走進一個西式婚禮的現場,服務員端著銀盤迎接賓客,盤子里不是小點心,而是一罐洗手液;每個客人的座位上都放著消毒濕巾,此外,還有印著名字的卷紙。這一切看上去繁瑣又滑稽,但新冠病毒疫情期間,對于還能舉辦婚禮的地區,婚禮也許就是這樣。
訂婚情侶們面臨著一個大問題,那就是,究竟要不要在未來幾周或幾個月內繼續原定的婚禮計劃?對一些人而言,取消與否涉及到開銷和時間成本的考量,在另一些人而言,則不管發生了什么,婚禮都必須舉行?;槎Y受不可抗力影響的情況早已有之:加勒比的颶風橫掃了海灘婚禮;對寨卡病毒的擔憂,多年來讓很多人打消了去墨西哥等地結婚的念頭;911事件給人留下的飛行恐懼至今揮之不去。為此,婚禮策劃人、攝影師和宴會承辦人正各顯神通,用各種新方法來保證新人與賓客的安全。
“新人們不會因新冠疫情停止結婚?!?婚禮策劃師艾米·雅各布說,“問題不在于辦不辦婚禮,而是‘如何、何時、何地’等這些細節可能要有所改變。我們整個行業都在迅速行動,幫助他們進行調整和準備,”
與其他很多策劃人一樣,雅各布也啟動了危機控制模式,建議新人們靈活應對。有些人因原訂禮服無法送達,而幫新娘改成租借禮服;有些人與場地提供方協商,以減少更改費用;還有些度假地婚禮,原本是打算在歐洲舉辦,現在則改成了國內景點。
策劃人馬西·布盧姆甚至有一套公式,可以幫助新人們決定是否要舉辦婚禮:“我建議他們看一下賓客名單。如果大部分客人都在20到40歲,而且非常健康,那么我認為應該舉辦婚禮。但如果新人希望祖父母和其他年長的客人出席,我就會建議他們三思或推遲。”
如果你已經策劃了婚禮,而且無法取消或更改,必須按期舉行的話,不妨看看以下的防新冠病毒小貼士。
分享衛生信息
婚禮策劃人可與新人合作,在婚禮網站上增加一些內容,向賓客告知衛生步驟,如常洗手、攜帶洗手液、以及避免人際接觸等。比如,對于拉斯維加斯的活動策劃人埃波利托而言,她直接從當地衛生部門獲取了相關信息,然后與新人及賓客進行討論。
提供洗手液
盛滿小瓶酒精免洗消毒洗手液的銀托盤一定可以成為婚禮上的一道風景線,雅各布已經把這個元素加入了她近期的所有活動中。在如何優雅地提供洗手液這一點上,很多策劃人都各有創意,比如,你可以把裝有洗手液的小瓶子放在迎賓袋里,或者放在每張接待桌上。紐約的婚禮策劃人Tzo Ai Ang甚至建議把新人的姓名字母組合標在洗手液瓶子上,她以前就在一場婚禮上試過這個出人意料的小創意,“那是個只有家人才明白的小玩笑!”她說。而如果無法備妥200只小瓶子,那也可以準備大瓶的洗手液、消毒濕巾和瓶裝水,安裝在活動現場和接待處比較明顯的位置。
避免擁抱
雖然聽起來很難,但要盡量避免人與人的直接接觸。洛杉磯的婚禮策劃人雷恩·達洛建議打印一些標識牌,提醒客人在相互問候時不要擁抱或握手,婚禮樂隊經理本杰明·丘欽斯基甚至專門為他的樂隊、供應商和所有客人發明了一種胳膊肘問候禮。
縮小規模
俄勒岡州和華盛頓州已經禁止舉辦250人以上的活動(編者注:至發稿,美國多地已禁止50人,乃至10人以上的聚會),對于這種情況,紐約婚禮攝影師伊拉·利普克建議,可以考慮把婚禮變為更私密的活動,比如家人好友派對,或者干脆享受二人世界,“到今年晚些時候,等塵埃落定,可以再舉辦一個盛大的宴會,邀請所有人參加?!边@樣的做法并非沒有先例,即便在沒有新冠疫情的時候,也一直有人這么做。
在線直播
如果祖父母因疫情無法飛抵現場,那該怎么辦?為解決這樣的婚禮難題,埃波利托用上了科技手段:她購置了一臺全方位虛擬攝像機,可以在線直播婚禮慶典、祝酒、跳舞等活動,而且馬上就要投入使用這一手段。“我們正在準備一份操作指南,發給所有無法來參加婚禮的家庭成員,這樣他們就可以身臨其境地感受現場活動?!贝送猓€有很多其他方式可選,比如使用在線流媒體服務,當然,即使沒有這樣的高科技,你也總是可以請表兄弟幫忙,拿個平板電腦做直播,這未必是最專業的,但同樣可以達到目的。
戴上手套
讓每個人都戴上手套。很多策劃人說,他們買了很多白手套,讓侍者、衣帽保管員、分發酒水或洗手液的服務生等在活動中戴上。不光是服務生,還有更甚的?;槎Y設計師安妮·李正在策劃的一場猶太婚禮必須要有霍拉舞這種傳統舞蹈,屆時所有客人都要手拉手圍成一圈,于是,她打算為每位客人準備一副漂亮的手套,讓他們在活動時戴上。
放棄自助餐或家庭式大餐
沒有人愿意冒著感染病毒的風險,把手伸向奶酪盤。雅各布說,為降低風險,一種簡單的方法是,取消自助餐、采用分盤上菜。餐前的小酌時刻不再提供小吃拼盤,而是把開胃小吃分發到各位賓客自己的盤中。不要讓客人在自助餐桌前排隊,也不是從傳統的家庭式主菜盤中夾菜吃,而是選擇一道一道菜的單獨分盤。同時,還要注意餐具的擺放方式。在南卡羅來納州的度假勝地蒙太奇棕櫚度假村里,餐廳不再事先把玻璃杯放在桌上,餐盤則用餐巾裹起來。
清潔麥克風
手機、電腦、車鑰匙等小型科技設備往往藏匿著大量細菌,麥克風也不例外。電音樂手布萊恩·布納西西會隨身攜帶清潔布,在各場發言和演出之間不斷擦拭麥克風,他說,麥克風這個細節很容易被忽視。與此類似,丘欣斯基則從網上訂購了一次性麥克風套。此外還有一些拍照用的小道具,比如那些滑稽的超大太陽鏡,也有攜帶病毒的風險,每一組客人帶上拍完照后,都會立刻進行清潔。
保持微笑
婚禮當天,要真發生了混亂場面,通常的建議是:順其自然就好。記住,保持安全,保持微笑?!安灰尣《就底吣氵@一美妙的時刻?,F實中,計劃可能跟不上變化,但你或許會發現,變化也許會讓那一刻更有意義、更浪漫,”利普克說。(財富中文網)
譯者:胡萌琦
責編:雨晨
走進一個西式婚禮的現場,服務員端著銀盤迎接賓客,盤子里不是小點心,而是一罐洗手液;每個客人的座位上都放著消毒濕巾,此外,還有印著名字的卷紙。這一切看上去繁瑣又滑稽,但新冠病毒疫情期間,對于還能舉辦婚禮的地區,婚禮也許就是這樣。
訂婚情侶們面臨著一個大問題,那就是,究竟要不要在未來幾周或幾個月內繼續原定的婚禮計劃?對一些人而言,取消與否涉及到開銷和時間成本的考量,在另一些人而言,則不管發生了什么,婚禮都必須舉行。婚禮受不可抗力影響的情況早已有之:加勒比的颶風橫掃了海灘婚禮;對寨卡病毒的擔憂,多年來讓很多人打消了去墨西哥等地結婚的念頭;911事件給人留下的飛行恐懼至今揮之不去。為此,婚禮策劃人、攝影師和宴會承辦人正各顯神通,用各種新方法來保證新人與賓客的安全。
“新人們不會因新冠疫情停止結婚?!?婚禮策劃師艾米·雅各布說,“問題不在于辦不辦婚禮,而是‘如何、何時、何地’等這些細節可能要有所改變。我們整個行業都在迅速行動,幫助他們進行調整和準備,”
與其他很多策劃人一樣,雅各布也啟動了危機控制模式,建議新人們靈活應對。有些人因原訂禮服無法送達,而幫新娘改成租借禮服;有些人與場地提供方協商,以減少更改費用;還有些度假地婚禮,原本是打算在歐洲舉辦,現在則改成了國內景點。
策劃人馬西·布盧姆甚至有一套公式,可以幫助新人們決定是否要舉辦婚禮:“我建議他們看一下賓客名單。如果大部分客人都在20到40歲,而且非常健康,那么我認為應該舉辦婚禮。但如果新人希望祖父母和其他年長的客人出席,我就會建議他們三思或推遲。”
如果你已經策劃了婚禮,而且無法取消或更改,必須按期舉行的話,不妨看看以下的防新冠病毒小貼士。
分享衛生信息
婚禮策劃人可與新人合作,在婚禮網站上增加一些內容,向賓客告知衛生步驟,如常洗手、攜帶洗手液、以及避免人際接觸等。比如,對于拉斯維加斯的活動策劃人埃波利托而言,她直接從當地衛生部門獲取了相關信息,然后與新人及賓客進行討論。
提供洗手液
盛滿小瓶酒精免洗消毒洗手液的銀托盤一定可以成為婚禮上的一道風景線,雅各布已經把這個元素加入了她近期的所有活動中。在如何優雅地提供洗手液這一點上,很多策劃人都各有創意,比如,你可以把裝有洗手液的小瓶子放在迎賓袋里,或者放在每張接待桌上。紐約的婚禮策劃人Tzo Ai Ang甚至建議把新人的姓名字母組合標在洗手液瓶子上,她以前就在一場婚禮上試過這個出人意料的小創意,“那是個只有家人才明白的小玩笑!”她說。而如果無法備妥200只小瓶子,那也可以準備大瓶的洗手液、消毒濕巾和瓶裝水,安裝在活動現場和接待處比較明顯的位置。
避免擁抱
雖然聽起來很難,但要盡量避免人與人的直接接觸。洛杉磯的婚禮策劃人雷恩·達洛建議打印一些標識牌,提醒客人在相互問候時不要擁抱或握手,婚禮樂隊經理本杰明·丘欽斯基甚至專門為他的樂隊、供應商和所有客人發明了一種胳膊肘問候禮。
縮小規模
俄勒岡州和華盛頓州已經禁止舉辦250人以上的活動(編者注:至發稿,美國多地已禁止50人,乃至10人以上的聚會),對于這種情況,紐約婚禮攝影師伊拉·利普克建議,可以考慮把婚禮變為更私密的活動,比如家人好友派對,或者干脆享受二人世界,“到今年晚些時候,等塵埃落定,可以再舉辦一個盛大的宴會,邀請所有人參加?!边@樣的做法并非沒有先例,即便在沒有新冠疫情的時候,也一直有人這么做。
在線直播
如果祖父母因疫情無法飛抵現場,那該怎么辦?為解決這樣的婚禮難題,埃波利托用上了科技手段:她購置了一臺全方位虛擬攝像機,可以在線直播婚禮慶典、祝酒、跳舞等活動,而且馬上就要投入使用這一手段。“我們正在準備一份操作指南,發給所有無法來參加婚禮的家庭成員,這樣他們就可以身臨其境地感受現場活動?!贝送猓€有很多其他方式可選,比如使用在線流媒體服務,當然,即使沒有這樣的高科技,你也總是可以請表兄弟幫忙,拿個平板電腦做直播,這未必是最專業的,但同樣可以達到目的。
戴上手套
讓每個人都戴上手套。很多策劃人說,他們買了很多白手套,讓侍者、衣帽保管員、分發酒水或洗手液的服務生等在活動中戴上。不光是服務生,還有更甚的?;槎Y設計師安妮·李正在策劃的一場猶太婚禮必須要有霍拉舞這種傳統舞蹈,屆時所有客人都要手拉手圍成一圈,于是,她打算為每位客人準備一副漂亮的手套,讓他們在活動時戴上。
放棄自助餐或家庭式大餐
沒有人愿意冒著感染病毒的風險,把手伸向奶酪盤。雅各布說,為降低風險,一種簡單的方法是,取消自助餐、采用分盤上菜。餐前的小酌時刻不再提供小吃拼盤,而是把開胃小吃分發到各位賓客自己的盤中。不要讓客人在自助餐桌前排隊,也不是從傳統的家庭式主菜盤中夾菜吃,而是選擇一道一道菜的單獨分盤。同時,還要注意餐具的擺放方式。在南卡羅來納州的度假勝地蒙太奇棕櫚度假村里,餐廳不再事先把玻璃杯放在桌上,餐盤則用餐巾裹起來。
清潔麥克風
手機、電腦、車鑰匙等小型科技設備往往藏匿著大量細菌,麥克風也不例外。電音樂手布萊恩·布納西西會隨身攜帶清潔布,在各場發言和演出之間不斷擦拭麥克風,他說,麥克風這個細節很容易被忽視。與此類似,丘欣斯基則從網上訂購了一次性麥克風套。此外還有一些拍照用的小道具,比如那些滑稽的超大太陽鏡,也有攜帶病毒的風險,每一組客人帶上拍完照后,都會立刻進行清潔。
保持微笑
婚禮當天,要真發生了混亂場面,通常的建議是:順其自然就好。記住,保持安全,保持微笑。“不要讓病毒偷走你這一美妙的時刻。現實中,計劃可能跟不上變化,但你或許會發現,變化也許會讓那一刻更有意義、更浪漫,”利普克說。(財富中文網)
譯者:胡萌琦
責編:雨晨
Walking into the wedding, guests were greeted with servers holding silver trays full of hand sanitizer and were handed a glass of Champagne by a waiter wearing a white glove. A pack of Lysol wipes was placed at each guest’s seat, and rolls of monogrammed toilet paper were available too. It sounds like a parody you’d find on Saturday Night Live, but in the time of COVID-19, it just may be the reality of nuptials in 2020.
The big question on the minds of engaged couples is whether or not to go through with wedding plans in the coming weeks and months. For some, that involves the costly and time-consuming process of cancellation; for others, however, the show must go on. It’s not the first time that uncontrollable disasters have struck the wedding world: Hurricanes derailed beach weddings in the Caribbean; Zika worries deterred many from destination weddings in Mexico and beyond for years; and Sept. 11 instilled a fear of flying that still lingers. To that end, wedding planners, photographers, and caterers are coming up with creative ways to keep newlyweds and their guests safe.
“Couples are not going to stop getting married because of coronavirus,” says Amy Shey Jacobs, the planner behind Chandelier Events. “It’s not will they happen; it’s ‘how, when, where’ that is experiencing a shift. We’re moving quickly as an industry to help them pivot and prepare.”
Jacobs, like many other planners, has gone into crisis-control mode, advising couples to be flexible about changes. Some have helped brides borrow dresses when their original gown shipments were halted, and others have negotiated with venues to decrease change fees. Destination weddings set for European cities are in the process of moving stateside.
Planner Marcy Blum even has an equation for couples to help them decide if they should commence the celebrations: “I recommend that they take a look at their guest list,” she says. “If most of their guests are between 20 and 40 and very healthy—only then would I think the wedding should take place. However, if it’s important for the couple to have their grandparents and older guests there, I recommend the couple reconsider or postpone.”
But if it’s all a go on the planned day, here are some top tips for guarding against COVID-19.
Share the information
Planners are working with couples to add sections to their wedding website and send communication to guests about safety procedures, including washing hands, carrying hand sanitizer, and interpersonal touch. Las Vegas–based event planner Andrea Eppolito has been pulling information from her local health department and discussing it with her couples and their guests.
Make hand sanitizer available
A silver tray full of mini bottles of Purell would surely be a sight, and Jacobs has made this standard for all upcoming events. Plenty of planners shared examples of how to beautifully display bottles of hand sanitizer. You can include them as part of welcome bags or set one at each place setting at the reception tables. New York City–based planner Tzo Ai Ang even suggested monogramming the bottles with the couple’s logo—something she has surprisingly done for a wedding before. (“It was an inside family joke!” she says.) If you can’t get your hands on 200 mini bottles, opt for a sanitizer station, with bulk pumps of sanitizer, wipes, and bottled water, in easily accessible locations for the ceremony and reception.
Skip the hugs
As hard as it may be, avoid person-to-person contact. Renee Dalo of Moxie Bright Events suggests getting signs printed that urge guests not to hug or shake hands upon greeting, and Benjamin Chuchinsky of Cafe Wha Entertainment has enacted an elbow pump policy for everyone, including his musicians, other vendors, and any guests.
Get intimate
With states like Oregon and Washington banning events over 250 people, some couples can consider switching to a more intimate affair, says Ira Lippke, a New York City photographer and founder of The Day Collective. That can be with a select group of friends and family or even an elopement. “Once the dust settles, they can have a big party to celebrate with everyone later in the year,” he adds. It’s not unprecedented; this formula is enacted by couples all the time, even without the threat of COVID-19.
Live-stream it
Eppolito has employed tech to help solve a wedding conundrum: what to do if Grandma and Grandpa can’t fly because of the coronavirus. “I invested in 360-degree virtual cameras that will allow me to live-stream the wedding ceremony, toasts, dances, etc.,” she says of an upcoming celebration. “We are putting together a how-to guide and sending it to the family members who cannot come so that they can still watch and experience the event live.” There are a lot of other options as well, including online streaming services, and, of course, you can always have your cousin run FaceTime on an iPad. It’s not the most elegant, but it gets the point across.
Opt for white-glove service
Everyone is putting on gloves. Numerous planners shared that they purchased white gloves for staff to wear during the event, like valets, coat checkers, and servers passing out drinks—or hand sanitizer. But that’s not all. Daughter of Design’s Annie Lee is preparing for the hora at a Jewish wedding, a traditional dance in which all the guests hold hands in a circle. She’s passing out fancy gloves for guests to put on while they take part.
Swap out the buffet or family-style meal
No one wants to put their hand into a cheese station when there’s a risk of coronavirus exposure. One easy way to mitigate this risk is to switch all buffets to plated meals, says Jacobs. During cocktail hour, drop appetizer stations and have hors d’oeuvres passed out on individual plates. Choose a multicourse, plated dinner instead of having guests line up at a buffet or digging into family-style entrées and sides at the table. And think about place settings: At Montage Palmetto Bluff, a resort in South Carolina, glassware is no longer proactively set on the tables, and flatware is rolled in napkins.
Clean the mic
Small tech devices like phones, computers, and car keys harbor tons of germs in general, and that goes for microphones too. Brian Buonassissi, known as DJ Brian B, is bringing along wipes to clean the mics between speeches and performances, an easily overlooked detail, he says. Similarly, Chuchinsky has ordered disposable microphone covers from Amazon for his events. This goes for photo-booth props too, which are now being cleaned between groups to limit exposure when guests don those funny oversize sunglasses.
Keep smiling
It’s a common piece of advice to go with the flow on the wedding day as snafus do arise. Just stay safe and keep smiling. “Don’t let a virus steal this amazing life experience from you,” Lippke says. “It might be different than what you planned, but you might discover that it’s even more meaningful and romantic.”