Photo by Dani Bartlett Photography
Cindy and Lachy originally planned to get married in the Adelaide Hills in August 2020.
But by April, when COVID-19 was spreading throughout Australia and government restrictions were being implemented, like many other couples, they chose to reschedule until August 2021.
“Then in July it looked like they were going to lift restrictions so we thought - if we could why not - so 9 weeks ago we made the decision to go ahead - since then, so many restrictions have come into play and have made for a very different looking wedding, “ Cindy explained just days before their big day.
“We are no longer allowed to dance, I have no maid of honour or flower girl as my sister is in Stage 3 Lockdown in Bendigo - 20 family members are not allowed to come as they are interstate and my best friend of 20 years from Canada cannot come.
BUT we have decided to go ahead because what is most important is our commitment and marriage to each other! We decided where there is a will, there is a way.
We are making the best of a bad situation while still enjoying our big day.”
As Lachy and Cindy discovered, while differing levels of COVID-19 restrictions are in effect (depending on where & when your wedding is being held), there’s still a lot you can do to have fun at your wedding while keeping yourself, and your closest family and friends, as safe as possible.
Please note: most suggestions and examples involve interaction on some level, Unbridely recommends that you enquire with your venue as to their COVID Safe/Management Plan requirements which may mean that hand sanitiser, disposable gloves and/or masks are made readily available to allow these types of activities.
There is some great information on in this POST around keeping your guest numbers low and timeframe short to minimise risk.
1. Encourage your guests to get to know each other by playing some old-school wedding reception lawn games:
During the pandemic, the outdoors is the best place to be. Invite your guests outside for a round of Bocce, Petanque or Finska.
Games and challenges engage your family and friends and bring out good-natured banter and competitive fun. By hiring some jumbo/giant-sized Jenga, Chess, Connect 4, dominos or noughts and crosses lawn games your guests are enticed to participate in something other than drinking and dancing.
Ring Toss and Coits are classic outdoor games where your guests try to toss a ring around some bottles or onto a wooden peg.
Corn Hole Toss will test your guest’s aim as they toss a small wheat-filled bag onto a platform with a hole. Big points if they hit the hole; minor points if they hit the platform at all.
Set up a game of croquet on the lawn and hand out the mallets. The kids love this too!
Whether spectating or participating, a vigorous game of badminton will keep everyone entertained.
Set up board game tables (socially distanced, of course) with some classic games. This can work in a sheltered outdoor space or large indoor space. Think Guess Who, Battleship, Connect Four and Checkers.
2. Get your family and friends involved in a wedding-themed quiz - great for your shy guests too!
Have a sheet filled with questions about the newlyweds for each guest, or table-team, to answer. The answers should relate to how well the guest knows the couple (who asked out whom first; how did they propose, etc.). Have the guests drop their answers in a pre-arranged box. Having your MC read the answers out aloud later in the reception will provide hilarious entertainment for all.
Put the couple in the hot seat and have guests prepare questions – around 10 for each of them - to see how well they really know each other or their predictions for their future (how many kids; where will you be living in 5 years time). It can also be fun to have the game videoed to playback on their anniversary.
3. Get a little silly and let your hair down with a photo booth.
Have a selection of easily cleaned or disposable/cardboard props handy and encourage your guests to channel their inner diva for fun and memorable photos. In the Booth are proud to be a COVID safe Australian supplier who clean and sanitise their props at their weddings between every use.
Play a game of Charades. Provide each visitor to the photo booth with one clue and gesture from a movie, book, song etc. Have the guest act out their part - this can be fun for a photobooth, but absolutely hilarious for a gif booth. See which guest is the first to solve the clue later on in the reception as your MC leads your guests through the photos/videos.
An open photo booth, like Hashtag Instaprints, includes a Hashtag Printer attendant who can roam the room to capture even more moments (especially great for weddings with shy people who won’t go the photo booth or older generations without Instagram)
4. Book an Artist or Caricaturist.
Photos are great, but an artist can create a unique piece of art with their interpretation of what’s unfolding before them. And a talented painter or sketch artist’s design can be hung in your new home and treasured forever.
Or bring a caricaturist on board to draw quirky depictions of your guests as their wedding favour to take home with them.
5. Build a DIY martini/margarita/mojito cocktail bar with a twist.
Shaken not stirred? Vodka instead of rum?
Let your guests channel their inner Bond (James Bond) by giving them all the ingredients to prepare their own cocktails - just hold the DIY.
Provide RSA qualified bartenders to prepare cocktails to order for each guest.
Arrange some spirits, mixers, cocktail shakers and strainers, olives, sliced fruit, glasses, ice, and stirrers on a high bar or table out of the high traffic areas and your guests can order their cocktail their way.
6. Have your caterer plan a luxurious degustation menu.
Degustation meals are small samplings of a variety of food, usually paired with wine. They can last for up three hours and will have your guests forgetting all about dancing.
7. Plan some surprise entertainment – a comedian, New Orleans style band, flamingo or salsa dancers, or perhaps a magician. A fortune teller is always fun; just make sure they only tell good fortunes!
8. Invite your guests to strut their stuff and create a karaoke competition, with a live band, if possible.
9. Have a raffle for your guests.
A raffle is fun for all ages and it doesn’t really doesn’t matter what the prizes are.
Chooks and meat trays (as long there is somewhere to refrigerate them in the meantime) are always big hits. But gift vouchers are simple to organise and award the winner/s immediately. Tape the raffle tickets under the guests seats in advance.
10 The Shoe Game is an oldie but goodie.
Have someone close to you (a wedding party or immediate family member) pre-arrange a list of personal questions (up to 20) for you.
After a few drinks have been enjoyed at the reception, your MC will ask you to sit where your all your guests can see you with your backs to each other while holding one of their own shoes and a shoe belonging to their new spouse.
Your MC will then read out the questions one by one and the couple answers each question by holding up the owner’s shoe.
Some starter questions are:
Who’s the neat freak?
Who is the better cook?
Who dresses better?
Who kissed the other first?
Who’s the most punctual?
Who’s the better driver?
Who spends the most time on social media?
The more left-of-field, the better!
11. If you loved Mad Libs as a child, the game can be even more fun at your wedding.
Arrange for your wedding party or family to write a short story (just a few paragraphs) about you. The story can be about how you met; your past, your studies or work etc.
Then, delete out up to 10 key words to create the blanks.
Provide a copy of the blanked-out story to each guest/table, who have to be as creative as possible to fill in the blanks. These better-than-true revised stories then are read out loud by the MC after the speeches.
12. Smash up a wedding piñata.
A member of your wedding party, family or MC would blindfold one of you and spin you around in circles, while leaving the other to provide verbal instruction on which direction to wave the stick to break open your piñata filled with goodies!
13. Bring a little Casino Royale-style to your wedding reception.
Set up a poker or roulette table using play chips and gloves or hand sanitiser to keep the game honest and clean.
14. Create one or more themed chill/lounge zones with an accompanying music soundtrack to allow your guests space to mingle safely.
This is a smart way for your family and friends to chat with other guests without feeling stuck at one table all day/night.
With special thanks to Cindy and Lachy for their story and She Sews for her wedding face masks.
Do you have any extra tips or ideas? Let us know in the comments!
