Three Good Reasons Not To Hold A Virtual Wedding

If you were in the process of planning a wedding when everything went sideways, you have my sympathy.  Not only are you, most-likely, going to have to reschedule your wedding.  But, when you do attempt to reschedule your big day, you will also competing with hundreds of other couples who need to reschedule their big days, too.  Not to mention the couple’s whose weddings have already been scheduled for later this year and next summer.

Not wanting to wait or deal with the hassle of rescheduling all of their vendors (venue, caterer, photographer, DJ, band, etc), some people are pressing ahead with their plans by doing a “virtual wedding”.  Basically, a wedding ceremony done in a Zoom, Facetime, or Facebook video conference.

For a lot of people, this may seem like a great idea.  You had planned to get married this summer, now it looks like you may have to wait a year or more.  You are super-anxious to start your life together.  But, there are a few things you should consider before committing to a virtual wedding.  Here are three things to consider if you are planning to hold a virtual wedding:

1 - The Memories – A big part of getting married are the memories you make from the event’s benchmarks.  Declaring your love for that special someone in front of all your friends and family, your first dance as a married couple, listening to your best man tell embarrassing stories about your drunken adventures.  Many years from now, you don’t want to look back on your wedding day with regret.  Let’s be honest, if we didn’t want to create those memories, we wouldn’t spend that kind of money on a wedding.

2 - Tech Learning Curve – To take part in a virtual wedding, all of your guests are going to need a device capable of accessing the video conference and understanding of how it works.  You’re bound to run into situations where some of your guests either don’t have a phone (or tablet or laptop) capable of running the app or they don’t understand how it works.  You don't want some of the most-special members of your family to miss out on your big day because, for whatever reason, they aren't capable of joining the Zoom meeting nuptials.

3 - Local Small Businesses – There are hundreds of small businesses in Maine that make a significant portion of their annual income off of the wedding trade.  Event venues, florists, stylists, photographers, musicians, and DJs.  However, this goes way beyond the economic aspect, though.  These professionals are there to make sure your big day goes as planned, without you having to stress over a single details.  These men and women make sure your perfect day really is perfect!

Obviously, there are some people have absolutely must get married as soon as possible.  For legal reasons or health reasons, for example.  Clearly, if this applies to you, tie the know ASAP.  Of course, if you have ability to hold a real wedding ceremony and reception down the road, please do it.  You won't regret it.

The above is the sole opinion of the author, Cooper Fox.  In his over a decade in the wedding industry, he has worked everything from intimate weddings of 20 , to massive events of 250+.