Couples around the world have been met with great disappointment this year. When the global health crisis first hit, many with spring weddings were forced to cancel their dates as social distancing became the law of the land.
Then the restrictions continued longer and longer and longer. Now, it’s hard to know when social gatherings and weddings will be able to occur as in years past. Will anyone be able to have an in-person, large wedding in 2020? No, it may not be the end of the world compared to everything else going on today. But not being able to have a wedding can be sad and disappointing, and it’s leaving people scrambling to find alternatives.
Enter the virtual wedding. Of course, it won’t be the same as hosting a real gathering, sharing your vows among loved ones, and dancing the night away to Whitney Houston classics. But it’s a great option for these times and one that more and more couples are embracing.
But how does it work? How can you throw the best virtual wedding possible? Most importantly, how can you make the most of these tough times? Stick to the following tips, and you’ll still be able to have a great time.
1. Keep Things in Perspective
At its core, what is a wedding really about? Is the gala and pomp and circumstance that important? Or, is it really just a date on the calendar when you formally make the pledge to your partner? Remember what’s important here: You are combining your lives — for eternity — and starting a family together.
Does it really matter how exactly you do that? Getting married is about love and devotion. In some ways, it will be easier to keep that in perspective without all the chaos, logistics, and stress of a wedding weekend, where you’re running all over town with your hair on fire. Indeed, this can be a blessing if you chose to see it that way.
2. Embrace the Digital World
If you must go digital, do it as well as you can. You may not have reception photos after it’s over, but you can create a beautiful online and social media experience. Start with a high-level wedding website that looks great and includes in-depth information about the affair.
Create a hashtag and encourage people to share creative images, videos, and messages about what your relationship means to them. In some ways, this approach may give you more to reflect upon down the line. Plus, you’ll always have this digital content to reflect upon in the years to come.
3. Find Encouragement from Other Couples
The concept of a virtual wedding may be new. But this crisis means many couples have already gone through this already in 2020. So, you now have a lot of examples to follow. Do some homework. Watch all the YouTube videos of brides talking about what worked well and what didn’t.
Check out news stories to look for creative ideas about how to take it up a notch. You may still be bummed out about doing it all online. But at least you aren’t the first one to be forced into this situation. There are a lot of good resources out there to make your virtual wedding great.
Doing Your Best in Difficult Times
Your plans have changed — and that can be disappointing. But it will only be a catastrophe if you let it be. With the right perspective, your wedding can be just as special — maybe even more so — than it would have been in 2019.
Decades from now, when you’re telling your grandkids about it all, what’s the more interesting story? A regular old wedding that was the same as everyone else? Or this one from an historic era that nobody will surely ever forget?
So, try to embrace the situation. Embrace the digital world for your virtual wedding and look to others who have already taken the journey for examples and encouragement.
Obviously, nobody is happy about this situation. But one silver lining is that it may be helping some of us reflect and understand what’s truly important in life. With the right mindset, your 2020 virtual wedding can still be great.