So COVID-19 Was an Uninvited Guest at Your Wedding...Now What?

Let’s say your wedding went perfectly. No one got too drunk, everyone liked the food, and you didn’t even really notice the much smaller guest list than what you had planned. You did it! You pulled off a great wedding, even in the midst of a global pandemic. That is... until you get the call a few days later from one of your guests who just tested positive for COVID-19. 

An impractical first thought might be to count the days between the wedding and the positive test and see whether you have to even worry about this at all but please: for the sake of yourself and everyone else who attended your wedding, err on the side of caution. Assume the person had the virus when you interacted with them, and then, use these steps to make sure you have a clear plan on what to do next. 

While it may seem like a copout, especially when you have that mounting anxiety that you thought was over and done with along with the wedding planning “there’s so much to do” stress, just give yourself a moment to process. You are here, you are alive, and you are safe.

If you are prone to overwhelming anxiety, practice 30 seconds of intentional mindfulness by focusing on the physical sensation of your feet on the floor or whatever object you might pick up. The COVID-19 pandemic brings with it high levels of emotion, so give yourself space to process them, even if it’s just for a minute, before moving on to the next logical step. 

Even if you’re not a doctor and can’t really make sense of them, gathering details on this person’s case will be helpful when informing others and give you more information to share with medical professionals.

Has the person had any symptoms? If so, what were they and when did they start? When did they take the test? (Note: this may be especially important, as some states are experiencing delays between tests taken and results given, so it will help with the timeline.) What kind of test did they take? Who else from the wedding have they told? Once you feel like you have a full grasp on the situation, ask to be informed of any changes. 

Now comes the really hard part: telling everyone else. Phone calls are probably the best way to go in order to share the most amount of information the most efficiently. Split up the guest list with your partner and decide who will tell who.

Also, please, if you can help it, don’t share the person’s name who tested positive (this is why it’s important to ask them who they have told first). It is a health matter and can be incredibly personal, so it’s not your place to share their business except in the matter of public safety and making sure everyone knows what steps to follow next. 

Please, please don’t skip this step. We all get wedding blinders for a bit and think that the only people involved in our wedding day are the people we invited. But again, as a matter of public safety, it’s incredibly important that the venue and any wedding staff who were present (caterers, officiants, photographers, musicians) are also notified accordingly.

These people are already trying to find ways to preserve their financial livelihood through the pandemic and so many wedding cancellations, so it is your responsibility to make sure that they make informed decisions with their health (and anyone’s wedding they may work next). 

For most people, this is a good first step after known exposure to COVID-19. Your PCP will be able to advise you on the appropriate next steps regarding your own health and wellness and will especially be informed about your state’s procedure.

They may recommend that you go get tested or they may say that you just need to quarantine (and we mean really quarantine) for the next two weeks if you’re showing no symptoms. A lot depends on your state’s current protocols in terms of what you can do next. If you don’t currently have a primary care physician, you can skip directly to the next step. 

Again, this is a step that relies a little bit on your local COVID-19 procedure, as some testing facilities still mandate the consultation of a PCP first while others allow testing for anyone, even without symptoms. You can consult with your local testing facility and explain your known exposure to COVID-19. If you can get tested, we recommend you do so and continue to do so regularly over the next two weeks.

Please know that a negative test result, especially in a short time frame after exposure is not a green card to continue on with your normal daily life. Viruses can take a while to be able to be shown on tests, so still continue to follow the guidance of your doctor and the testing facility and quarantine until it is deemed safe not to. 

This one may be the trickiest step since it is so abstract and emotionally-based, but try not to feel guilty. As long as you followed your state’s protocols for safely gathering and introduced social distancing and mask measures, you don’t need to feel responsible for anyone getting sick.

COVID-19 is a reality right now, and people can do all of the right things and still catch it. Again, as long as you were responsible during the wedding and dedicated to doing the right thing after, you don’t need to feel like this person getting sick or anyone else testing positive in the next few weeks was on you. We are all doing the best we can to protect ourselves and the ones we love. So stay safe, mask up, and stay Loverly!