New Covid decree in Italy: will it be reopened for weddings?
Expected for today the new decree that will dictate the new rules for the gradual reopening also in those sectors that have been the most affected by this emergency Covid. The world of wedding waits with great hope: the operators in the industry are threatened to see their business stopped for the second year running and at their side thousands of spouses fear having to postpone their wedding ... and for some of them it is not the first postponement.
The feeling in recent months is like walking on quicksand: no certain direction, no perspective or planning, what to do? The entire wedding industry has descended into the streets to remind the government of its existence and at its side a new and unexpected version of the bride: from romantic and dreamy "princess for one day" to "warrior bride".
An important clarification, it is actually possible to celebrate both religious and civil ceremonies, but very strong limitations have prevented any form of reception.
So let's see what are the main points on which we are waiting for a clear decision by the Government for the green light to the Wedding Season 2021:
- The dates: the new openings could, the conditional is a must, be implemented from June 15;
- Covid Manager: a new figure has arisen, that of the Covid Manager. It is not clear the curriculum required to embody this role and whether it can be embodied by the wedding planner or the location manager. The guidelines at the moment speak of one every 50 guests, with the duty to enforce guests and employees the new security protocols. One more concern for the bride and groom? From the sounds of it, it won't be the bride and groom who will have to deal with it, but rather the venue that will host the reception, although the cost will probably have to be borne by the couple. The guest list will have to be kept for 14 days after the reception, in order to facilitate the eventual tracking of contagions.
- The rules for guests: from the experience of the few weddings celebrated last year I must say that the rules of access to the reception worry me very little, they are the same we applied last season and did not affect the atmosphere of the day, plus we all come from a year of living with this emergency and by now we have mastered the main mechanisms.
Upon arrival at the location, guests will sign a self-declaration of the anti-counterfeiting protocol (the one we are now largely accustomed to) and their temperature will be measured (with the absolute prohibition to enter anyone with a temperature above 37.5). During the ceremony and in all situations where the distance can not be respected they will have to wear masks. So why not include in the wedding bag the masks personalized with the mood of the wedding and the bottle with the sanitizer also personalized?
A possibility that has emerged in the debates of this period is to require the Green Pass to all guests (vaccine made complete with the second dose or have done the Covid and then be negative in the six months preceding or tampon with a negative result made in the last 72 hours). Although at first glance it may seem like a "nuisance" for the guests, that given the vaccine trend in Italy for the most part will have to do the swab to attend the reception, in fact I think it can be a nice opportunity to take away any concerns. The wedding reception pretty much becomes a Covid free bubble where the guest can feel safe in celebrating the bride and groom, always within protocols. There doesn't seem to be any mention of triage with quick swabs to everyone before entering the venue.
Dear newlyweds, you are not exempt from the obligation of the swab before the wedding, so the advice is to make an additional one well in advance to make sure you are negative and be very careful in the period leading up to the wedding ... the surprise of being positive for the swab two days before the wedding could be a problem not to be underestimated. I recommend evaluating insurance that covers this possibility.
- The rules of the reception: an important knot to untie for the real feasibility of wedding receptions remains the possibility of lunch / dinner indoors. The suggestion to hold everything outdoors is certainly well received by all the bride and groom, but what if it was bad weather? Every well-planned wedding always has a valid "B option", but the evaluation of indoor spaces in the choice of location may not have considered the "covid distances" and the implementation of space with rental structures could be a cost not considered and not insignificant. The advice if this is the case is to "team up" and ask the location to provide a long-term rental. The advice if this is the case is to "team up" and ask the location to provide a long-term rental that can be shared among all the couples of the season.
As a wedding planner, the limitations on the buffet moment worry me less: a good management of service and space allows you to safely not give up the food islands and show cooking moments so loved by spouses and guests.
- curfew: here's another hot spot for re-opening weddings. If you have planned a wedding lunch you have no problem even if the limit to the free movement at 22 should remain. But what to do if you have thought of an evening reception, as now increasingly often happens especially in the middle of summer? It seems that moving the curfew to 23 is very likely, if this means that by that time all guests must have reached their homes the problem is not solved, especially if the venue is not "around the corner" and guests arrive from different areas.
We are waiting hopefully for an exception to the possible curfew for those returning from a wedding, with the possibility to celebrate until midnight and then have the time to return.
Now that we know what answers we are waiting for, all we have to do is wait for the new Decree from the Draghi government.
Will this be the day when the #warriorbrides can finally put down their armor to return to their long-awaited white dress?
