Out of the Home, Into the Bubble

Typical guidelines advised staying at home or gathering in small groups. When possible, virtual events took place, like online graduation ceremonies or video-chatting on holidays like Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas. For funerals, where gathering in-person was necessary, funeral homes implemented strict rules so that people could still mourn safely.  Even notoriously immovable events like weddings were forced to meet new pandemic guidelines. Despite the governmental regulations, some people refused to conform to these rules.

Weddings

In the early days of the pandemic, many people cancelled their weddings. Many brides and grooms lost deposits and their dream venues. As the pandemic raged on into the summer, the famously strict industry started to shift, with amended contracts that included postponements caused by COVID-19.  A new type of wedding was born: the micro wedding, a gathering of less than fifty people.
 
Bridal magazines, blogs, and websites advised brides how to plan an intimate affair that met COVID-19 restrictions.  Many of the tips reccommend brides and grooms consider small venues, like a family home or a restaurant. With fewer guests, one could splurge on fancy decorations, an excellent photographer, or upscale dining. Suddenly, small weddings became fashionable and brides and grooms everywhere had an excuse not to invite their parents' work friends. COVID-19 effectively broke down a highly traditional event and made it easier for brides and grooms to create the event they wanted all along.

What is a micro wedding and should you have one?

30 small wedding ideas for an intimate affair.

COVID-19 even permeated wedding décor. This sign below reminds guests to remain socially distant but in a polite, love-themed way.

Your wedding aesthetic need not be compromised for COVID-19 safety with decor like this. 

Masks became a major staple of 2020 weddings, with many even using the excess fabric from the bride’s dress.  Not only were bridal masks a trend, but wedding party masks became part of the customary bridal party gifts. 

This couple shows off their masks just seconds after their ceremony concluded.

A matching set of bridal party masks are a safe but trendy alternative to typical cloth masks.

Although many people made their special days safe during the pandemic, others thought that restrictions did not apply to them. Across Canada, several weddings became 'super-spreader events,' that led to an outbreak of COVID-19 among guests and their contacts. 

A 'superspreader' wedding in Calgary, Alberta, caused forty-nine cases of COVID-19.

 A Toronto, Ontario, wedding led to forty-four cases of COVID-19.

Holidays, Graduations, and Funerals

What about all the other holidays during the year? Since March 2020,  birthdays, funerals, and other gatherings moved to virtual celebrations to follow government advice. 

The University of Calgary provided advice to parents for celebrating Halloween safely both at home and during trick-or-treating. It advised parents to avoid gathering in doorways, maintain hand-santizing routines and mask mandates, and staying within one's local neighbourhood. 

Children trick or treated with masks on Halloween.

Throughout December, the government recommended that Canadians shift their holiday celebrations to remote forms. Each province issued different guidelines. Quebec allowed gatherings of ten people over a select four days while Manitoba encouraged online gatherings. This article, shown below, from the Canadian news outlet CTV, suggests how to stay at home without hurting the feelings of family members. Canadians should emphasize it is merely a postponement of holiday fun and not a full cancellation.

 

CTV advised postponing family gathering during the holidays.

Even holiday shopping was affected. During the time of the year when malls are near bursting and parking spaces are scarce, the Instagram account Healthy Canadians provided advice to their followers in this graphic below.

When staying at home wasn't an option, the government focused on safety in busy malls.

Instead of packing into their school’s large auditorium, an entire generation of 2020 graduates Zoomed into their ceremonies. Western University offered their 2020 graduates a virtual graduation box full of Western-branded memorabilia.

Universtities mailed out boxes like this to graduates and encouraged them to share their online ceremonies on social media.

Funerals also changed a great deal during the pandemic. Mourning families limited the attendees to only close family or opted to live stream the service for their extended family.

At the end of 2020, CTV exposed that the funeral industry had profited greatly from the pandemic. Funeral homes used more intense sales tactics to pressure families during their grieving process. The report found that many funeral homes don't have pricing online which caused many families to spend more than they needed.

Funeral homes used high pressure sales tactics amid COVID-19 pandemic.

While many families mourned in relative safety, in March 2020 a Newfoundland funeral home was linked to a super-spreader event. Following the funeral, one person tested positive, resulting in 143 linked cases. This spread accounted for 75% of the province’s total COVID-19 cases. Among the positive cases were many postal workers which led to increased fear and anxiety.  Prior to this event, Newfoundland had not imposed any COVID-19 restrictions. 

 Newfoundland officials traced a spike of COVID-19 cases to a funeral home.

Prev Next