Special or Stressful? What it’s Really Like to Attend a Wedding Right Now

When we set out to understand how weddings have shifted in recent months, we wanted to specifically hear from Americans who have attended a wedding since COVID-19 escalated.

The open-ended comments from those we surveyed convey that there are many complexities to navigate through if hosting or attending a wedding during a pandemic. Health and safety concerns surfaced as a common theme among recent guests, though there was also appreciation for having the option to celebrate in person. A female in Tennessee elaborates: “It was still a beautiful day. Wearing masks didn’t take away from being able to celebrate the couple. I still enjoyed myself and was able to do what I normally do at weddings.” 

Additional remarks from recent wedding attendees include:

• “I attended a wedding at the end of May. It involved a church ceremony with people spaced out in the pews if you weren’t in the same family. Every other row was blocked off. There was no reception. The receiving line involved people lined up in their car and the bride and groom giving out cupcakes as guests congratulated them. Then everyone went their separate ways.”
• “It was nerve wracking making the travel arrangements. Initially my family was supposed to fly, but my kids’ doctor advised we drive instead. My son and I were in the wedding, so we participated in pre-wedding events (bachelorette party, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, etc); I was concerned about COVID exposure the whole time as people were wearing masks only sporadically. At the wedding, it was the same story; even though masks were provided, people wore them off and on. It did make me feel better that catering staff served all food and the wedding was quite small, reducing our overall exposure. I struggled with how much to let other people be around my kids and me.”
• “Both weddings were held outdoors. Masks were provided for the reception of the second wedding. Wristbands were provided for the second wedding in green, yellow, and red to indicate which level of social distancing people wanted to practice. No one wore masks at either wedding.”
• “The wedding was well spaced out but the reception was too many people without masks and we all ate together.”

• “It was nerve wracking due to not being certain on attendance protocols and the willingness of the hosts to comply with such protocols. It is easy for a “safe” event to devolve into a messy situation with lack of following protocols.” 
• “Well I tried to social distance and wear my mask. Other guests acted like everything was fine and normal. The setting was more spread out and the tables had all members of the same family sit together.”
• “It was anything but normal! Everyone was trying to stay apart as much as possible & it was so uncomfortable having to wear masks. Also, the couple had to cut their guest list significantly because of the virus.”
• “My best friend since 3rd grade recently got married. She kept the wedding as small as possible (40 people). The following weekend I hosted a small reception for them at my place. My best friend’s mom, her children, her husband’s children, her cousin, our two best friends and their husbands & children attended (25 people). We had a blast! I know she would have done the same for me.”

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