This story was originally published on May 17, 2021, and last updated on December 6, 2021.

As we plan a wedding during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re likely asking ourselves a lot of challenging questions. One of the biggest for 2022 wedding planning: How do I ask my wedding guests and weddings vendors for proof of their COVID vaccination status and/or proof of a negative COVID test?

It’s a great question and I appreciate you asking it. Below is my advice as a wedding planner.

First, what are my partner and I legally required to provide proof of?

This will depend on what the specific health and safety regulations are in the area where you are hosting your wedding. Unfortunately, knowing what is legal for weddings during COVID is rarely an easy question to answer.

If you live in my state (Oregon), read this article. If you don’t live in Oregon, try Googling “COVID safety wedding [insert your state].” You are looking for resources from the following:

a COVID-specific resource website created and maintained by your state government (best resource and usually has a URL format like coronavirus.oregon.gov or covid19.nh.gov or floridahealthcovid19.gov)
a COVID-specific resource website created and maintained by your county government (still good but not as good because sometimes there is lag between what the state says and when the county updates)
articles published by credible statewide media outlets (good but not as direct as straight-from-the-government information)

If your Googling gets you nowhere, I’m not surprised. That has been — and remains — the norm throughout the country. This means that your next best step is to call your state’s health department. Use this article — even though it’s Oregon-specific — to figure out the questions to ask when you call.

Why don’t I recommend asking your venue(s) or, if you have one, your wedding planner? Because in my experience, they’re just as confused as you are. That said, you are, of course, welcome to ask. Just approach from a place of “Hey, we’re all figuring this out together” and, if at all possible, cross-check what they tell you.

If none of this gets you anywhere, email me (elisabeth@elisabethkramer.com). Seriously. I will offer you advice on where to look.

Second, now that we know what’s legal, what do my partner and I want to ask for?

This is important because you and your partner may want to ask your guests and your vendors to take steps that exceed what is legally required. Please do not feel weird about this. A lot more couples are setting what I call “a vaccine boundary” than you might think, and a lot more couples in 2022 are asking for proof than couples were in, say, fall 2021.

If you and your partner don’t even know where to start with the whole “Should we even be asking?” question, I get it. This article is a good place to start. It will direct you to the resources I use to help couples decide their boundary (a COVID safety policy) and then communicate their boundaries to their guests (these free templates) and their vendors (these free templates).

How do we literally collect this information?

In my experience, there are usually two options. A couple collects proof of vaccination and/or proof of a negative COVID test:

Before the wedding (usually using some kind of tool like Google Drive, Google Form, Dropbox, etc. to request and then store vaccine cards and/or proof of a negative test)

At the wedding (designating someone at the entrance to check the requested proof.

My personal preference is the latter (ask for proof at the wedding) as it means you and your partner have less you have to collect ahead of time and also host on Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. That said, whatever you and your partner choose, please keep these details in mind:

Set any expectations before the wedding. This is important for expectations you have for your guests and for your vendors, particularly if those expectations are different and/or are different than what is reflected in your contracts with your vendor team. The previous section offers resources to help facilitate these conversations.
It is not the job of a vendor to collect vaccine or COVID test information on your behalf unless you have specifically renegotiated your contract with said vendor and are paying them for this labor. The good news: You can hire someone to check proof for you if you go with the latter option. Here are interview questions to ask and, if you’re in Oregon, here are ideas specific to our area.