Planning an Outdoor Wedding Reception During COVID-19

Planning a wedding during COVID has been an experience for us all: those that are in this industry, and especially for our clients. It has been so heartbreaking for my clients with large weddings planned that had to be canceled, rescheduled, and/or redesigned. About half of my clients decided to postpone until 2021 in hopes things will be better. The other half decided to revise their plans and hold their wedding with a scaled-down guest list and a new venue.

In July, I received a phone call from one of my clients. She asked if I could pull together a wedding at her home for an employee of hers in five weeks. Jacquelin and Andrew had planned a large wedding in Bergen County, New Jersey for August 15, 2020. Due to government restrictions, the venue could not accommodate their contracted guest list. My client had offered them her backyard in Franklin Lakes to host a beautiful outdoor reception for ninety guests.

I thought, "Well, COVID has handed me more than a few challenges in the past few months." I was ready to dive right into planning this wedding in five weeks for Jacquelin and Andrew. Right after I received the call, I jumped on the phone with Jacquelin and her mother, Patrice. We reviewed all their requirements, and I advised them of what they would need for an outdoor reception. They were eager to get started as we didn’t have much time and there was a lot to do. There is always a great level of detail involved for every wedding, but outdoor and off-premise weddings require a few more items on the list.

I began by securing the immediate requirements: caterer; tents; tables; chairs; dance floors; rentals, including china, glassware, chargers, linens, and flatware; lighting; generators; and restroom trailers. Luckily for me, due to COVID, the majority of my preferred vendors were available. Jacquelin and Andrew's wedding ceremony at St. Andrews Church in Ramsey, New Jersey was still scheduled. The photographer, videographer, florist, and bakery for the wedding cake were also still available for the day. We needed to find a new DJ, but that was taken care of in a matter of a week.

During the planning process, we reviewed the best catering and culinary options near Franklin Lakes. We looked at tent sizes and dimensions, types of tents, and lighting for inside and outside of the tent. We discussed choices of rental items, colors and patterns, and what types of plate ware and flatware were needed for the menu. We chose glassware for the table and bar based on Jacquelin and Andrew's beverage selections and signature cocktails. We looked at how the florals would go with the tablescape and design options for the menus and escort cards.

We made timelines, checklists, floor plans, and seating arrangements for the church ceremony. Due to social distancing, certain pews were left empty and everyone had to have an assigned seat. We looked at the flow from cocktails to dinner, where guests would enter and exit, and the introduction of the bridal party and parents. This helped us determine how much signage to order and where to place it. On top of all this, we made a rain plan for inclement weather.

We also addressed the outdoor setting. My client's Franklin Lakes property sat on the edge of a beautiful pond. In the heat of the summer evening, bugs and mosquitos could put a damper on the event. The mosquito control treatment process began two weeks before setting the tent. We made arrangements for the lawn to be fully manicured before the tents went up, and turned off the sprinklers in time for them to arrive.

While doing all the planning to create a special reception venue, you still have to keep up with all the other logistics for the wedding day. This includes preparing for the ceremony processional and recessional and choosing readers for the mass. We had to figure out all the timing for the bridal party, hair and makeup, photographer, and videographer. We also created a shot list and schedule for pictures of everyone getting ready, the family and friend portraits, and all the special pictures of the bride and groom. The final step was ground transportation logistics to get everyone from the hotel to the church, reception, and back. The weeks were flying by but I knew it would all come together and be magical for them.

The week of the wedding was filled with scheduled deliveries, positioning of reception tents and the catering tent, and setting up generators, restroom trailers, and all the rental items.

Being onsite during the setup phase is crucial to ensure everything is where it should be and there is no damage to the property. It's also important to do an inventory, either during their delivery or immediately after in case missing items can be delivered. We were careful to check with local authorities on the neighborhood's sound ordinances. That's always important to follow through with. We were only days away and all the planning was finally coming together.

The church rehearsal the night before the wedding went off without a hitch. Jacquelin and Andrew had the best bridal party! They were so attentive, followed all directions, and were all on time and ready to go – such a pleasure to work with. The mass was so beautiful and the bride and groom both looked stunning.

I was onsite with my assistant Alyse for the entire wedding day. We arrived at the beginning with the hair and makeup team and stayed through the end of the night. After the guests loaded in the shuttles back to the hotel, teardown began. It ended on Monday with all the rentals and tents being broken down and picked up.

Jacqueline & Andrew were such a lovely couple, and their families were just as lovely. After having their wedding turned upside down, everything aligned perfectly. Perfect weather, an amazing venue, and guests that were so happy to be able to be together. They were all so happy, and this is why we do what we do – to take a bride & groom's dreams and make them all come true. At the end of the night, they said, "We don’t know how we will top our larger wedding in 2021, this was all so perfect!"