With Election Day less than three months away, political discourse is often inescapable. But the months leading up to it are also a popular time for weddings.
As Nov. 5 approaches, some couples who will marry in the fall are becoming concerned about wedding-day fights between drunk uncles over the presidential candidates, former President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Kaitlyn Chronowski, an October 2024 bride, went on TikTok to share her technique for preventing such an encounter at her wedding. She created a sign on Canva that reads, “This event is a politics-free zone.”
In the comments section, some praised her for setting boundaries. Others thought it was a shame that she felt the need to make the sign. And some people getting married near Election Day asked for tutorials on how to make their own signs.
Amanda Taylor, a 28-year-old who will be married in September in Murfreesboro, Tenn., was inspired to make a sign of her own, which she will put on display at the venue’s entrance. She said she had many family members who were likely to start arguments over politics.
“Between me and my fiancé, we’ve got people from both ends of the political spectrum who are going to be attending the wedding,” said Ms. Taylor. “There’s some people that just feel very passionately about certain topics, and it could potentially be a whole ordeal.”
“Anything can be political,” Ms. Taylor said. “And with the overall environment of the country and everything right now, it is hard not to talk about it sometimes.” But, she added, her goal is to “avoid any potential drama.”
She continued: “The wedding day is about me and my husband. It’s not about Harris or Trump or any other politician.”
Emma Zyla, who will marry two days before the election in Scituate, Mass., is also trying to evade any fighting. She and her fiancée are carefully planning their seating chart so that people with similar political beliefs will be at the same table. She also told her parents to be on the lookout to shut down any political debates, and she has several activities planned throughout the night, including a photo booth and a live painter.
“In my experience, those uncomfortable political discussions tend to break out when you’re just sitting and drinking at a table,” she said. (She will not use a sign because it doesn’t match her décor.)
Caitlin New, 27, even joked that if she caught anyone talking about politics, they would “get X’s on their hands, so they can’t get drinks from the bar.” Her wedding is scheduled for Orlando, Fla., the day before Election Day, her 10-year anniversary with her fiancé.
However, some dissenters who watched Ms. Chronowski’s TikTok video said that they would not invite anybody who did not share their morals and values. Logann Watchorn, a 19-year-old 911 operator from Cleveland, said he had severed ties with several family members who didn’t share his views. “I just can’t imagine having people that don’t support the same morals as me in my wedding,” he said.
Still, some couples are welcoming political conversation during their nuptials. Klaudia Forgacova, 30, said she was considering making her wedding toast political. She posts videos on TikTok about how to participate in the election process, which she said she hoped were informative, inviting and respectful.
“I think that when people think political talk is always combative, or it’s not the right time or place, I feel like that’s often a misconception — so when I’m thinking about my toast, I’m thinking about how weddings and growing families are just inherently political,” said Ms. Forgacova, who will marry in October at her parents’ home in Waco, Texas. “How can I touch on that in a way that comes from love, in a way that comes from growing our understanding, without necessarily making it seem like I’m targeting anybody in particular?”
Though many of her guests don’t share her political beliefs, and she has had many heated political conversations, she is confident there won’t be any fights at her wedding.
For those who are perhaps not as confident, Rebecca Lang, a wedding planner from Orlando, suggested having fun with the sign. “You can say, ‘For every person that talks about the election, you give a dollar toward our honeymoon fund,’ almost like a curse jar,” she said.
She also suggested including a note on the wedding website for couples who want to be more discreet. On some websites, like the Knot or Zola, couples can also send an email blast to guests before the wedding. “Sometimes a sign is just very much in your face,” Ms. Lang said, “and people may feel some type of way. That causes people to talk.”
Ms. Lang suggests that the best thing couples can do is to have a plan and to remember, “Nothing will overshadow your day without you allowing it to overshadow your day.”
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