#OnVousRépond: Restrictions, guests... at the déconfinement, what will the wedding ceremonies look like?<

The arrival of good weather marks the wedding season. This year again, the pandemic will have prevented the holding of many ceremonies. But the deconfinement also suggests a way out.

Postpone again or reduce sail? This is one of the many dilemmas facing brides and grooms. For them and them, the health crisis has wiped out their desire for a big party. A pivotal moment in their lives, which is adorned with uncertainties because of the covid.

Whatever the cost, Mégane and her companion prefer to get married. Their union has been preparing for three years now. Time passes, the date is fast approaching and doubts remain. The ceremony takes place in less than two weeks. And already, the bride and groom know it: there will be no king or queen of the dance. Because since the last announcements, they have decided to cancel the party, and to plan "a small meal with the parents, and that's it".

A tricky question

A lot of frustration then stems from what was supposed to be a day of joy. Like Christelle and Mickaël who were to get married on June 5. But with restrictions on the number of people lifted on June 9, the wedding as they had planned falls through. Christelle says: “We are pissed, especially since the new date is only September 10, 2022”. Waiting again and again.

On the executive side, the question of marriages remains thorny. Difficult to decide, when the health situation is changing day by day. Thus, the government spokesperson, Gabriel Attal declared, Friday April 30, on BFMTV: “For the big wedding parties, I cannot answer you, but we hope that this will be possible as soon as possible. As soon as the health situation allows it, we will do it.

The editorial staff of France 3 Franche-Comté answers your questions.

At the town hall, weddings can take place in compliance with health rules. In addition to wearing a mask, guests must be separated by a minimum distance. According to the government website, it is a question of “leaving two seats free between each person or family entity and occupying only one row out of two”.

The same is true for religious marriages.

The ceremony can be held but under several conditions. First, respect for barrier gestures and social distances, as specified in the previous question.

Then, gatherings will be limited to a specific number of people.

If the government mentioned in its calendar meetings of a maximum of six people until May 19, then ten people between May 19 and June 9 in the deconfinement calendar, it seems that the ceremonies will take place according to another protocol.

According to the Union of Solidarity Professionals in Events (UPSE), questioned by our fellow Parisians, it will be possible to accommodate guests up to 35% of the capacity of a room, indoors and outdoors. from May 19. From June 9, guests will be able to occupy 50% of the indoor capacity, 65% outdoors. There would also be no need for PCR tests or health passes. Seated meals indoors will not be permitted.

These deadlines remain indications, and may be postponed. The deconfinement schedule is changing according to the departmental health situation.

At this time, reception venues are not permitted to open to host events. Although it is possible to receive people at home, you must remain cautious: gatherings are limited to a given number of people, six or ten, depending on the date on which the wedding takes place and barrier gestures must be respected.

Also, it is preferable to meet outside, due to the circulation of the virus.

Since May 3, 2021, the 10 kilometer limit has been lifted, and there is no longer any need for a certificate to travel during the day. It will therefore be possible to attend a wedding, even if it takes place in another region.

However, the curfew remains in effect between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., until May 19. It will be shifted to 9 p.m. between May 19 and June 30, then completely lifted thereafter. If you plan to travel during the curfew, you will need to bring a derogatory certificate and tick the box "compelling family reason".

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— Miles Feacher Mon Oct 05 22:02:48 +0000 2020

Clothing stores are not considered essential businesses and are closed. For the moment, it remains impossible to go to a specialized store to buy your best clothes. We will therefore have to wait. For those in a hurry, the fallback solution remains online sales.

Pauline and Aurélien, two months to prepare for the ceremony

Pauline and Aurélien had projected themselves. The happiest day of their lives was to take place in 2020. But the pandemic wanted it otherwise. And with it came the postponement and the doubts. Months of preparation flown away in uncertainty. Can the wedding take place? This is the question facing the two Comtois, at each speech, or press conference.

“I am starting to be reassured and to tell myself that with the announcements, the marriage should be able to take place”, begins the young woman. The date chosen for the ceremony is July 10, 2021. "Stressed" is Pauline's state of mind for the next two months. Because with Aurélien, we now have to organize everything. She explains: “With my companion, we no longer have the same motivation to prepare everything. »

A backup plan

Because you have to adapt to the health situation and the recommendations in force. “We had tables of eight, but we have to review the whole table plan if we don’t have to exceed six people at the table”, supports the bride-to-be. And even everything could be shifted at the level of the town hall, the church, and the caterer, many worries are piling up: the flowers and the sugared almonds, the photographer, and especially the number of guests.

For their wedding, Aurélien and Pauline saw things big: 200 people for the aperitif, and 85 for the meal. As the health situation worsened, the couple had also planned a backup plan: “we said to ourselves that if we had to limit as much as possible, we had a minimum quota of 40 people at family level”

Even more comical, the clothes of the bride and groom. “I already have my dress in preparation but my man still doesn't have his suit,” worries Pauline. Clothing shops and tailors are closed for the moment, so it is difficult for the young couple to find what to wear for the ceremony. Getting back into the preparations, a complicated experience Pauline and Aurélien, with always the fear of having to postpone everything again.

Edwige and David, reinventing marriage

On their wedding announcement, Edwige and David chose humor: “After a breakout start, and a mechanical stop, we can finally drive at full speed for a long wedding without a hitch. The covid radar wanted to flash us, but it couldn't. »

For the two lovers, the wait was long: after several months of preparation, the couple had to postpone their wedding. Edwige says: “We thought it would be better but the health crisis is still there. “Despite the constraints linked to the health crisis, they and he decided to maintain the ceremony.

“A one-year marriage”

Change of formula, therefore. On paper, they were supposed to be 150 guests. With the covid, there will only be about thirty left, including only twelve at the town hall. “The wedding will take place outside with tables of five people spaced apart, and just having a wine reception after the ceremony,” explains Edwige. A smaller wedding than expected, but with today's communication tools: “We are going to make a zoom link and my son will film our union so that our family and friends can follow the ceremony. »

Edwige and David have even decided to innovate by carrying out "a one-year wedding" so that everyone can take part in the festivities. Simon specifies: “We want to invite the rest of the family and friend every weekend after the wedding in a small committee. No more than six to protect ourselves and our loved ones. “Questioning the marriage they dreamed of, a reflection that the couple carried out without any frustration, as Edwige affirms: “It is a personal choice that our loved ones also approve of. And we are in a hurry to be on D-Day! »

Wedding planner, an uncertain profession in 2021

For several years, a project has been running through Anthony Nolot's head. This former event project manager took the plunge in December and became a “wedding planner” (or wedding organizer), just after the second confinement.

A retraining in the same sector, and above all an obvious choice for this "great lover of love", as he likes to describe himself: "I wanted to make people happy, to help them, to accompany them on one of the most beautiful days of their lives, and I love organizing events, anything grand. »

Chilly brides-to-be

However, the unpredictable health crisis decided his fate. Le Dolois says: “In December, I was very positive. With the vaccine, I told myself that marriages would quickly resume. His agency has advised a dozen clients. “In the beginning, everything was going well: I had had a lot of calls. “From the third confinement, the disillusion begins: only one marriage has been maintained for July, two others next year, and the rest are suspended.

Especially since finding clients becomes an arduous task: potential brides remain cautious. A fact noted by Anthony: “I didn't think it was going to be so difficult. In addition, the young wedding planner cannot benefit from state aid since he has just set up his business.

So, Anthony chose to diversify. In addition to his wedding planning activity, he tries his hand at graphic design. Optimistic, he awaits the protocol for July weddings and dance parties, and above all hopes for the end of the health crisis. In talking with some customers, the wedding planner also observes that “the idea of ​​covid is starting to evaporate”.