This was going to be the final entry in my Covid-19 wedding planning mini-series, but I have too much to say for one post, so I’m breaking it up into two! Last time we covered how to hold a socially distanced wedding ceremony. This week we’re going to cover the cocktail hour portion of the reception, and next week I’ll wrap up with a discussion of dinner service. And if you missed it, I kicked off this series by highlighting entertainment options that don’t include packing the dance floor all night long. So let’s get into it!

Exiting the Ceremony Site

Usually when a wedding ceremony ends, the couple and wedding party exit down the aisle, followed by the parents and anyone sitting in the first row. From there, it’s a bit of a bottleneck as the rest of the guests filter out and over to wherever cocktail hour is being held.

When we’re trying to minimize contact between strangers and keep some distance between people, this approach is not great. One of my previous suggestions for your ceremony was to do away with chairs and ask guests to remain standing for the ceremony. It’s easier to socially distance this way, and it has the added advantage of allowing people to disperse in a more amorphous way after the ceremony concludes. Instead of everyone trying to walk down the same narrow aisle, they just go in different directions.

But if you do feel the need to have ceremony seating, my recommendation is to block off access to the rows of chairs from the aisle. This can easily be done by swagging ribbon or floral garlands from chair to chair. This way, people are forced to enter and exit rows from the far end, which gives everyone more space to walk.

TL;DR here’s the video version

Have Multiple Bar Options

Most people make a beeline for the bar at the end of the ceremony. This is bad for obvious reasons. We want to avoid having lots of people crowding together in the same space. So instead, offer multiple options for people to get a drink post-ceremony.

Pre-Poured Drinks

Have a few small tables where easy beverages are pre-poured into glasses. Things like water, white and red wine, and sparkling wine are prime candidates for this approach. Only one type of beverage should be on any given table, and there should be a sign clearly indicating which beverages are on which tables.

Each glass should have some sort of individual covering on it, so people can’t breathe on the other beverages as they grab their own. A simple paper coaster (hello, personalization opportunity!) will do. Waitstaff can replenish glasses on the tables as necessary.

Tray-Passed Signature Cocktails

Instead of having everyone go to the bar for the signature cocktails, choose cocktails that are easy to make ahead and prepare in large batches. Bar staff can again pre-pour drinks, and waitstaff can tray-pass them to guests. If each tray only has a handful of drinks on it, you can cut down on the number of people trying to get drinks from the same place. Gloved and masked waitstaff can hand the drinks to guests, rather than having guests reach for them from the trays.

Offer Multiple Stationary Bars

Instead of just one bar, have two or three smaller bars so guests don’t crowd around the same bar. Display large signs throughout the cocktail area so everyone can easily see from a distance which drinks are available. You can also use signage to remind guests to stay six feet apart from others who may be in line with them at the bar. (We’re all used to this concept by now!)

Appetizer Service

Typically, appetizers are either tray-passed by waitstaff or placed on stationary tables for guests to pick up themselves. Neither of these approaches works for a wedding these days.

Instead, small plates should be prepared ahead of time with a selection of each appetizer offered. If you have three different kinds of appetizer, each plate would have one of each kind. Waitstaff (who again, are gloved and masked) can tray-pass the prepared plates and hand a plate to each guest who wants one. That cuts down on the amount of reaching onto trays that guests will do.

Some guests may not like every item you’re offering, and you may have slightly more food waste, but this is a much safer approach to food service.

Seating Assignments

Regardless of whether you were planning to do a large seating chart or an escort card table to let guests know which table they’re sitting at, you should instead do multiple seating charts or escort card tables. You can break up the guest list alphabetically, and try to keep the groupings as equal as possible.

If you have a total of 100 guests, maybe each seating chart has approximately 25 names on it. Where the breaks in the alphabet happen depends on the last names of your individual guests. If you have a lot of guests with a last name that starts with B, maybe the first chart is only A-B, and the second chart covers C-M or something like that.

Consider including signage with the floor plan and table layout near each seating chart so guests have a better idea of where their table is. Usually there’s a lot of wandering around in the reception space, trying to find your table. We want to cut down on that wandering. Showing guests a map of the tables is the way to do that.

Getting Guests into the Reception Space

If dinner is taking place inside, usually we direct guests through one main door, and everyone kind of funnels in together. But again, we want to avoid that now! If a building has multiple entrances, now is the time to make use of them. This is another reason why displaying the floor plan of the reception space is a good idea.

If your guests know they’re seated at table 10, which is on the right side of the reception space, then those guests can enter the door closest to their table. The entrances can be clearly marked on the displayed floor plans to help guide your guests to the correct doors.

If your reception space only has one door, then you’ll need to stagger guest entrances. Your DJ can be helpful here. Much like buffet service when we release tables one at a time, the DJ can make an announcement for guests at particular tables to go in and have a seat. Note: this will take much longer than it usually does to seat guests, so plan your timeline accordingly. Your wedding planner can help here.

And if you’re able to have your reception dinner outside, all the better! Outside is much safer than inside during a contagious pandemic. It’s still helpful to break up the seating charts and provide floor plans so guests know where they’re going and what the best approach is. But at least you don’t have to worry about crowding the entrances to the space!

Next week: ideas for how to safely serve dinner, dessert, and coffee.