Photo by Sam Hurd
With the “new normal” during the coronavirus pandemic sparking changes in everything from work life to education, it’s no surprise that it’s also changing one of life’s biggest traditions: weddings — and the $78 billion-a-year wedding industry.
“One Saturday evening near the end of March, I ran into a couple in the Old Town Trader Joe’s who were dressed in a tux and wedding gown,” said Kim Olsen, co-founder of Art of Eloping, an online guide to small weddings. “They were supposed to get married that weekend at Miami Beach Botanical Garden, but because everything was shut down, they instead eloped in the bride’s parents’ living room in Sterling. Their reception menu featured snacks and bubbles from Trader Joe’s, since no restaurants were open. And they couldn’t have been happier.”
Couples planning to wed have always had big decisions to make, but these days the biggest of those questions is whether to have a big wedding at a later date or scale down and say “I do” with a smaller party or even via Zoom.
“It seems like two schools of thought,” said Kristin Longwood, lead planner and owner of Boxwood & Bloom events. “I have one couple who are postponing to late 2021 so they can have everyone attend without worry of travel, restrictions and possible venue limitations. On the other hand, I have another couple who are leaning on keeping their date but downsizing to a smaller wedding…. It’s a very personal choice, but a lot of couples are looking outside of the box and coming up with new ideas.”
Olsen agreed. “When gatherings of 50 people or more — or 10 people or more, depending on where you live — were banned, thousands of weddings around the country were canceled or postponed. But some couples chose to stick with their wedding dates, and got married in incredibly creative, micro, makeshift ways that could include their loved ones via streaming channels,” she said.
If a couple is planning to dive in and hold a ceremony in the near future, there are some emerging trends that might prove helpful as they plan their special day.
Photo by Steve Johnson Photography
Think Small: ‘Minimonies’
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, guest lists are being cut. Gone are just about all 300-person wedding celebrations, and elopements are on the rise.
An elopement as Olsen defines them is not running off to get hitched in secret, it’s just a movement away from the traditional, huge wedding. The new trend is to call these ”micro weddings“ — generally 50 people or fewer — or “minimonies” of 10 people or fewer.
“What ultimately emerged was — and still is — a more widely accepted embracement of elopements and small weddings,“ Olsen said. ”Yes, this was borne out of necessity, but with the
seriousness of a pandemic, it really puts priorities into focus. Do you really need 150 guests and a donut wall to be happy on your wedding day?”
“When you’re forced to whittle down your guest list to 10, it makes you really consider why you’re getting married, and why you thought you needed all the hoopla that comes with a big wedding to begin with,“ she said. ”Some couples say they were actually relieved to be off-duty from wedding planning and all the stress that came with it.“
With fewer people, couples can opt for a more luxurious experience, since the costs won’t be as high. Art of Eloping has a guide on its website, artofeloping.com, to venues and vendors who can help with small, intimate events.
“For this year, we have encouraged all couples to still get married, in an intimate celebration, with immediate family and just the maid of honor and best man present,” said Julie Park of Birch Event & Design. “We feel that love isn’t on hold and couples shouldn’t wait to start their life together! The whole purpose of a wedding is to unite two individuals who love each other and want to spend the rest of their life together, and the great news is that we can still do that this year!”
** Interested in learning more from Kim Olsen and Visit Alexandria’s wedding specialist? Tune into Visit Alexandria's "Turning Lemons into Lemonade - The New Micro Wedding and Staycation Trend" session at the Alexandria Wedding Showcase on September 13th. Register here for free today: www.alexandriaweddingshowcase.com. **
Mayor Justin Wilson has officiated a handful of weddings this spring and summer. By the end of July, he had wed three couples — one in a courtyard in Parkfairfax, one in a courtyard in Auburn Village and one at Carlyle House Historic Park.
“I guess this is ‘other duties as assigned,“ Wilson joked. “It’s definitely quite enjoyable, especially in a time of so much bad news and heartache.”
If you’re looking to have a small wedding, you can look to companies such as The Tiny Wedding Shop event and photography services or Wedding Ceremonies by Jeff, which is conducting small family weddings and signing marriage licenses in private homes or public spaces.
But many couples are finding that they can still use their original vendors in a scaled-back way without losing special touches.
Park suggested considering scaling back with original vendors to have “a single musician for the ceremony, scaled-down flowers from the florist, a two to three-hour photography package, champagne toast and small cutting cake from the bakery.”
To help with physical distancing, the Alexandria Circuit Court Clerk’s office is scheduling virtual appointments via email and mailing marriage licenses to couples.
“Due to COVID-19, we have seen a significant increase in couples postponing or significantly altering their wedding plans,“ said local photographer Steve Johnson. ”For one of our couples, they have had to move dates about three times, as well as change venue and reduce guests by 50 percent.“
Guest lists aren’t the only thing that are shrinking.
If you’re shopping for a gown, don’t plan on bringing a large entourage to try on dresses. At Global Bridal Gallery in Alexandria, they’re asking brides to bring no more than three guests and to wear masks.
FaceTime, Zoom and Wedding Masks
Photography packages are getting smaller, too. In pre- COVID-19 times, it was common for wedding photographers to spend several hours (with a second photographer) at large weddings. Sometimes, a smaller wedding can result in better photos.
“In some ways, the COVID-19 crisis has allowed us to realize and start to realign how we approach weddings, for me as a photographer and artist,” Johnson said. “With our weddings moving forward we are striving to further this and focus more closely on smaller weddings that allow us to develop and capture the intimacy and love of the day even closer.”
Local wedding photographers are increasingly teaming up with videographers to help stream weddings via Zoom or Facebook Live for guests near and far.
“We are also encouraging, if the budget allows, for the couples to invest in a small two-hour videography package,” Park said. “This way they can stream the ceremony for those who are unable to be there in person, or send it at a later date with a wedding announcement. This is a special day and should still feel like it!”
Local wedding photographer Sam Hurd has done this by working with a video team to help bring the ceremony to family and friends who can’t be there in person.
“The current state of the world has really forced everyone to boil down wedding days to the absolute core of what they’re all about, and it’s clear to me that photography is included in that,” he said. “The creativity and ‘outside the box’ thinking that my couples have brought to the table is incredible,“ he noted.
On Etsy, you’ll find “Just Married” face masks, wedding toppers with the messages “Quarantine Couldn’t Stop This Wedding,” “You & Me & Quarantine” and “Happy Lockdown Wedding.”
“In working with primarily brides this spring and summer on the challenges of planning in this environment, we have really emphasized patience and reassurance and extended flexibility,“ Johnson said. “We have had several weddings postponed to 2021, and have tried to stay close to the couples and provide support, flexibility and reassurance.“
For those who are saying “I do” and aren’t putting their lives on hold, in addition to planning a small ceremony now, some couples are also planning what they’re calling a “sequel wedding“ for the post-pandemic future.
“Bottom line: A wedding is one day,“ Olsen said. “A marriage is not. It’s about the love — not the fluff.”
