Each Wednesday, we tackle wedding etiquette. At times, it’s a reader question or one from a colleague, friend or family member and other times we’ll cover a popular issue. (Note: Questions may be edited for clarity and brevity.)
Question: I’m getting married next year, and my bachelorette party was supposed to be here in New Orleans this weekend, but we’ve had to cancel it due to the coronavirus. It wasn’t anything elaborate. We had a dinner and a private wine tasting scheduled at a local restaurant, and then we were going to do the usual bar hopping afterward. I’ve seen a lot of people doing virtual happy hours online using Skype and Zoom and I was thinking of doing something like that with my bridesmaids, so we can still get in our girl time and also just as a pick-me-up at a time when everything is so uncertain. Is it acceptable to do a virtual bachelorette party?
Answer: I’m sorry you had to cancel the festivities. The bachelorette party has become such a fun bonding experience for wedding attendants and serves to make the wedding even more festive when the Big Day arrives. Obviously, a global pandemic isn’t something anyone could have planned for, so at this point, we are all simply doing the best we can with the information we have day-to-day. I think a virtual bachelorette party is absolutely acceptable and sounds like the perfect way to get some facetime with your friends. Perhaps you could still continue with the wine tasting theme and everyone can order the same wine selection and have it delivered from Martin Wine Cellar or Drizly? If your virtual party is on Saturday night and you want to add a musical element to the celebration, Do Stuff at Home is hosting Facebook live living room dance parties on Saturday nights, featuring popular DJs from all over the country. If you coordinated outfits for the occasion, everyone can wear that, and you can even decorate the space on view behind you on the screen. Right now, anything we can do to connect and preserve a sense of normalcy is good for our relationships and mental health. At the heart of etiquette is kindness and I can’t think of anything more kind than inviting friends to celebrate a special occasion. Send out an Evite and get that bachelorette party started!
Do you have a solution to share or a wedding etiquette question? Respond in the comments or email Melanie@MyNewOrleans.com.
