A celebration to unite two lovers as one, family and cultural traditions collide, banter from old to new friendships — that is marriage. It was the highest happiness until the coronavirus outbreak occurred. As the number of covid patients continues to rise, the crucial act of staying at home puts all relationships to a test. Wedding planning has been placed to a halt. The helping hands from our community and a promising act to find a cure, we all made it. Out with the old and in with the new normal allowing transportations and ending panic buyers.

Now there is a space for intimate weddings to celebrate happily ever after, which according to news reporters: comes with great sacrifice — essential guests all in their face masks and other protective gear. As we enter the venue, we are all reminded to disinfect our hands and footwear. Check temperature and observe 1.5 meter distance from everyone you encounter. Intimate weddings can still be fun and more memorable when we invite the people who are dear to us. For a smoother wedding planning experience we hire the right event professionals.

You and your fiancé deserve to celebrate this milestone even more after you’ve survived the horrors of postponed weddings. But with new event guideline challenges, how will you finalize that guest list? We have to start computing what that means for us. Shortlisting wedding suppliers, inviting the right people, and putting together a theme, the list goes on and on. We can all agree that conceptualizing your first wedding must be exciting yet exhausting. Perhaps, the new normal is for the best because maybe we just need to pause. Reflect and give time to value relationships that truly matter to you and your partner.

As you read, you will come to understand how these five (5) important questions will narrow down your guest list this year for your new normal wedding.

1. Have you talked to this person in the past year?

Not that you need to talk to this person everyday for them to be a valid attendee to your wedding; but do they even know that you’re getting married? When you don’t talk for a while but it’s not awkward when you do. That’s when you know that this person is special to you. There is no gap between you two and your vibes just click. The famous saying that ‘distance means so little when someone means so much’.

2. Have you spent time together outside of work

Within a healthy working environment comes great co-workers who become great friends. You will know that if ever one of you quits from a mutual workplace, you two can still talk after 6 months like you’ve had drinks yesterday. Invite those friends since they definitely won’t be a kill-joy.  However, if you two just work professionally and never hang out or even get to know each other on a vulnerable level, then they don’t need to be there to see you cry when you walk down the aisle. 

3. Has your fiancé met this person? 

This is very important. A wedding is a celebration where two lovers unite as one, it’s neither a debut nor a sweet sixteen but a special occasion for two people who are genuinely in love. Therefore, your husband/wife ‘to-be’ has every right to also know who’s attending your wedding! Make them meet your fiancée, tell stories about them and then ask if they like the person. 

4. Would this person invite you to their wedding?

This is a very underrated question that not a lot of newlyweds think about. So let this sink in your mind and wonder why are you finding ways to invite them to your wedding when they haven’t even considered inviting you to their wedding? Honest friendships are two-way street, two friends help make the friendship work. They love you, respect, and include you. Nobody deserves to feel like they are putting their all on a friendship where the other doesn’t put any effort at all. If they do, what are you waiting for? Put them on your guest list! 

5. Can you imagine your wedding day without him/her? 

So far, the guest you are daydreaming of right now have answered four yeses, am I right? Just like on your own segment ‘Guests got Talent’, your guest candidate has made it to the semi-finals! All joking aside to take a load of stress off your shoulders, this question is vital (a deal breaker if you ask me) because when you look back at your fun photos and the beautiful wedding film, you will think about how each and every one of your guests have affected your wedding. How much banter there was and who knows, they might have given an emotional speech.

In an alternate universe, if they were simply not there, you will end up wishing they came to laugh and cry with you. Although this day is about you and your fiancé, you two knew very well that you didn’t have to create a luxurious wedding reception to get married at, but choose to put all this effort into your celebration because you want to celebrate this milestone in your life with these special people in your life. Trust your intuition, you will thank yourself after this. 

So, how many people do you have on your list?

 You’ve thought long and hard about these questions for that ultimate guest list. If they all answer yes then you really can’t picture this special day without them. Planning a wedding can be complicated and overwhelming but inviting your guests doesn’t have to be. When we make a life truly worth living, we celebrate these special moments with the people who matter to us and here at Host Jam Team we want you to have the same experience. 

Now that you know who to include in your guest list amid this new normal, give them a call and tell them how much you love and appreciate them. Your guts will know what to say and when it says don’t invite them, then don’t. You won’t think about them even after the day you vow ‘I do’ to your one true love. Don’t even feel guilty because with your gorgeous photos you can share them online for everyone to see the memories in its glory.  So, where are you now in your event planning journey?