Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced that Ohio will allow wedding and banquet receptions of up to 300 people, but what does that entail for your event?
Catering and banquet centers have been given the green light to reopen under the same rules as restaurants and bars. This means that guests are only allowed to eat and drink while seated, dance floors must remain closed, no pictures, no cocktail hours allowed, and all guests must be seated at tables of no more than 10, placed six feet apart. The 6ft social distancing also applies throughout the entire event Self-service buffets or salad bars also not allowed. Buffets must be staffed by workers serving food. It was also stated that the 300 person limit was per facility, which means with venues cannot host more than one event simultaneously.
“We recognize that there are a lot of weddings and events that are important to people’s lives that can and should go on,” Husted said. “We are just asking that it be done safely — as safely as possible — to avoid the spread of the virus.” Stated Husted.
Obviously, the main reason for these rules is to keep everyone safe, but was allowing events like this even worth it? At a wedding reception 6 months ago, your friends and family all gathered together to celebrate the union of two people in love. There was amazing food, drinking, dancing and picture taking to remember one of the most important nights of your life. Now, all of that has changed. You cannot take pictures because everyone huddles together and you must maintain 6ft apart, all of the tables have to be separated, and you can’t even do the casper slide with your friends.
Most, if not all events and receptions have already been cancelled. Was it worth it to open the receptions back up with such strict guidelines? Those answers are up to you.