Drive-by Bridal Shower

My mom and sister are planning a drive-by shower for me if we are not able to do it at a restaurant in May (as of right now seems highly unlikely) I think as long as people are following government restrictions such as mask wearing and such I think it will be more than ok and a viable option to still celebrate a bride-to-be

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Thanks so much for sharing your picture! Its comforting to know that your drive-by shower was a success during a stay at home order I love the set up! Thanks for your tips, I am going to also raffle off prizes and do some games through email as an option if anyone wants to win a prize!

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That is a good point, I think we will make it known that it is simply a drive-by and not to get out of the car for pictures unless restrictions change. I will definitely be notifying my neighbours before the shower that I will host a drive-by so they aren't wondering why there are so many cars on the street.

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The gathering with 5 people thing during a stay at home order just makes zero sense to me! There are huge clusters of people in parks but I cant have 20 cars simply drive by..its ridiculous. Hopefully by my shower day we are good to go

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I dont have a choice but to keep the date as we are literally getting married two weeks later! It is a super late shower but with everything going on I didn't plan anything since my shower at a venue was cancelled. Hopefully it can happen on that day!

How are you inviting your guests? My MOH put together an e-vite to attach to the email and in the email its going to list out some important notes such as "we are following Covid protocols, wearing masks, etc". We arent expecting people to get out of the car, literally just pull up for a few minutes, and hand them their "goody bag"

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Thanks for your encouraging response, I hope it is lifted by then. You have a point that the government restrictions are confusing and some just don't make sense quite frankly. I think I will still go ahead as planned and just ensure we are all wearing masks and that no one gets out of the car if it continues to be a stay at home order.

I like the idea of the sign for the neighbours but days before the shower I am going to go and notify my neighbours about the drive-by so that they have a heads-up then bring them treats after the shower.

A friend is hosting one for us at the end of May. But if the stay at home order is extended we will be moving it forward to a later date. It should be legal once the stay at home order is lifted. We will be sitting alone at a table the two of us. Then the 2 friends hosting will be sitting socially distanced which will be a legal gathering as long as it’s in red. But we will be playing it by ear and changing the date if it’s not completely legal. Also we will be wearing masks and asking anyone dropping off gifts to wear masks too. We just really don’t want anyone to catch covid because of a choice we make related to the wedding or wedding showers so we are being extra cautious. We have favours at a separate table in bags and we will have a big bottle of sanitizer for people to use before they take one


Also, something I was thinking of is maybe there should be a big sign in the front yard that says socially distanced drive by shower or something just so neighbors or anyone who might think something else is happening will know what’s going on?

I also think things will be better by late May so I'd still plan it as if you could have it and go from there! Worst case you go virtual?? My friend had a virtual shower and it was lovely!

Personally, I don't think guests literally driving by and not getting out of their cars is a problem but unfortunately it doesn't seem that it's allowed. I hate being the bearer of bad news and debated just not responding but you are asking so... A stay at home order means stay at home unfortunately. From the government website, what's considered essential is going to:
- the grocery store or pharmacy
- health care services (including going to medical appointments or getting vaccinated)- outdoor exercise or walking pets in your community- work that cannot be done remotely- child care or school This is the first thing that came up when I Googled... https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-reopening-recovery-rebuild/covid-19-reopening-guidelines-for-businesses-organizations/covid-19-guidance-drive-in-drive-thru-events/
It is so frustrating and so confusing - "don't leave home or gather but if you have to make it under 5 people outside?!"🤦🏻‍♀️ Unfortunately, people not following rules and restrictions is what's keeping us in this mess though.

Did you allow guests to pop out of their car to take a "socially-distanced" picture with you?

Just be mindful of this because if neighbours keep seeing a bunch of different people coming out of cars and taking photos with you, it can come off looking like a gathering. And if they call the police or bylaw, your family/friends can technically get fined since they were out on non-essential trips. I remember a news articles a few months back where someone got ticketed for dropping her kids off at her parents for babysitting while she went for groceries.

Hi
I had a drive by shower at the end of February when we had the last stay at home order. It was honestly great and I have no regrets.
I was in the same situation with everything already purchased, I did a raffle in advance for prizes so as the winner drove by I passed it along with the favour.
Myself & my bridesmaids wore masks, we didn’t expect others too a few did when they saw we had masks on, no one came out of the car we had a 2 hour window and it was spaced out nicely never had more than 3-4 cars at a time which made it nice to be able to talk to people a bit while they drove by.

I’m from Toronto & I my opinion is that a drive-by during the stay-at-home order isn’t necessarily allowed, I believe Ford’s words were, “Don’t leave your home unless for essential purposes.” However, personally, I would still do a drive-by, maybe not let them get out of the car though. But if you’re planning for late May, the stay-at-home order should be lifted & even if we are still in some kind of lockdown, I believe you should be able to do the drive-by plus take the pictures.

Also, with all the confusion coming from the government, as long as you’re following the health guidelines (masks, distancing, not gathering in groups) then I would do whatever I wanted to.