Larger weddings soon will be allowed in Nebraska

The state is now allowing weddings with some restrictions. If you are a couple scheduled to get married in 2020, what do you do about these restrictions?

First, here is the situation. Gov. Pete Ricketts last week loosened restrictions on the number of people that can attend weddings starting May 4. Couples no longer are limited to 10 guests. That’s great news for couples wanting to hold their weddings. You can have larger weddings. However, what about those restrictions?

The restrictions state that members of a family attending the wedding must be six feet away from another family. That means there will be open spaces in the church pews. This will limit the number of people who can attend. So why you can have more than 10, you still may not have the full number of people you wanted to attend because of spacing requirements.

Go ahead and get married and have a larger wedding

Here is my opinion when it comes to weddings. I say, go ahead and get married as scheduled and do the crowd spacing. You might need to cut the guest list, which can be difficult if you have already sent out the invitations. However, you may have more people choose not to come because they are still worried about being in crowds.

So, depending on the size of your church, you can still have a a larger wedding and a good number of people witnessing you say your vows. You can still have your photographer there taking photos. You can still hire a videographer to capture the ceremony. You can, as far I know, still have your wedding party standing up with you (though there may need to be more space between them).

The difficult part for many couples in my view is not the ceremony, but the reception. Will you be allowed to have a big party at a hall with 200 or more people? I haven’t seen the governor addressing this but he still says social distancing requirements are in place. You might need to check with your venue but it’s likely that large receptions still will not be allowed.

Consider the church social hall

Here is another option: use the church social hall, if there is one, for a simple reception. You can cater in food and have your wedding cake. Again, just make sure there is one family per table and the tables are six feet apart. You can even still do a first dance with some recorded music.

The important thing here, remember, is not a big party but it’s the fact that you are getting married. You have your family and friends there watching you get married.

You can always have your party later, when things return to normal.