Events After Covid-19

Let’s sit for a minute and remember what life used to be like. You know, before the Covid-19 pandemic put our lives on pause. Concerts, parties, family gatherings… Especially during the summer. Summertime equaled time with families and friends. Barbecues, birthday parties, anniversary parties and weddings happened almost every weekend, sometimes with multiple events in a single week. Quite a few of us grew up making cherished memories with our loved ones at events like these. These memories feature us being surrounded by people, hugging, dancing, laughing and simply being together. 

 But after March 15, 2020, we saw a severe decline and eventually, a full stop of these gatherings because of the Covid-19 Pandemic. As states began to shut down and put shelter in place orders into effect, we saw an isolation that our country hasn’t seen since the 1919 Spanish Influenza Epidemic began to take place. It wasn’t safe for us to go to the grocery store, let alone to gather together in celebration, especially during the first year of the pandemic. As time went on, we saw a rise in virtual events, on platforms like Zoom, Google Meets or Lark or in some cases, some individuals decided to utilize Facebook Live to stream their events. Gender reveal parties, birthday celebrations, weddings and more all began to take place in an online setting so that loved ones could help celebrate these special moments from afar. When in-person events did start happening again, invitations began to include (and often still do!) a link to view these events for those who were unable to make it so they could still take part in the festivities. 

And look where we are today! We are in the Summer 2022! Many of our fears about Covid have dissipated, thanks to precautions that have become part of the norm since Covid began and the vaccine that many have taken so that we can gather again and gather, we are. 

During the pandemic, we saw families and friends separated and unable to observe these occasions in an in-person setting. While they were able to utilize technology as a way to honor these moments, there’s something about coming together and celebrating. Dancing together, eating together, laughing together. Particularly in the Black community, many of us have a rich heritage of celebrating family and life events and taking the traditions that we have and bringing them into a modern context to share them with the next generation. 

So many postponed events are taking place this year after so long and it is a beautiful, exciting thing to see families and friends coming back and celebrating these big moments, together as one and in one place. 

Being together and celebrating these moments have been the dream of many loved ones who have been separated during the pandemic. These reunions are a long time coming and the memories that will be made will be cherished for a lifetime.

For engaged couples, 2022 may be the year that they are finally having the wedding that has been postponed for the last two years. Couples had to postpone or cancel their initial wedding plans and now, they are planning events that will push away the pain of postponement. As they plan their nuptials, many couples are pulling out all the stops and throwing parties to celebrate not only their love and the beginning of this new stage of life, but their ability to have their loved ones take part in the festivities. They can celebrate not only the beginning of their married lives surrounded by their loved ones, but the beginning of their own family and legacy. 

2021 saw a rise in elopements and smaller ceremonies because that is what was manageable and safe, but with that rise, we saw a decline in the wedding industry and the beautiful productions that we were accustomed to. For those who were engaged before the pandemic, plans, such as their venue or guest list, had to be modified or postponed because they were unsure of what  could and couldn’t be done and when. But in a post-pandemic world, they are reclaiming and revamping their original plans and taking them to a whole new level. Gorgeous, over-the-top venues, unique decorations that emphasize the couples style and story, and slowly, those guest lists are looking more and more like pre-pandemic numbers.

Not only are couples celebrating their weddings, there has also been a rise in vow renewals or second ceremonies. Many couples who decided to have intimate ceremonies are now taking the opportunity to have a second, larger wedding that their family and friends can attend, and have large receptions to celebrate their love and story.

The same is true for events like birthdays, anniversaries and more. These events are taking on a whole new life and look as people come back together and celebrate the moments that have been missed since the pandemic began. 

As families and friends come back together, they are taking full advantage of the ability to be with each other and cherish the time that they have now. These events showcase the love that they have for each other and their commitment to continue the tradition of gathering and celebrating their heritage and the continuation of their legacies. The themes, decorations, food and more show each event as unique and fun as the communities who are participating in the festivities. 

We have learned a lot since the beginning of the pandemic, but one of the most important things we have learned is that life is beyond precious. We need to take every opportunity we can to celebrate, mark and honor these moments and the people in our lives. We know what it is to be scared and isolated from the people we love and we don’t have to do that anymore. 

At Infatuating Affairs, we are excited to have the opportunity to come alongside you as you celebrate life’s beautiful moments. Life is about being together and creating memories that will last, so even fifty years later, you can still remember the smells, tastes, and decorations of your event with perfect clarity. As you reclaim your power to celebrate with your family and friends, we can’t wait to bring your vision to life and curate these memories that will last a lifetime and beyond.