Today, we are so excited to be partnering with Erin Coles of The Metropolitan Players to bring you some invaluable insights & advice for keeping your wedding safe in this post-Covid-19 world!

The Metropolitan Players are one of our favorite wedding entertainers! (They are even in our own Little Black Book!) We love the passion, enthusiasm, and the pure talent they bring to every event!

Meet Erin Coles of The Metropolitan Players

We are so excited to introduce you to Erin Coles, half of the husband and wife team behind the Metropolitan Players. Erin, and her husband Drew, have taken charge in navigating this new era in the event industry and we absolutely love it!

Their weekly series — Met Player Monday — is shared on their Instagram, Youtube Channel, and Blog and answers questions & provides insights into making the wedding entertainment component as clear cut & streamlined as possible.

But today we’re picking Erin’s brain specifically about creative & practical ways to keep your wedding dance floor safe!

Communication is Key

As with most things in life, when it comes to creating your Wedding Safety Plan, you have to communicate clearly with all key parties!

This means your key family members, your vendor team, and your wedding guests.

Now, not every person needs the full scope of details. (That would be overkill!) But it is important to clearly communicate expectations so everyone can stay safe.

With Your Partner & Key Family

Erin says “Sit down and discuss where you’re at personally, and chat about how you’re feeling when it comes to safety at your wedding. Start with your ideal pandemic wedding scenario when it comes to masks, sanitizer, dance floor design, number of guests, etc. then jot down a list of pros and cons for that scenario.”

With Your Venue & Vendor Team

Be ready to have a clear, practical conversation. Obviously, dealing with new regulations & guidelines isn’t ideal for anyone and you will have a better experience by removing as much emotion from these talks as you can.

From Erin, “Most venues have pretty strict rules and guidelines from local governments on how they can operate most safely. So once you have a general idea or plan of what you prefer, share that with your venue. Find out what they’re able to accommodate, and what shifts you might have to make to comply with governmental and venue-specific guidelines.”

It’s also key to remember that your wedding vendors are people too. As important as it is for you to determine what you’re comfortable with as far as safety goes, it is crucial to respect their boundaries as well.

With Your Guests

Keep it cordial but clear! Here’s a secret from your friendly, neighborhood wedding professional: as a group, wedding guests are kind of like toddlers! We love them dearly but expectations and directions need to be clear as day!

Erin suggests keeping it creative and don’t be afraid to have some fun with it. Here are her top tips for communicating safety protocol:

• Add a section to your wedding website that outlines your wishes. If you don’t already have a wedding website, it’s easy to make one! You can use a service like Zola.com or TheKnot.com!
• If you’ve gathered the emails of all guests attending, send out a mass email with some notes and guidelines. You can put it in the body of the email, or attach as a designed PDF – whatever works for you!
• If you don’t have everyone’s email address, you can send out a letter, postcard, or note designed like your invitations with your guidelines. And since guidelines are changing constantly, we might suggest you ask your guests to share their email address, or to check your website frequently for updates so you don’t need to send out snail mail every time something changes.

Putting Your Plan into Action

Having a plan is the best first step, but without preparation it doesn’t much matter! After all key parties are on the same page, make a list of materials you’ll need to enact your plan.

• Purchase masks & hand sanitizer. Basic options are totally fine or check out customizable options on sites like Etsy!
• Create or purchase any signage you might need! Let we mentioned above, wedding guests need clear instructions. Use strategically placed signs and reminders to keep guests on their safety game throughout the evening.
• From Erin, “Go over the floor plan with your venue and make sure there’s plenty of space for everyone to move around and dance comfortably (and at a safe distance)”
• If you’ve decided to hold your wedding outside, make sure you have proper heating or cooling if needed
• Erin also suggests including your wedding emcee in the action! “Ask your emcee to make an announcement with your wishes and guidelines.”

Don’t Forget What’s Most Important!

Our last tip to round out this collaboration with Erin is to take a beat to reflect on what is most important and why you’re getting married.

As tough as 2020 has been and as rocky as the road back to normalcy may be, please remember, you are not alone in this process! It is 100% okay to feel down about having to move your date, change your vision or even think about masks and hand sanitizing stations for your wedding. Let yourself feel upset, take some centering breaths and know that, at the end of the day, the most important thing is your relationship. At the end of the day, if you end up married, that is a wedding day success!

Thank you again to Erin from The Metropolitan Players for collaborating with us and providing so much incredible insight!

Be sure to visit their website and follow along on instagram for their Met Players Monday series!

UPDATE! You can catch Erin and Amanda’s IG LIVE chat about hosting during COVID here!