The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a lot of couples postponing or even canceling their wedding celebrations— not only in the Quad Cities, but around the word. As concerns about staying safe and healthy continue, many brides and grooms are looking for ways to still celebrate their weddings without endangering their loved ones.

Fortunately, you don’t have to give up your dreams of a memorable wedding day because of the pandemic. You just may have to tweak them a little. We’ve put together a few tips for how to plan for a safe wedding experience during COVID-19.

 Encourage everyone to get tested

Because many people who have COVID-19 are asymptomatic, they could pass on the illness without even knowing they’re a carrier. That’s why you should ask all your guests and everyone involved in your wedding to get tested before the event. And those tests shouldn’t be last-minute as it can take a while to get results back. Encourage everyone to get tested the week before the wedding and quarantine until your wedding day.

 Host your wedding outside

Weather can be unpredictable, but hosting both your ceremony and reception outside allows for easier social distancing and eliminates many of the risks associated with a large number of people in a confined space. Consider an open-sided tent to protect everyone from the elements, but maintain ample air flow.

Give out face masks and hand sanitizer

The perfect favors for a COVID-19 wedding? Fun, fashionable face masks for every guest and personalized bottles of hand sanitizer. Not only are these gifts practical and considerate, but they’re something your guests can take home and continue to use. Better yet- no one has an excuse not to wear a mask or sanitize their hands.

Provide colored wristbands to indicate comfort with social contact

Your guests will likely have different needs and different levels of comfort with being around other people. To help everyone respect others’ comfort levels, you can use colored wristbands to indicate whether a person is comfortable being approached or not. For example, green could signal that a person is comfortable around others, while red could be there for those who want to keep their distance from other guests. (Something as simple as these could work— https://amzn.to/3oajLnY.) And bracelets can feature your names and wedding date, making this a memento, as well.

 Make it intimate and live-stream the festivities

The best way to ensure your wedding is safe and your guests stay healthy is to limit your day to just your closest family members and friends. For everyone else, you can live stream your ceremony and even your reception so that all your loved ones can feel like they’re a part of your special day. Watch for next week’s blog post on live-streaming your wedding day.