The warm weather months are a very popular time to get married. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced couples around the world to postpone indefinitely or cancel their wedding ceremonies and receptions. Fortunately, virtual weddings are an excellent and budget-friendly solution for couples looking to find the perfect wedding ring and get married sooner rather than later. Read below to find out why!
Save the Original Date
While some are opting to postpone their ceremonies indefinitely until there is a clearer timeline, many are adapting and moving forward with a virtual wedding. It eliminates the wait and uncertainty surrounding the virus, as this could leave a cloud hovering over not only your present life but other future plans as well.
Even future dates are currently uncertain due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as couples who have already postponed once have been forced to do so again. A virtual wedding allows you to get married on the original date you picked out so long ago.
Heightened Health and Safety for Guests
The current timeline surrounding COVID-19 and a return to normalcy is unclear. In the meantime, health and safety officials at local, state, and national levels have urged people to quarantine when necessary and practice social distancing. This means that gathering in a crowd for events such as weddings, concerts, and sporting events is not happening for the time being. Fortunately, a virtual wedding allows everybody to “gather” and connect together in a safe and healthy manner.
A virtual wedding also eliminates the need for guests to travel. Between the number of people moving through airports and stations and getting on airplanes, trains, or buses, traveling can significantly increase your risk of exposure to the virus.
Additionally, there may be current travel restrictions in place that would prevent international guests from attending the wedding or create complications for their arrival and/or return. Virtual weddings eliminate this hassle and allow everybody to come together for this joyous occasion.
Financially Friendly
It’s no secret that weddings are expensive; the reception and ceremony costs such as catering, venue fees, decorations, bars, entertainment, and more can quickly pile up on top of one another. Fortunately, virtual weddings are much easier on your wallet because many of the above costs are eliminated when there is no physical event. However, some wedding expenses may remain constant even if your event is virtual. For example, you can still opt to purchase or rent formal attire and wedding rings to exchange during the ceremony.
Easy to Plan
It is much simpler to plan a virtual wedding than an in-person event. You save money by not needing to book venues, caterers, bands or DJs, and more, but you also save time and effort because you do not have to research your options. However, virtual weddings still require a bit of planning, especially from a technology standpoint.
Most importantly, you must research and decide on a streaming platform. Services such as Zoom, HouseParty, Google Hangout, and others each offer different advantages for virtual weddings. Social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram allow you to broadcast “live” to all of your friends and followers.
Regardless of which route you choose, be sure to clearly state the date, time, and time zone through email invitations or the website and provide clear instructions to make it easier on your guests. You can also password protect your stream to prevent any unwanted entrants.
Virtual Weddings Are Less Stressful
The entire process of a virtual wedding is much less stressful than an in-person event. Planning a wedding is not just expensive but also stressful and time-consuming. Fortunately, much of this is eliminated with virtual weddings because there are not nearly as many factors and items to consider. You may also find yourself less stressed-out on the day of the virtual event, as there is much that can go wrong at an in-person wedding.
For example, many couples find themselves stressing over the different groups of friends, family, and coworkers mingling at their weddings, as there is potential for awkwardness or social conflicts. Fortunately, this is eliminated in a virtual wedding.
One area of potential stress during your virtual wedding is the internet connection lagging or giving out. You can prepare for this by testing your connection beforehand or moving your router closer to your desired location. You can also purchase Wi-Fi extenders to expand your coverage.
More Inclusive
Virtual weddings can also be more all-encompassing than in-person ceremonies. One of the most stressful parts of wedding planning is narrowing down the guest list. Even if you are having a larger ceremony, there may be some difficult exclusions based around finances or the venue’s capacity.
Fortunately, this is eliminated in virtual weddings because you are not subject to the physical or financial restrictions. You can invite whomever you please to watch your virtual wedding! However, depending on your streaming service of choice and the exact number of guests, you may need to pay for a premium service that allows a higher or unlimited number of viewers.
In conclusion, virtual weddings are great options for those looking to get married during the COVID-19 pandemic. They save couples a significant amount of money and are much easier and less stressful than in-person weddings. Additionally, they are currently safer than gathering in person. Even though a virtual wedding may have seemed inconceivable a few short months ago, they are quickly becoming popular among couples. They still allow you to eat, drink, dress up, and celebrate the next step in your relationship with your friends and family!
Stephanie Bregman serves as the CMO for Manly Bands. Stephanie oversees all of the marketing efforts for Manly Bands including marketing strategy, PPC, SEO, Email, social media, Influencer marketing, sponsorships, and corporate partnerships for the Lehi, UT headquarters. Before joining Manly Bands, Stephanie was the Director of Marketing for SportsBraces.com and helped drive their digital marketing efforts. Stephanie currently resides with her husband and two children in Florida and loves to spend time with her family.