Who to prune from a guest list? Marriage during a pandemic, and what the venues are doing

South Africa is currently among the 157 countries bogged down by Covid-19, and although no deaths have been recorded in SA yet, 150 SA nationals have been infected.

Worldwide, at least 9.020 people have died, and more than 217,510 infections confirmed.

Virtually all industries and jobs have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

One such industry feeling the pinch is the lavish world of wedding and events.

Venues hosting weddings will have to comply with government’s official ruling that no social gatherings of over 100 people be allowed for the next 30 days. Bars, restaurants and liquor stores have also been ordered to stop serving alcohol at 6pm from Monday, and at 1pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (at least according to a clarification by Police Minister Bheki Cele, who was slightly at odds with gazetted information).

The Disaster Management Act means these establishments will also be barred from having more than 50 patrons at one time, or risk being shut down.

This severely affects wedding events, as most guest lists consist of at least 100 people, usually bunched up in an enclosed space. Alcohol also notoriously flows at most weddings.

Keeping in mind that even guest lists with fewer than 100 people still have to include all staff working at the wedding event, most couples will have to reduce their guest list count to about 85 people maximum. And if the venue is accommodating more than 50 guests, it would have to be a sober affair.

To further complicate matters, police stations are unaware of permit issuing, which means that even guest lists and venues that tick all the boxes may still be delayed due to administrative uncertainty and miscommunication. The police minister said on Thursday that he did not want police stations overrun with people seeking permission for weddings and funerals, and authorities would merely need to be informed, but it’s still not clear how exactly this will work.

All of this has hit many venues hard – not only are couples postponing, their quotes will have to be readjusted to accommodate fewer people.

Out of six popular wedding venues contacted on Wednesday, only two were willing to divulge their plans to combat coronavirus fears.

The Forest Walk Venue, a family-run business located in Midrand, is one of the few venues in Gauteng willing to explain how they are complying stringently with the new regulations.

According to wedding co-ordinator Daniela Bray, although most guests are postponing their dates rather than cancelling them, she said the venue still employs the same number of staff who need to be paid, and postponements mean the venue will generate significantly less income for April and May.

This week alone, The Forest Walk Venue had at least five postponements for April and May.

Despite this, the venue has gone out of its way to assure guests and staff that they are being extra cautious and hygienic. Sanitary stations and facecloths are now distributed to guests on arrival at the venue, and staff have been briefed and equipped.

However, Bray said that even though their hygiene and guest list protocols have been generally well received, the cost of keeping their doors open while dealing with daily cancellations and postponements means they are bleeding money by the day.

She added that guests would now have to leave the venue by 6pm if alcohol is served – a far cry from the usual 12am cut-off time, though Cele clarified on Thursday that this will actually not be necessary. The alcohol just can’t be served any more and can only be consumed after the cut-off time in private homes.

Another venue dutifully addressing coronavirus concerns is Everwood Weddings, located in Muldersdrift.

Caterer and event manager Margariet Ayers explained that the most challenging aspect of complying with government’s stipulations was explaining to clients why their large wedding guest lists could no longer be accommodated.

On Wednesday, Ayers said she was currently dealing with a couple who were meant to get married this weekend, with 250 guests. She said as much as she explained to guests that it was not up to the venue to implement the 100-guest limit, and that the venue was simply looking out for its fellow citizens, clients were still determined to go ahead with their mass gatherings.

However, she did say that many couples had opted to drastically reduce their guest list numbers, instead of postponing or cancelling.

Margariet said that Everwood Weddings were also routinely sanitising their venue, and their staff had now been made to wear gloves.

Worryingly, some venues such as The Garden Venue in Northriding were not even aware of the 100-capacity limit. A phone call enquiring about their sanitation efforts was met with surprise and slight panic as staff said this was the first they were hearing of a public-gathering limit. The venue said they had not yet been adversely affected by the ban, which they were only hearing about in any event; they said they expected postponements, but their hygiene standards were generally high.

Some venues were hesitant to comment on how they were handling the public gathering restrictions, a strange response when enquiring for the sake of the general, soon-to-be-married population.

One of these venues is Makiti Wedding Venues, nestled in the Kromdraai Valley.

Struggling for two days to get clarity on an ambiguous statement, the venue finally explained that they were complying with the 100-guest limit by forcing clients to reduce their guest lists to 85 people from 18 March to 13 April. They would not be closing, and customers were not being forced to postpone or cancel their weddings, although they may do so if they see fit.

Makiti was also the first venue to address the 50-person limit on premises serving alcohol, saying that until Ramaphosa provides an update, guest lists with more than 50 guests would have to be made an alcohol-free function.

They further explained that they were currently investigating whether clients and venues now needed permits to get married on the premises, and would update couples accordingly.

Encouragingly, some venues such as Serengeti Estates have gone so far as to include a Covid-19 section on their website, complete with a statement which explains their policies.

This includes detailing what hygiene and education measures have been undertaken, both at the venue and with staff. Industrial-grade sanitisers have been placed at more than 30 key points across the property, and all events with more than 80 people have been postponed until further notice.

Even golfers at the estate have been limited to a one-tee start, to stagger golfers across the facilities.

Oakfield Farm in Muldersdrift was also one of the first venues to respond to Ramaphosa’s address on public gatherings. Everything and Wedding reported that Oakfield Farm was committed to restricting numbers until 14 April, and additional hygiene measures had also been implemented for all staff, clients and guests.

Many couples who unknowingly planned their wedding and honeymoon in the midst of a worldwide pandemic now find themselves having to make some difficult decisions.

A Blessing in disguise?

Luckily, it isn’t all doom and gloom – there is a definite upside.

For one, small gatherings are a great way to save money, and ensure that the couple appreciate each guest who is invited. This rings even more true if couples opt to keep their wedding dates for March and April and want alcohol to be served to their guests after 6pm or 1pm on weekends, as they can only invite 50 people if so.

Wedding favours in the form of hand sanitiser would also make for a simple, thoughtful gesture, albeit a bit kitsch-looking.

But the downside is that photo booths and props are no longer feasible, and guests will not be able to physically interact at all. This could potentially put a damper on proceedings, and result in an empty dance floor.

Coffee stations and buffets should also be swapped for set menus, which could be more expensive, but much more hygienic.

If you are a more introverted person, this could be a blessing in disguise.

But if you are looking forward to a fancy wedding registry, you may be slightly disappointed.

Everything and Wedding suggests couples open a bottle of wine (before 6pm!) and weigh the pros and cons.

Playing it safe:

If it is decided that one’s wedding should be postponed, couples should send out a letter to their guests, explaining the current situation, that their health and safety is important to the couple, and indicate possible alternative dates, plans or cancellations.

Older, ill guests and children should also be advised to either sit away from other guests, or not be invited at all.

One optimistic view is that if couples opt not to change their dates, and simply reduce their guest list, small gestures to ensure that guests are well taken care of go a long way in solidifying relationships.

More intimate gatherings also make for a more genuine event.

Plus, getting married in the middle of a deadly virus pandemic will make for a cool story for parties and your kids one day.

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