Septembere 24, 2021

Our dearest loved ones,

This is an email we had hoped to not have to write. As we move closer and closer to our beautiful wedding day, it has been imperative that we keep an eye on the COVID-19 situation in our country. Recently, COVID hospitalizations have reached numbers on par with those we saw in November 2020. Hospital numbers are reflecting that unvaccinated individuals are 29x more likely to be hospitalized if COVID is contracted and are more likely to contract and pass on the virus.

As you all know, Abigail is 2.5 and unable to be vaccinated at this time. She is also intermittently successful at keeping a mask on. Because of this, it is our responsibility as adults to create environments that are as safe as possible for her. This includes being vaccinated. We had hoped not to have to draw this line, but the virus being what it is and the consequences too often being fatal has made this the most responsible course of action.

The wedding is not cancelled or postponed, but all individuals who will be in attendance must be fully vaccinated (i.e. have received your second shot if Pfizer, received your one shot if J&J) 2 weeks prior to the wedding. We understand that this may mean that some of our loved ones will not be in attendance and respect your decision not to be vaccinated. We hope that you respect our decision to prioritize the health and wellbeing of our child and our guests.

Additionally, we request that even fully vaccinated individuals bring and wear a masks as much as possible to limit spread. If you have questions about the efficacy of masks, check out this graphic from National Jewish Health or this article from Mayo Clinic. Please note that we are requesting effective masking which requires a 2 layer cotton mask or a surgical mask (the blue ones). Bandanas and neck gaiters are not effective.

We so look forward to celebrating with you in a month and appreciate your love and respect with regards to these issues.

All our love,

Megan & Kevin