Planning a wedding while complying with the ever-changing rules and restrictions of COVID-19 has inspired many couples to rethink how and where they say ‘I do.’ Many couples are choosing to get married in a more intimate setting at home. Take a look at how you can make your big day special and ensure your guests have a fun and safe time.

Outside is better.

Hosting your big day outside ensures your guests will sit in the open air with natural ventilation and plenty of room to move. This means hosting your bridal shower and wedding parties outside, as well as your engagement photos and wedding photos. When planning your seating chart, you’ll have enough space to distance tables and ensure a limited amount of people at each table. Place hand sanitizer at all tables and entrances and encourage guests to use it.

Leverage your wedding website.

Building a wedding website is the best way to communicate pertinent information and manage your guest list. It’s an easy way to ensure your guests have the latest details as they become available. You can leverage a wedding website template that features COVID-related themes. Having a formal spreadsheet or wedding checklist helps you manage your guests and ensure proper precautions are being taken.

When planning a wedding without a wedding planner, you’ll need to rely on a wedding checklist to ensure you don’t miss any details. Shutterfly makes wedding planning a cinch by streamlining stationery, gifts, invitations, and wedding photos. You can create custom save the date cards to announce your wedding date, as well as wedding invitations, rehearsal dinner invitations, and bridal and bachelorette party invitations. You can also track the RSVPs to your wedding day and keep your wedding registry updated.

Hand out themed masks.

A clever way to encourage your guests to be socially responsible is to pass out themed face masks. Couples traditionally give wedding favors to guests as a way to remember their big day. You can get themed masks that are monogrammed or that align with your color palette for your wedding party and guests. Make them visible to all guests and ensure that each guest wears a mask upon entry to your backyard wedding venue.

Buffets are a no-go.

Whether your at-home wedding style features DIY inspiration or the vision of a planner, how you serve food is important. Rather than have caterers walking around with trays of food and cocktails, create dedicated experiences at each table. You can equip each table with the pre-portioned ingredients guests need to create unique cocktails from their seats and have appetizer plates delivered to each table.

Also, the last thing you want to experience on your wedding day is a shortage of ice for beverages. The best way to ensure you have enough ice during your wedding reception is to purchase a portable ice machine. With the hOmelabs countertop ice machine, you’ll always have the right amount of ice. The countertop ice maker creates nugget-sized ice cubes in under eight minutes. The 2.2-liter water reservoir can hold up to 1.5 pounds of ice, and the energy-efficient appliance features a modern and compact design. Warning lights indicate when the ice basket is full and needs refilling, and the reservoir reuses melted ice cubes to make new ones. The ice machine comes with an ice scoop for serving, and cleaning is a breeze.

Make it an intimate affair.

It’s natural to want to invite all of your friends and family members to your wedding day and witness you take your vows. When planning a wedding in your backyard, you’ll have to build a more intimate guest list. Planning the logistics of a smaller wedding is easier and doesn’t cost as much money as a larger wedding. Hosting a smaller wedding is a great excuse to take a more extravagant honeymoon or throw a first-anniversary party with all the friends and family members who couldn’t attend your wedding day.

Planning a backyard wedding is an intimate way to say ‘I do’ while ensuring the safety and enjoyment of your guests.