Wedding ceremonies go virtual
Couples attracted by the reduction in costs compared to that of a traditional function
KARISHMA DIPA karishma.dipa@inl.co.za
THE Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown to prevent the curb of the deadly virus has wreaked havoc on the wedding industry.
This sector relies heavily on face to face interaction and the gathering of large groups of people, which ironically, are the ideal conditions for the coronavirus to thrive.
Ceremonies and events have consequently been banned since around the middle of March.
Since then, many of the caterers, florists, DJS and other entertainers, designers, caterers and bakers and many more professionals working in this lucrative industry to bring joy to couples on their special day, have gone without a pay-check.
“There has been a complete shutdown on the wedding industry, and staff have gone without wages for almost two months now,” local wedding coordinator Emily Lockhart told The Saturday Star this week.
But many of the creatives in the wedding industry have turned a challenge into an opportunity.
“Caterers are offering home cooked meals, florists are now offering personal bunches of flowers or sewing pretty masks, by the dozens,” she said.
These unique side hustles forced upon out-of-work event workers comes as no surprise to Lockhart, who insisted that these professionals are used to thinking on their feet in stressful situations.
“It has been tough, but it is amazing how savvy and innovative we as humans are.”
“Being creatives, I think one is able to be pushed to think outside the box to make ends meet and keep one busy.”
But one of the biggest trends to emerge out of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the rise of virtual events which abide with social distancing measures as it purely entails engagements over a digital stream.
The wedding industry has also found value in this form of communication, which connects people from various locations into a single stream.
Marriage officer Nigel Levings and his wife Iris have officiated a Gauteng virtual wedding during lockdown 5, where any movement, except for essential service workers or to purchase groceries and medicine, where banned.
As a result of the restrictions, this ceremony took place with only the bride and groom in a room while their loved ones ‘attended’ the ceremony through video links such as Zoom or Whatsapp video.
“Virtual weddings are an innovation that has developed as a result of the pandemic,” Levings said.
“We loved the experience and received a wonderful response from the couple and their families.”
He explained that a virtual wedding involves similar features to that of a conventional ceremony, but with obvious differences which are imposed by Covid-19.
“The fundamental difference is that no persons except the couple are in the same location, yet, they are able to enjoy the celebration and have some connection with the ceremony detail.”
“We do all that we can to personalise the occasion and respect the dignity of the couple and those in attendance.”
Levings, who has been a marriage office since 1996, explained that a virtual wedding takes on the status of a normal traditional wedding due to legality reasons.
“A virtual wedding, by its very definition, has no legal aspect attached to it as the couple, at least two witnesses and the marriage official must be physically present in order to legalise a marriage,” he explained.
“We do make allowances to conclude the legal aspect at a future appropriate event should the couple require this.”
Another aspect of a virtual wedding which is appealing to modern day couples is the cost factor.
While conventional ceremonies can cost thousands, and in some cases, millions of rand, this virtual ceremony was a fraction of the cost.
“As in every wedding, costs vary, depending on the overall requirement, but would not fall in the same range as full ceremonies,” Levings said.
“The virtual wedding we facilitated cost R3 400, which included all meetings, planning and ceremony fees.”
“This particular wedding had morphed from a conventional one as some meetings had already taken place. However, we managed the final planning via video calls.”
While virtual wedding ceremonies might be the safest option during the Covid-19 pandemic, Levings and Lockhart long for the days when they will be able to physically meet with couples and enjoy their ceremonies with all their loved ones in one venue.
“We prefer face to face meetings with couples because our brand is built on getting to know each of them as well as possible so that their ceremony is an authentic expression of their style and deepest values,” said Levings.
“Virtual weddings pose unique challenges because it is literally not possible to gauge crowd energy and responses and there is little or no room for immediate crowd feedback, which allows conventional ceremonies to be dynamic and organic.”
Lockhart agreed and added that virtual ceremonies remove much of the joy couples experience with their loved ones on their wedding day.
“I feel most bridal couples would far prefer and have chosen to postpone their wedding so they can celebrate with family and friends to share hugs and real cheer on their wedding day.”
We do all that we can
to personalise the ceremony and respect the dignity of the couple and those in attendance