I have a number of students in the Unboring!Officiant course community asking about what to say about COVID-19 at the start of our now-smaller (50-ish-guest) weddings that are going ahead. I generally teach about kicking it off in a fun and ice-breaking way (as per the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JUGA...), and here's my amended Opening Remarks I've written and will be using for the foreseeable future.
I think it's important not only to give guests authoritative permission not to shake hands and hug, but also to actively give them an alternative as a group.
It's also important not to make jokes about the virus or the outbreak as this would be in very poor taste, but to keep things light about how we will be behaving and feeling as we interact with each other to keep each other safe. That balance is crucial.
Feel free to copy the following directly if it suits your style! ________________________________
1. Opening warm-up questions to guests
2. Please be discreet with photos OR no photos please
3. Please turn off phones
4. “Just a quick word on the Coronavirus and the fact that we are gathered together: this is a wedding, and so many of us are greeting and meeting each other after a long time or for the first time at this event. But we would like to remind everyone that for the sake of each of us and all our loved ones, we are doing everything we can to abide by the recommendations of health officials.
So what that means for today is: yes, _______ and ______ [the wedding couple] are gonna be all over each other, and we won't stop them. But for the rest of us, we ask that you feel okay about keeping a safe distance from one other. Instead of a handshake or a hug when you meet someone, consider prayer hands or a hand to your chest. And this may feel weird, but it’s not. You’re not being rude. You’re being respectful. For now. Hopefully, a few months from now, doing that will be considered very rude once again. But for now, it’s the right thing to do. ‘Sound good? Wonderful. And of course, please make use of the many hand sanitizer stations positioned throughout the space this evening.
With that, are you ready to get these two hitched? Perfect. Let’s begin."
Unboring!Wedding - Mark Allan Groleau
I have a number of students in the Unboring!Officiant course community asking about what to say about COVID-19 at the start of our now-smaller (50-ish-guest) weddings that are going ahead. I generally teach about kicking it off in a fun and ice-breaking way (as per the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JUGA...), and here's my amended Opening Remarks I've written and will be using for the foreseeable future.
I think it's important not only to give guests authoritative permission not to shake hands and hug, but also to actively give them an alternative as a group.
It's also important not to make jokes about the virus or the outbreak as this would be in very poor taste, but to keep things light about how we will be behaving and feeling as we interact with each other to keep each other safe. That balance is crucial.
Feel free to copy the following directly if it suits your style!
________________________________
1. Opening warm-up questions to guests
2. Please be discreet with photos OR no photos please
3. Please turn off phones
4. “Just a quick word on the Coronavirus and the fact that we are gathered together: this is a wedding, and so many of us are greeting and meeting each other after a long time or for the first time at this event. But we would like to remind everyone that for the sake of each of us and all our loved ones, we are doing everything we can to abide by the recommendations of health officials.
So what that means for today is: yes, _______ and ______ [the wedding couple] are gonna be all over each other, and we won't stop them. But for the rest of us, we ask that you feel okay about keeping a safe distance from one other. Instead of a handshake or a hug when you meet someone, consider prayer hands or a hand to your chest. And this may feel weird, but it’s not. You’re not being rude. You’re being respectful. For now. Hopefully, a few months from now, doing that will be considered very rude once again. But for now, it’s the right thing to do. ‘Sound good? Wonderful. And of course, please make use of the many hand sanitizer stations positioned throughout the space this evening.
With that, are you ready to get these two hitched? Perfect. Let’s begin."
5 years ago (edited) | [YT] | 1