-50% of what was originally expected. The smaller gatherings made it so guests could actually spread out more comfortably, enjoy themselves, and feel more confident about attending.
If you're struggling to figure out who to uninvite from your wedding because you're having to downsize, we suggest asking yourself this question before making a decision:
"On a scale from 1-10, how well do they know me AND my fiance?"
This may be surprising to you but we saw some of our best weddings in 2020 despite the significant decrease in attendance because it allowed couples to spend more time enjoying themselves.
E-invites and virtual wedding
Sending out official digital invitations allows you to be more flexible with your guest list because you'll be able to send out updates in real-time and keep everyone informed.
For those who cannot attend the event in-person, you can send out a link to watch your ceremony via live stream. If you'd like to learn more about how to live-stream your ceremony, Crown DJ's just launched live-streaming services in 2020.
Resources:
Evite (evite.com)
Crown DJ's live streaming service (crowndjs.com/contact)
Dancing
This has become one of the more controversial topics between wedding venues and DJs but if you were looking forward to dancing the night away then we suggest spreading out the dance floor to make social distancing possible.
Some venues and counties in Nebraska may require everyone that is out of their seats to wear a mask or face covering, other venues are forcing portions of their receptions to be outside if they want to have dancing.
Having two weddings
Do you have a love so nice, it's worth celebrating twice?!
DUH!
Throwing two celebrations isn’t anything new, many couple have opted to marry twice—a small intimate ceremony, followed by a larger reception at a later date. If you choose to have wedding route, it’s important to create two distinctly different events with separate budgets, separate guest lists, different decor and an epic party for both occasions.
Photo Booth
One of the best ways to entertain guests at your reception is by having our photo booth that is still a blast even when there's no props.
Here's how it works:
🔎 Our photo booth attendant greets you and asks what kind of image you want - photo, burst or boomerang.
😇 You'll pick out what kind of digital props or face filters you want in your image.
📸 Take the picture!
📲 Tell your phone number to our photo booth attendant to have your image(s) sent directly to your phone.
Dates to avoid in 2021, 2022 & 2023
If you decide to postpone your wedding or you just got engaged, there are certain dates that many couples avoid because of concern that guests won't be able to attend. It's worth mentioning that holiday weekends tend to be more expensive because vendors may be extra busy with non-wedding events.
You also may want to steer clear of Husker Football game days if your wedding is in Nebraska – and traditionally “unlucky” days, like Friday the 13th.
Here's a list of dates that you might want to avoid in the next 3 years:
New Years Day - Friday, Jan 1, 2021 / Saturday, Jan 1, 2022
April Fools Day - Thursday, April 1, 2021 / Friday, April 1, 2022 / Saturday, April 1, 2023
Final Four - Saturday, April 3, 2021 / Saturday, April 2, 2022 / Saturday, April 1, 2023
Friday the 13th - Friday, Aug 13, 2021 / Friday, May 13, 2022 / Friday, Jan 13, 2023 / Friday, Oct 13, 2023
9/11 - Saturday, Sept 11, 2021
Veterans Day - Saturday, Nov 11, 2023
Christmas Eve - Friday, Dec 24, 2021 / Saturday, Dec 24, 2022
Christmas Day - Saturday, Dec 25, 2021
New Years Eve - Friday, Dec 31, 2021 / Saturday, Dec 31, 2022