New York Says "I Do" To March Weddings

Before you say "I do," you have to ask, "Is this safe?". On Friday, January 29th Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that weddings with a guest list of up to 150 people could return to the state of New York by March.

In October of 2020, a wedding was held at North Fork Country Club in Cutchogue, NY. This event had 113 guests in attendance which violated the executive orders banning gatherings of over 50 people in New York. Not only that but following the event COVID-19 contact tracers credit this wedding for 34 new cases of the virus which prompted Cuomo to say, "Hosting one of these events after all New York has been through is obnoxious and irresponsible — not to mention illegal."

So, what will make March 2021 safer and key to reopening New York vs. October 2020 when it was "obnoxious"? The logical answer is that the vaccine is starting to be available to millions of New Yorkers and the capacity for rapid testing is developing.

The Buffalo Bills home playoff games were somewhat of a demonstration of how to reopen with testing as all 7,500 fans in attendance were required to be tested prior to attending. This same process will apply to weddings with "safe marriage receptions."

So what does this mean for weddings?

All guests will need to be tested
50% capacity / Up to 150 people
Wedding must be approved by the local health department
Effective March 15, 2021

I am all for business opening up and getting closer to the life we used to know. It just seems like our "officials" and "experts" are saying different things. The CDC has 3 ways to slow the spread and AVOID CROWDS is one of them. "The more people you are in contact with, the more likely you are to be exposed to COVID-19."

Are these baby steps toward full reopening? What about concerts, movie theaters, fairs, and festivals? We will wait and see.