Adapting to a "shift" wedding

The problem with this is i dont think people would leave at their scheduled time..... in ontario we have a limit of 5 people so this wont work for us

View quoted message Also a healthcare provider....I unfortunately agree with Kevin. COVID is still an ongoing concern and with no vaccine currently their would definitely be risk of spread with such set up. I think most likely nothing really bad would happen, but my concern would be if someone got really sick from COVID it would be horrible... This would particularly be a concern if you have older family members and are having people at an indoor venue.

Shift wedding is different yet unique idea of guests coming in batches less than 50 to keep the safety of the spread low. Creating a list of guests attending at a certain time with breaks in-between can work to allow guests getting time with you two. Family being last to go home after for dinner can be an idea and they don't have to wait the whole time for everyone else.

We've only invited family and the wedding party at this point, and depending on how soon Ontario rolls out their reopening (hoping it will be regional as we are in a dead cold zone for covid!) we may get away with having a few shifts of guests visit during the reception!

We thought about hosting separate parties before covid was even a thing as a way to please different crowds. Our extended family is not into a traditional wedding party - they would just want to eat dinner and leave and could care less about dressing up, dancing, and all that. They are also not into the food choices we want at our wedding since they're picky eaters. So we thought we'll host the main wedding with choose fault and friends while the extended family have a different dinner elsewhere. The reason we opted not to do that is because all the extra ancillary fees (2x venue rental fee, losing our discount based on guaranteed minimums) made it not worth it. So think about all the extra costs you would incur for essentially doing your wedding two or three times. Another reason is how family are related. Our cousins are cool and will party but our aunt (their mom) is not. I'll end up not inviting her, a family member with "seniority" to the legit wedding event or inviting her twice, which defeats the purpose of separating.


Another thing too is, what if your family numbers don't line up perfectly to 50? If you have 153 guests, do you throw a fourth shift just to accommodate the three extra people?

Ooh, this is an interesting idea. It would definitely have some pros and cons as others have pointed out.


I would make sure it's clear what time each shift begins and ends, and maybe have a buffer between them for the family that won't leave or arrive early. If necessary assign a wedding shift bouncer to remind people that they need to leave so others can come. Can you ensure you have hand sanitizer and masks for everyone? Or request they come prepared?
Another option could be a safely distanced drive by receiving line with a bit of a schedule. It could give you a few minutes with each car of guests while maintaining the social distancing. Maybe block out 5 minutes each and let people choose their "appointment" to share their well wishes?

View quoted message I could see family not wanting to leave! Haha we are considering 3 different locations too so that each party can start or continue without us, but we will get to be with each party at some point in the day!

View quoted message Thanks Kevin, yes I've been thinking about that too!

As a healthcare worker in the middle of working this pandemic. I do not feel this is a good idea. If any one of those first guests are asymptomatic they risk passing it on to you and your soon to be spouse. So then after the first bunch, the next bunch run the risk of getting infected and then infecting people they come in contact with. And if you possibly have three bunches of 50 that is the potential of at least 150 people infected plus everyone they come in contact with in during the first few days after. Sorry if this is a downer view. It just has a possibility to go wrong fast.

I have never thought of this idea, though it is a good one!
I personally wouldn't do this as I know my family would REFUSE to leave once there, but I love the idea for families that would listen.

I am not postponing my wedding until I have no other choice but to do so at this point. I am hoping things stay on track the way they are and I should be find to continue my wedding plans with a possibility of a slight decrease in guests, which I would be ok with.