Beginning at 12:01 am, Monday, August 10, there is a new rule that goes into effect in Washington state prohibiting wedding receptions for the unseen time being. But not all hope is lost as wedding ceremonies can still happen as LOVE CANNOT BE CANCELLED.
It has been very tough delivering the tough news to our remaining 2020 couples who have been holding out hope that COVID wouldn’t be a factor in their wedding plans, but at this point, all politics aside, this pandemic will be around for some time so instead of fighting against it, its time we understand all the new rules and plan accordingly.
So with the new rule going into effect, we want to educate everyone what is and isn’t allowed when it comes to weddings. By understanding all of the rules, then you can make the right choice when it comes to your wedding.
Here are the rules when it comes to weddings:
Indoor Ceremony Capacity is limited to 20% or 30 people, whichever is less, if and only if six feet of physical distancing between households can be achieved. Outdoor Ceremonies are limited to 30 people, and at least six feet of physical distancing between households is required.
Consistent with existing guidance, indoor ceremonies are prohibited in Phase 1.
No Live Music including but not limited to live musicians and DJs.
Receptions are prohibited.
Yes, that means no DJs for your ceremony. Trust me when I read that I was like come on, how is that even possible. But after talking to the Governor’s office for clarification, yes indeed is the new mandate. So what does this mean for music for your ceremony? Check with your venue to see if they have a built-in sound system that you can use. If you have an outdoor wedding, then this is when we need to be creative. I am still working on ideas for a few of our weddings and stay tuned as I will update this blog post when I come up with legal ways to have music for ceremonies.
For those of you still wanting to get married in 2020, you can still legally say I Do and there is no reason why you can’t and be a little creative in the process. If you are adventurous, maybe wed on a mountaintop, by a river, or your favorite place in the state. Chat with your vendors and come up with the best and most memorable way to wed. Luckily in the age of technology, you can live stream or have your ceremony videotaped to be shared with family and friends.
If you can’t imagine having a wedding ceremony without a reception, then the next step is to think about postponing your wedding. As a Seattle Wedding Planner, I encourage you to postpone to 2021, just to be safe. Then the next step if you choose to postpone is to contact all of your vendors and let them know you intend to reschedule your wedding. Work with your venue/vendors on their availability and understand their policies when it comes to postponements and if any additional costs will in incurred. Make sure you read over your contracts thoroughly and please be patient with your vendors during this process as the last five months have been disastrous to our industry.
The only thing we don’t know is just when receptions will be allowed. However, in the meantime, there is no reason why you can’t have the wedding ceremony you want and the party later to celebrate with friends and family. If you are lost in the process of understanding all these rules we are here to help and we would love to chat how we can make your Wedding Fairytale come true.