In an effort to help upcoming Indian weddings, as couples and guests mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus, DJ Riz Entertainment would like to share 6 Tips on How Indian Weddings Can Battle the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

We are not experts in this field, but want to provide links to appropriate organizations that are and highlight things that we think are very important.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention aka CDC is a great source to use for news on Coronavirus in America. It's important to stay informed about the facts surrounding the Coronavirus and avoid blindly following hearsay or sensationalized news. Take the time to research and make informed decisions to keep yourself and others safe.

The World Health Organization aka WHO is a great source to see a global view of what’s going on with the Coronavirus. Everyone that has guests that are traveling internationally should make themselves familiar with this site.

6 Tips on How Indian Weddings Can Battle the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

1) Who should not attend your Indian wedding?

• Anyone that knows they have the Coronavirus .
• Anyone with medical conditions like heart disease, lung disease or diabetes (most people don’t know about this one).
• Anyone with weak immune systems (usually found in elderly).
• Anyone living in a high infected country or area (i.e. China, Italy, etc.).
• Anyone who has traveled to a highly infected area within a month of your wedding.

2) How do you tell them not to attend your Indian wedding?

• You have to be respectful, open and honest.
• Let each one of the couples tell their own family and friends.
• Do it now and send reminders.
• Put it on your wedding website and invitation(s).       

3) How can you include the people in your wedding that aren’t able to attend?

• Live Stream all of your major events so loved ones can still be a part of it. Talk to your videography team and your point of contact at your venue about doing this. 
• Make sure all guests use your hashtags when posting on social media so everyone not attending can stay connected. If you don’t have a hashtag, check out this blog to get your Indian wedding hashtag. 
• Call or video chat briefly before or after a major part of your wedding. This is for extremely close family or friends, not everyone that you invited. 
• Assign a family member or friend to share photos, videos and updates with the people they know that are not attending. 
• Create a separate Instagram handle for your wedding and have your wedding party and the couple getting married share pictures, videos and personal messages to people who can’t attend. 
• Create a Facebook group and assign someone to share photos and videos with your family during the wedding weekend. 
• Create a iMessage/GroupMe/Whatsapp group with close family and friends including both those who are able to attend and those who aren’t able to attend so they can instantly see photos and videos taken by loved ones.
• For iPhone users only, create a shared iCloud album with your pictures and videos and share the album with family and friends who also have iPhones are able to add and view the footage.         

Fill out the form on this page and we will send you a list of over 200 Indian Wedding Hashtags. 

4) How can you keep everyone safe during your Indian wedding weekend that is physically attending? 

• Post signs that remind people to wash their hands and limit handshakes, hugs and kisses. 
• Assign someone from each side of the family to look out for anyone with symptoms of being sick. If they find someone that is sick, they should politely ask them to leave for the safety of everyone else. 
• Avoid big group pictures.
• Don’t visit all the tables during dinner. 
• Limit pictures of the couple with immediate family, bridal party and only a few others. 
• Have masks available for each guest at each event.
• Have big bottles of hand sanitizers in all common areas.
• Have normal size bottles of hand sanitizers at each table during dinner
• Include a small bottle of hand sanitizer in a welcome bag.
• Limit the number of speeches
• Where it’s needed use disposable plates, utensils and cups. 
• Change buffet style meals to plated dinners or have food at each table so that’s its family style. 
• Keep a close eye on vendors to make sure they are not sick.

5) What do you do after the Indian wedding weekend is over?

• Open all gifts and envelopes with gloves and a mask on. Throw all cards, bags and boxes away immediately after opening the item. 
• Deposit checks electronically if possible. 
• Postpone your honeymoon, if possible. If not, try to go somewhere that is not infected by the virus. 
• Send electronic thank you cards instead of paper cards.

6) What should your Indian wedding vendors do to keep themselves healthy?

This is what we are doing at DJ Riz Entertainment team to ensure we stay healthy for our couples.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick. Send a backup team member if needed. 
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue.
• Wash your hands with soap and water frequently and when especially when your hands have been exposed to common objects and equipment.
• Discourage personal greetings involving touching (i.e.: hugs, handshakes and kisses).
• Use hand sanitizer before and after manual operation of equipment. 
• Regularly wipe all computers with disinfectant wipes.
• Wipe all microphones with disinfectant wipes after each use.

Planning for a wedding is stressful enough without having to worry about Coronavirus. Take all the necessary precautions, assign all the right people to help, and know that you have done everything in your power to keep your guests safe. Now breath, finish planning your wedding, smile and get ready for a fun wedding weekend. If you are looking for a DJ that takes safety seriously and will be great to work with, contact us here.