On April 19th, the New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced that now couples can get their marriage license online, and officials will be authorized to perform the ceremony over video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom, for example.
What does all this mean?
First of all, before the couples who wanted to get married had to obtain their marriage license in person at the marriage bureaus before they were shut down in March.
Now, couples are allowed to do it online and get married by the city clerk or marriage officiant at home. This is absolutely exciting news as if you were planning to get married this spring, but your plans were changed due to quarantine, you still can get married.
So, how can you plan your home wedding now?
- Set the date and contact the marriage bureau to apply for the license.
Most of the couples had to postpone or cancel their weddings, but we really think that it is better to elope now and have your big family celebration later on. So maybe instead of postponing your big day, just make it smaller and spend the rest of the quarantine as a married couple. You can still invite all your friends and family to your online wedding ceremony. - Decide if you want to get married by the city clerk or by the officiant.
The difference will be in personalization. Usually, the city clerks are in a rush and the whole ceremony doesn’t last longer than 10 minutes. When you have an officiant, you can make the ceremony more personal with a brief description of your relationship, vows exchange and a unity ceremony. - Dress up.
Even if you have your wedding in your living room, it doesn’t mean you can’t dress up and look your best. Most likely, you already have a wedding dress, so this is your chance to rock it. If not, just really do it for yourself. This is your big day, and you need to make the most of it. You can be casual or add a fun element in your outfit. This is a perfect opportunity to be silly and have fun. - Don’t stop at the ceremony, create the whole day experience.
Again, this is all very personal, but why not to make the most of this unusual situation and have a blast. Create the schedule for the day, starting with the bridal preparation and mimosa drinks with your virtual bridesmaids and culminating by the cake smashing in your living room. You can actually even hire a wedding planner, who will help to organize the wedding day schedule and make it fun and exciting for all the participants. You can have a live DJ performing online and all your guests can dance at their houses. - Capturing the moment.
Wedding photos are essential and you absolutely must have them If you decide to have a ceremony in your house, maybe do it outside so that the photographer can use the wide lenses to capture the moment. He doesn’t need to come close to you but will need some space, so the backyard or rooftop will be ideal. If the ceremony will be inside the house and you are not sure about the actual photographer, do it yourself. Set the camera on timer and let it snap the pictures every 2 minutes. It might be too static, but again we are doing the best we can in this situation, so no complaints.
How can we help?
We are based in NYC and ready to physically accommodate couples living in our area. Meaning we can provide photography and video assistance and officiant if you want to have a ceremony outside your house.
For the couples who want to get married at home, we can deliver flower bouquet, cake, and champagne for the celebration. Plus, our wedding planner is offering full-day online coordination. From creating the personalized banner for your zoom room wedding to live DJ performances.
We truly think that any situation can bring joy and happiness and even at these uncertain times we can create beautiful and memorable moments for our couples. So if you were planning to elope this spring season, but your plans were changed due to the quarantine, contact us now info@daretodream.nyc and our experienced team will help you to make your big day unforgettable.
