Couples get creative so they can marry during the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s how

While the coronavirus pandemic can’t stop love, it sure has a way of thwarting long-made plans — including weddings.

While some couples have vowed to cancel their nuptials until they can have the packed party of their dreams, others are turning to unique methods to ensure their ceremonies are social distancing-friendly.

Here’s how couples are staying safe while getting hitched during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Self-uniting ceremonies

In some states, couples can essentially perform a marriage ceremony themselves without an officiant — and that’s exactly what some have done during the pandemic.

In Pennsylvania, Nikita Raman, 25, and her fiance James Kennedy, 27, held a self-uniting (or self-solemnization) ceremony in the company of two friends, the New York Times reported.

“We love each other, and we have plans for a big wedding celebration in September,” Raman told the newspaper. But “no one really knows what’s going to happen with the virus. So just in case, for some reason, that our September event doesn’t happen, we have already been married.”

The couple performed their own ceremony at the intersection of two streets in Pittsburgh and several neighbors gathered on their porches to watch, the Times reported.

After exchanging their own vows, the pair read one of their favorite poems: “The Master Speed,” by Robert Frost, according to the Times.

The ‘marriage hut’

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the San Diego County Clerk’s Office had 1,600 people registered to get married, KNSD reported.

Rather than cancel, San Diego County Assessor, Recorder and Clerk Ernie Dronenburg and his staff hatched a plan: turn an empty concession stand into a “marriage hut,” according to the outlet. Two days later, the hut was ready.

The hut has served thousands of couples in the last two months, some coming to pick up paperwork while hundreds of others opted to get married right there, the officiant performing the ceremony through a sliding glass window, KNSD reported.

“We just didn’t want to wait,” Delia Knapp told the outlet. “We’ve been engaged for two years, and we’ve been ready.”

Stoop weddings

After a three-and-a-half year engagement, author Elaine Welteroth and her fiance Jonathan Singletary opted to get married on their original wedding date on the stoop of the building where they live in New York, Vogue reported.

“I think what we learned in our process of pivoting is that the key is to get clear on your ‘why’ and what exactly is most important for your wedding,” Welteroth told the magazine. “For us, the priority became saving our date. From there, we could move forward to sort out the how.”

The couple dropped notes to their neighbors inviting them to join from their own stoops and 200 loved ones tuned in virtually, Vogue reported.

There was also a dress code: wear white, but for virtual guests it was required only from the waist up.

“This wedding went from black tie to pants optional,” one guest commented, according to Vogue.

A pastor officiated the wedding via Zoom and labels on the sidewalk encouraged social distancing for those who were able to attend in person, the magazine reported.

“Everyone let loose and had a blast,” Welteroth told Vogue.

Virtual weddings

Kelsey Christie and Bryan Hanggi were already planning an intimate ceremony with 20 people in a family member’s backyard, but as confirmed cases of coronavirus climbed in their area, they knew they might have to cancel, Travel and Leisure reported.

“Many tears were shed — pretty much exclusively by me,” Christie told the outlet.

The pair ended up livestreaming their nuptials on YouTube, still using their church sanctuary for the big day, Travel reported.

Ashley Yuki and Tim Alexander pushed back their dreamy Palm Springs wedding to 2021, opting to honor their original wedding date with a virtual ceremony after stay-home orders were announced, according to Travel.

“At first, the idea of having a virtual wedding sounded a little crazy,” Alexander told Travel. “But as we started to talk through the logistics of it, we felt like it was something that we not only could pull off, but have some fun with and make a really special memory around.”

A friend officiated the ceremony and the couple even held a virtual rehearsal dinner to ensure all the guests were able to access the stream, according to Travel.

“We were concerned that some of our less tech-savvy participants would struggle with getting into the meeting and getting their camera and audio set up, so we had a few trial runs with them before the day to get them comfortable with it,” Tim told the outlet.

Tiny and micro weddings

Focusing on the most basic elements of a wedding, tiny and micro weddings were already on the rise before the pandemic. They tend to have fewer than 50 guests, Boston Magazine reported.

“[Couples] don’t want to put anybody at risk, so rather than having 250 people, they may say, ‘Let’s do this really small. We can still have our wedding. We can still have our closest family and friends attend. And we don’t have to worry about it,’ ” wedding photographer and planner Natalie Pinney told the magazine.

Ann Marie Leveille, a wedding planner in Birmingham, Alabama, said she’s trimmed her tiny ceremonies down to what matters most: roughly 30 guests, champagne, cake, photography and flowers, WBRC reported.

Edmonton’s Hotel Macdonald, a venue in Canada, has also made the change, holding ceremonies and receptions capped at 14 people, Global News reported. Before the pandemic, the venue accommodated weddings with up to 250 guests.

“The response has been fantastic,” hotel marketing director Danielle Lundy told the outlet. “So we have plenty of weddings on the books for this summer that are going to move forward with these intimate ceremonies.”

Weddings on Wheels

Michelle Boyle owns a tiny house village in Oregon, but when the coronavirus pandemic hit, she shifted her focus to helping couples get married safely, Oregon Live reported. How? With teardrop trailers.

“Like so many people, I’ve been trying to find ways to make this downtime more productive,” Boyle told Live. She turned her attention toward her newest venture, Oregon Teardrop Rentals.

For couples planning to elope, the tiny trailer serves as a centerpiece for the event, displaying cake and flowers during the ceremony, carrying away the newly married couple after the ceremony and serving as a the honeymoon suite, according to Live.