What is Wedding Social Distancing?
A wedding social distancing in South Florida is an event and/or ceremony that follows the social distancing measures that state and local governments put in place to mitigate the spread of a contagious disease. Such measures could include a limited number of guests and specific regulations to ensure that guests stay at least six feet apart, such as no congregation and special seating.
Wedding social distancing could be the 2020 phrase. When states and territories continue to relax constraints, as we see things occurring again, psychological distancing (as physical distancing, as we prefer to term it) must stay top of mind. It will be essential to follow local laws and rules when organizing weddings, conferences, and meetings to ensure that floorplan configurations and seating arrangements conform with legislation, including adequate distancing.
Creative Seating Arrangements
The days of long banquet tables packed into a single small room are gone. Tables will be set at least six feet apart, with no more than 10 guests sitting together, according to social distance guidelines. To ensure that this arrangement is accomplished, venues and designers resort to automated resources to rearrange room layouts. “We spend more time than ever in Social Tables, which is an online platform that we are using for seating configurations and table layouts,” explains Anna Griffith, Cannon Green’s senior event sales manager.
Consider exchanging rows of benches for smaller groups of seats that circle the altar for wedding seating. This will promote distancing social practices and keep the guests spread.
Ceremony Seating
Usually seating for wedding services is very small and members of the wedding party sit side by side at the altar. If places of worship are reopened, there is a good chance that 50 people will be able to spread out. Still, if you plan to have your ceremony outside or at the same place as your reception, you should rethink your seating arrangement or ask your guests to stand.
We like the concept of a circular layout that allows guests to really get out there. Members of the wedding party and immediate family could sit in the front row, focusing on you and the officer in the center.
Arrangements that are currently a popular topic, we asked event pros to weigh in on what they expect to see shortly in terms of distancing within the layouts and seating arrangement styles at weddings and events.
Event Seating Styles
We are being told that a few seating options becoming more popular as we move back into events. “The smaller seating pods will be the way to go, limiting the number of people per table even if the table can seat more. Maybe we see a revival of the one-sided table of the King instead of the traditional estates we’ve seen in recent years. With a small number of people able to sit at each table, we may see that venues can’t fit the counts of guests they usually can. This could work for us this fall because we will hopefully also see a decrease in the number of guests. For fewer people at each table, the number of tables available in the room will then increase, allowing the space to remain complete because we have fewer guests.
It’s a possibility that we might see tables broken down and discarded after dinner to facilitate more dissemination. She also envisages a potential change to breakfast and weddings in the afternoon that don’t need seating or a complete meal. “The wedding industry once consisted of soirees in the style of a cathedral, a punch, and a treat. There were no tables and no seats. The rooms had chairs that defined the circumference of the hall, inviting guests to mingle. Without a table, the food was natural to eat, and pairs found other ways to entertain and enjoy their guests. This may take some to get used to, but we can mix modern trends with the timeless desire to just be with those we love, with meaningful weddings still.
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