September Wedding - What About the Guests?

You cant force people to quarantine. some people have to work and wont be able too. i would cut your list to your immediate family and friends you know for sure they havent been around others. also keep your distance just in case. but for the rest of the guests do a zoom wedding so people can watch it live

The wedding can be recorded and transferred onto the laptop so you can email friends and family the ceremony.

Zoom is another way for close family and friends to watch as someone does get all the angles covered on your day. Sent an invitation of the video chat with a time and day for them to log on the app.

View quoted message Ahh, not sure if you realize but this is the Canadian version of wedding wire. You might be able to find more useful tips using the American site.


But that being said, with the gathering restrictions likely not lifting soon, you'll probably need to decide well before August whether you want to go ahead with just immediate family or postpone so you can have all 60 people.

View quoted message Thank you Autumn-Willow!

View quoted message Thank you Patricia!

View quoted message Thank you for your advice, I’m in the US so the border isn’t an issue.

Are you a Canadian looking to get married in September in Maine? Is your family is Canada? Because even if you take aside your health considerations (which you shouldn't but I digress) the likelihood that they can even travel across the border for a wedding is next to nil at this point. Not to mention Maine currently has a gathering ban of over 10 people so even if you wanted to include all 60, it's likely a no go unless things change drastically.

Honestly I personally would postpone if you’re open to that idea or cut your list down. In Ontario until atleast June 30 there is a limit to groups of over 5. Which means the likelihood of having 60 guests in 3 months is slim. Also it would be difficult to enforce however I would hope your family and friends would do their best to keep you healthy. That being said maybe have family/friends and others attend the ceremony via video?

I would either move the wedding or cut the list to just the essentials. Some people think they are isolating but they are still seeing friends and still shopping daily. It would he pretty hard for most people to completely isolate for the 2 weeks required before coming, especially with more people going to work as things open.

I’m sorry you have to grapple with this!! What a tough situation. You’ve already gotten some great suggestions re: how to incorporate friends and family. Virtual participation, drive by visits with physical distancing, and the like are probably your best bet. And then have your VIPs attend in person with the standard safety precautions. If I were high risk I certainly wouldn’t want to spend my wedding day worrying about my health and well being, and a gathering of 60 is going to carry some risk, no matter how you slice it.


I also agree that a mandatory quarantine is impractical. It’s only really effective if guests self isolate for a full 14 day incubation period - and that is quite a big ask. If a friend or family is willing to self isolate in preparation for your wedding, then great! But it’s still a little dicey because you’d be taking their word for it; you don’t have any way of monitoring their behaviour. And you might be working under different definitions of what self isolation entails.
Anyway, best of luck!! And stay safe.

If you’re high risk, I’d really suggest keeping it down to essential people. People should be accommodating but we’ve also learned that people can still get sick even with the best intentions. It might be worth it for peace of mind on the day for you and for your guests who are probably worried about contracting it too. The good thing is you still have time to watch and see how covid progresses through the summer before you have to make a decision.

If it would make you feel safer I would have only the most essential guests, or require that everyone present wear a mask and keep their distance. Right now everyone should be willing to accommodate, but they should be even more willing if you have a health issue to worry about.


I agree that asking people to isolate would be difficult. Does that mean they can't work, or see their grandkids, or get groceries? It's probably easier to keep the list smaller and/or ask people to wear masks.
A lot of people are doing zoom or Skype weddings, where the majority of guests are watching from home. Some people have had drive-in weddings where the guests stay in their cars and have a drive by receiving line on their way out. You could also just have a small wedding and record it for anyone who wants to watch afterwards.