As the great Ella Fitzgerald famously sang:

It's very clear, our love is here to stay

Not for a year, but forever and a day

Nothing could be more true as I observe all the couples around me given the year we’ve just had.  I am not referring to the calendar year.  I am talking about the one year anniversary we are all collectively reaching . It is now one year since the global pandemic, a.k.a. Miss Rona, sashayed onto the runway and literally shut it down.  These twelve months have included monumental experiences from protests to politics, but most consistently there was always the threat of Covid-19 and how living with it turned all of our lives upside down.

But here we are a year later, witnessing one of the greatest triumphs in the history of science. The vaccine has arrived and there is seemingly a light at the end of the tunnel.  It’s common to hear things like, “When we go back to normal times...” But are we going back?  Hopefully, we are returning to a time when thousands of people aren’t dying daily from this virus.  Grandparents will finally be able to hug their grandchildren, and some of our group institutions, such as concerts, theatre and sporting events, will resume. 

As a wedding planner navigating the past year with tons of couples, I observed varied responses to the situation we were all in.  Certain words became commonplace in our wedding planning conversations, such as “virtual,” “micro” and “hybrid.”  Ben and Craig ultimately decided to stick to their original date and have a micro wedding because they needed a spark of happiness during an extremely difficult year. It gave their family, friends, and, most importantly, them something special to look forward to. Preston and Lenard felt deciding to postpone the wedding never felt like a choice. They had a responsibility as human beings to set aside their individual happiness and respond to a global crisis as a community. Alex and John had only been dating for a few months before the lock down and decided to go into quarantine together.  A few months later they were engaged with a wedding planned for this fall.

It’s clear that love was never canceled and, if anything, this experience strengthened many couples.  But what else can we take with us besides understanding that relationships deepen in tough times?  Here are my predictions for what else is here to stay.

VIRTUAL LOVE

The pandemic brought on the need for the virtual wedding, whether it was on Zoom or another platform.  Even as in-person gathering increases, most couples will continue to opt to stream their ceremony.  Despite health and safety reasons, there are always guests who cannot attend, and being able to share the love with them isn’t going anywhere. Planning during a time when guest capacity was paramount has paved the way for couples to be less worried about who is on their invite list.  You can feel more empowered to only include the guests you really want to attend.  

ANY DAY IS FINE

While so many couples have sought to reschedule, the dearth of Saturdays has led to weddings taking place on other days of the week.  Many venues previously offered discounts on off-days, and having a wedding on one will remain popular.  Venues, and the people that run them, also went through an unprecedented time.  Many have improved their policies should you need to postpone or reschedule.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Even if gathering in large, vaccinated groups is considered safe, many of the Covid specific protocols will remain popular.  Many people will have understandable anxiety about a potential new strand or something similar potentially floating around.  Masks, hand sanitizer and socially distanced seating might not be mandated, but many guests will opt for them anyway.  When Covid first hit, food service formats such as family-style or buffets were deemed risky.  For now, guests will still feel more comfortable if their meal is individually plated and they don’t have to touch something like a communal serving utensil.  Manned stations and individually wrapped snacks will remain popular.

Living during a pandemic was extremely challenging, but it also led to innovation.  Many couples focused more on why they want to enter marriage and less on how they would celebrate that.  I think that’s a positive development that is here to stay.  I love a good party, but having more intention behind it leads to more personalized experiences. We are all excited to gather again and seeing what that looks like will be like reliving old times while celebrating new discoveries.

To learn more tips about hosting a wedding this year—be it a destination wedding or one closer to home—please listen to our conversation with Jason Mitchell and Kimberly Wilson Wetty of Valerie Wilson Travel on Do You Take This Man?