走进一个西式婚礼的现场,服务员端着银盘迎接宾客,盘子里不是小点心,而是一罐洗手液;每个客人的座位上都放着消毒湿巾,此外,还有印着名字的卷纸。这一切看上去繁琐又滑稽,但新冠病毒疫情期间,对于还能举办婚礼的地区,婚礼也许就是这样。
订婚情侣们面临着一个大问题,那就是,究竟要不要在未来几周或几个月内继续原定的婚礼计划?对一些人而言,取消与否涉及到开销和时间成本的考量,在另一些人而言,则不管发生了什么,婚礼都必须举行。婚礼受不可抗力影响的情况早已有之:加勒比的飓风横扫了海滩婚礼;对寨卡病毒的担忧,多年来让很多人打消了去墨西哥等地结婚的念头;911事件给人留下的飞行恐惧至今挥之不去。为此,婚礼策划人、摄影师和宴会承办人正各显神通,用各种新方法来保证新人与宾客的安全。
“新人们不会因新冠疫情停止结婚。” 婚礼策划师艾米·雅各布说,“问题不在于办不办婚礼,而是‘如何、何时、何地’等这些细节可能要有所改变。我们整个行业都在迅速行动,帮助他们进行调整和准备,”
与其他很多策划人一样,雅各布也启动了危机控制模式,建议新人们灵活应对。有些人因原订礼服无法送达,而帮新娘改成租借礼服;有些人与场地提供方协商,以减少更改费用;还有些度假地婚礼,原本是打算在欧洲举办,现在则改成了国内景点。
策划人马西·布卢姆甚至有一套公式,可以帮助新人们决定是否要举办婚礼:“我建议他们看一下宾客名单。如果大部分客人都在20到40岁,而且非常健康,那么我认为应该举办婚礼。但如果新人希望祖父母和其他年长的客人出席,我就会建议他们三思或推迟。”
如果你已经策划了婚礼,而且无法取消或更改,必须按期举行的话,不妨看看以下的防新冠病毒小贴士。
分享卫生信息
婚礼策划人可与新人合作,在婚礼网站上增加一些内容,向宾客告知卫生步骤,如常洗手、携带洗手液、以及避免人际接触等。比如,对于拉斯维加斯的活动策划人埃波利托而言,她直接从当地卫生部门获取了相关信息,然后与新人及宾客进行讨论。
提供洗手液
盛满小瓶酒精免洗消毒洗手液的银托盘一定可以成为婚礼上的一道风景线,雅各布已经把这个元素加入了她近期的所有活动中。在如何优雅地提供洗手液这一点上,很多策划人都各有创意,比如,你可以把装有洗手液的小瓶子放在迎宾袋里,或者放在每张接待桌上。纽约的婚礼策划人Tzo Ai Ang甚至建议把新人的姓名字母组合标在洗手液瓶子上,她以前就在一场婚礼上试过这个出人意料的小创意,“那是个只有家人才明白的小玩笑!”她说。而如果无法备妥200只小瓶子,那也可以准备大瓶的洗手液、消毒湿巾和瓶装水,安装在活动现场和接待处比较明显的位置。
避免拥抱
虽然听起来很难,但要尽量避免人与人的直接接触。洛杉矶的婚礼策划人雷恩·达洛建议打印一些标识牌,提醒客人在相互问候时不要拥抱或握手,婚礼乐队经理本杰明·丘钦斯基甚至专门为他的乐队、供应商和所有客人发明了一种胳膊肘问候礼。
缩小规模
俄勒冈州和华盛顿州已经禁止举办250人以上的活动(编者注:至发稿,美国多地已禁止50人,乃至10人以上的聚会),对于这种情况,纽约婚礼摄影师伊拉·利普克建议,可以考虑把婚礼变为更私密的活动,比如家人好友派对,或者干脆享受二人世界,“到今年晚些时候,等尘埃落定,可以再举办一个盛大的宴会,邀请所有人参加。”这样的做法并非没有先例,即便在没有新冠疫情的时候,也一直有人这么做。
在线直播
如果祖父母因疫情无法飞抵现场,那该怎么办?为解决这样的婚礼难题,埃波利托用上了科技手段:她购置了一台全方位虚拟摄像机,可以在线直播婚礼庆典、祝酒、跳舞等活动,而且马上就要投入使用这一手段。“我们正在准备一份操作指南,发给所有无法来参加婚礼的家庭成员,这样他们就可以身临其境地感受现场活动。”此外,还有很多其他方式可选,比如使用在线流媒体服务,当然,即使没有这样的高科技,你也总是可以请表兄弟帮忙,拿个平板电脑做直播,这未必是最专业的,但同样可以达到目的。
戴上手套
让每个人都戴上手套。很多策划人说,他们买了很多白手套,让侍者、衣帽保管员、分发酒水或洗手液的服务生等在活动中戴上。不光是服务生,还有更甚的。婚礼设计师安妮·李正在策划的一场犹太婚礼必须要有霍拉舞这种传统舞蹈,届时所有客人都要手拉手围成一圈,于是,她打算为每位客人准备一副漂亮的手套,让他们在活动时戴上。
放弃自助餐或家庭式大餐
没有人愿意冒着感染病毒的风险,把手伸向奶酪盘。雅各布说,为降低风险,一种简单的方法是,取消自助餐、采用分盘上菜。餐前的小酌时刻不再提供小吃拼盘,而是把开胃小吃分发到各位宾客自己的盘中。不要让客人在自助餐桌前排队,也不是从传统的家庭式主菜盘中夹菜吃,而是选择一道一道菜的单独分盘。同时,还要注意餐具的摆放方式。在南卡罗来纳州的度假胜地蒙太奇棕榈度假村里,餐厅不再事先把玻璃杯放在桌上,餐盘则用餐巾裹起来。
清洁麦克风
手机、电脑、车钥匙等小型科技设备往往藏匿着大量细菌,麦克风也不例外。电音乐手布莱恩·布纳西西会随身携带清洁布,在各场发言和演出之间不断擦拭麦克风,他说,麦克风这个细节很容易被忽视。与此类似,丘欣斯基则从网上订购了一次性麦克风套。此外还有一些拍照用的小道具,比如那些滑稽的超大太阳镜,也有携带病毒的风险,每一组客人带上拍完照后,都会立刻进行清洁。
保持微笑
婚礼当天,要真发生了混乱场面,通常的建议是:顺其自然就好。记住,保持安全,保持微笑。“不要让病毒偷走你这一美妙的时刻。现实中,计划可能跟不上变化,但你或许会发现,变化也许会让那一刻更有意义、更浪漫,”利普克说。(财富中文网)
译者:胡萌琦
责编:雨晨
走进一个西式婚礼的现场,服务员端着银盘迎接宾客,盘子里不是小点心,而是一罐洗手液;每个客人的座位上都放着消毒湿巾,此外,还有印着名字的卷纸。这一切看上去繁琐又滑稽,但新冠病毒疫情期间,对于还能举办婚礼的地区,婚礼也许就是这样。
订婚情侣们面临着一个大问题,那就是,究竟要不要在未来几周或几个月内继续原定的婚礼计划?对一些人而言,取消与否涉及到开销和时间成本的考量,在另一些人而言,则不管发生了什么,婚礼都必须举行。婚礼受不可抗力影响的情况早已有之:加勒比的飓风横扫了海滩婚礼;对寨卡病毒的担忧,多年来让很多人打消了去墨西哥等地结婚的念头;911事件给人留下的飞行恐惧至今挥之不去。为此,婚礼策划人、摄影师和宴会承办人正各显神通,用各种新方法来保证新人与宾客的安全。
“新人们不会因新冠疫情停止结婚。” 婚礼策划师艾米·雅各布说,“问题不在于办不办婚礼,而是‘如何、何时、何地’等这些细节可能要有所改变。我们整个行业都在迅速行动,帮助他们进行调整和准备,”
与其他很多策划人一样,雅各布也启动了危机控制模式,建议新人们灵活应对。有些人因原订礼服无法送达,而帮新娘改成租借礼服;有些人与场地提供方协商,以减少更改费用;还有些度假地婚礼,原本是打算在欧洲举办,现在则改成了国内景点。
策划人马西·布卢姆甚至有一套公式,可以帮助新人们决定是否要举办婚礼:“我建议他们看一下宾客名单。如果大部分客人都在20到40岁,而且非常健康,那么我认为应该举办婚礼。但如果新人希望祖父母和其他年长的客人出席,我就会建议他们三思或推迟。”
如果你已经策划了婚礼,而且无法取消或更改,必须按期举行的话,不妨看看以下的防新冠病毒小贴士。
分享卫生信息
婚礼策划人可与新人合作,在婚礼网站上增加一些内容,向宾客告知卫生步骤,如常洗手、携带洗手液、以及避免人际接触等。比如,对于拉斯维加斯的活动策划人埃波利托而言,她直接从当地卫生部门获取了相关信息,然后与新人及宾客进行讨论。
提供洗手液
盛满小瓶酒精免洗消毒洗手液的银托盘一定可以成为婚礼上的一道风景线,雅各布已经把这个元素加入了她近期的所有活动中。在如何优雅地提供洗手液这一点上,很多策划人都各有创意,比如,你可以把装有洗手液的小瓶子放在迎宾袋里,或者放在每张接待桌上。纽约的婚礼策划人Tzo Ai Ang甚至建议把新人的姓名字母组合标在洗手液瓶子上,她以前就在一场婚礼上试过这个出人意料的小创意,“那是个只有家人才明白的小玩笑!”她说。而如果无法备妥200只小瓶子,那也可以准备大瓶的洗手液、消毒湿巾和瓶装水,安装在活动现场和接待处比较明显的位置。
避免拥抱
虽然听起来很难,但要尽量避免人与人的直接接触。洛杉矶的婚礼策划人雷恩·达洛建议打印一些标识牌,提醒客人在相互问候时不要拥抱或握手,婚礼乐队经理本杰明·丘钦斯基甚至专门为他的乐队、供应商和所有客人发明了一种胳膊肘问候礼。
缩小规模
俄勒冈州和华盛顿州已经禁止举办250人以上的活动(编者注:至发稿,美国多地已禁止50人,乃至10人以上的聚会),对于这种情况,纽约婚礼摄影师伊拉·利普克建议,可以考虑把婚礼变为更私密的活动,比如家人好友派对,或者干脆享受二人世界,“到今年晚些时候,等尘埃落定,可以再举办一个盛大的宴会,邀请所有人参加。”这样的做法并非没有先例,即便在没有新冠疫情的时候,也一直有人这么做。
在线直播
如果祖父母因疫情无法飞抵现场,那该怎么办?为解决这样的婚礼难题,埃波利托用上了科技手段:她购置了一台全方位虚拟摄像机,可以在线直播婚礼庆典、祝酒、跳舞等活动,而且马上就要投入使用这一手段。“我们正在准备一份操作指南,发给所有无法来参加婚礼的家庭成员,这样他们就可以身临其境地感受现场活动。”此外,还有很多其他方式可选,比如使用在线流媒体服务,当然,即使没有这样的高科技,你也总是可以请表兄弟帮忙,拿个平板电脑做直播,这未必是最专业的,但同样可以达到目的。
戴上手套
让每个人都戴上手套。很多策划人说,他们买了很多白手套,让侍者、衣帽保管员、分发酒水或洗手液的服务生等在活动中戴上。不光是服务生,还有更甚的。婚礼设计师安妮·李正在策划的一场犹太婚礼必须要有霍拉舞这种传统舞蹈,届时所有客人都要手拉手围成一圈,于是,她打算为每位客人准备一副漂亮的手套,让他们在活动时戴上。
放弃自助餐或家庭式大餐
没有人愿意冒着感染病毒的风险,把手伸向奶酪盘。雅各布说,为降低风险,一种简单的方法是,取消自助餐、采用分盘上菜。餐前的小酌时刻不再提供小吃拼盘,而是把开胃小吃分发到各位宾客自己的盘中。不要让客人在自助餐桌前排队,也不是从传统的家庭式主菜盘中夹菜吃,而是选择一道一道菜的单独分盘。同时,还要注意餐具的摆放方式。在南卡罗来纳州的度假胜地蒙太奇棕榈度假村里,餐厅不再事先把玻璃杯放在桌上,餐盘则用餐巾裹起来。
清洁麦克风
手机、电脑、车钥匙等小型科技设备往往藏匿着大量细菌,麦克风也不例外。电音乐手布莱恩·布纳西西会随身携带清洁布,在各场发言和演出之间不断擦拭麦克风,他说,麦克风这个细节很容易被忽视。与此类似,丘欣斯基则从网上订购了一次性麦克风套。此外还有一些拍照用的小道具,比如那些滑稽的超大太阳镜,也有携带病毒的风险,每一组客人带上拍完照后,都会立刻进行清洁。
保持微笑
婚礼当天,要真发生了混乱场面,通常的建议是:顺其自然就好。记住,保持安全,保持微笑。“不要让病毒偷走你这一美妙的时刻。现实中,计划可能跟不上变化,但你或许会发现,变化也许会让那一刻更有意义、更浪漫,”利普克说。(财富中文网)
译者:胡萌琦
责编: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.”