New Orleans is slowly but surely loosening COVID-19 restrictions, but being cautious, wearing a mask, hand washing and sanitizing and practicing social distancing is still essential to everyday life.
In a city that likes to throw a party for just about any occasion or reason, these new necessities can put a bit of a damper on the celebration, but there are some socially-distant activities, food and themes you can add into any type of wedding celebration to make it fun and memorable.
First, let’s talk about New Orleans’ favorite things: food and drinks. Now, you want to be mindful of not sharing drinks, plates, food and so on with your guests because that can easily spread unwanted viruses. So, we suggest for larger parties adding a tap truck like Bubble Tap NOLA. The truck can be positioned outside your house or backyard, safely serve drinks and allow for everyone to imbibe, while staying six feet apart. (Pro-tip: Add marks six-feet apart for people to stand, in case a drink line begins to form. Be creative and use spray paint [if it’s grass] or chalk for the sidewalk to stencil a fun wedding-related pattern.) Additionally, the host or hostess can look to Urban South, Port Orleans, Abita Beer and other local breweries for individual canned drinks. Also try Martin’s Wine Cellar’s grab-n-go wine kits.
When it comes to the menu, we suggest creating a marshmallow roasting set up. Not only can you stay six feet away from everyone with appropriately sized roasting sticks, but it’s also delicious and tends to be a crowd-pleaser. We also love a picnic theme with each couple or family bubble getting their own picnic blanket set six feet apart from other guests that includes their own baskets full of picnic foods like sandwiches, cheese, bread and fruit.
Rules of social distancing could suck the fun out of a party, so once the menu is settled, it’s time to think about activities to liven things up. Sticking with our food and drinks from above, you and your bridal party could participate in a backyard, bring-your-own wine glass wine tasting or set up you and your gal pals for a sip and paint party with a local artist at the helm. Additionally, consider lawn games like cornhole, bocce ball or lawn bowling or set up a kids-style field day with different athletic activities all around a backyard. If you go with a picnic theme or socially distant areas, consider either a drive-in theater set up and watch movies with your grab-n-go wine and other refreshments or separate family “bubbles” into teams and fight it out in a game of Taboo or charades.
After all the fun is had and guests are saying their goodbyes, many wedding-related events are known for their party favors. If sticking with a booze-themed event, consider a personalized go-cup made for each guest or personalized hand sanitizers with either your monogram, the guests name or a special image to remember the evening.
Pivoting to accommodate coronavirus restrictions can be frustrating, but if you use it as an opportunity to get creative and add a little bit of personality, plus a fun theme, there are endless possibilities for your engagement party, bachelorette night and any other wedding-related celebration.
