To ask guests to take a test

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Supposed to be getting married next spring, who knows if we can go ahead as planned.

Assuming we can, would you be happy to take a covid test before attending?

If it's feasible we would like to ask all guests (and pay for them) to take test pre attending.

If it's negative obviously you can't come.

Would you think that was too much of an ask / bride and groom - zilla?

@Ragwort because we've already paid for a lot of it but yes, it's not ideal - not a huge wedding anyway but over 30.

Quite apart from the fact that the test might not have be a cast iron guarantee you're not infected, absolutely no way would I submit to testing to attend a wedding, whoever was paying.

[quote tocancel]@AllPlayedOut

It doesn't feel nice but your nose is swabbed in a split second and the throat one didn't bother me at all but I guess that depends on how squeamish / dramatic people are![/quote]
My nasal swab was about 10 seconds in each side of my brain nostril and really unpleasant!

Firstly, it's totally pointless as a negative result does not mean they will still be negative while attending wedding. Isn't that obvious?

Secondly, it's not 3 seconds. I was instructed to rub swab 10 seconds on left tonsil, 10 seconds on right tonsil, 10 seconds up left nostril, 10 seconds up right nostril. I wasn't very well anyway, obviously, and after much gagging and wretching I had a panic attack! You might have sailed through it, but not everybody does.

All it would mean is that you were 80% likely to be negative at the time you took the test. Unless you're also going to ask people to self isolate for 10 days before the wedding it doesn't mean anything, sorry

3 seconds?

Absolute load of rubbish.

Another one wondering when you'd get them done? It would have to be very close to the wedding to be any use. And then you'd have the possibility of last minute drop outs. You'd have to consider the implications of that for both the guest and yourselves. Would you have stand bys ho would only be invited if someone else tested positive?

@WheresMyMilk oh yikes, mine wasn't like that all. I was quite nervous but it was so fast and a split second of a weird feeling up my nose (and she only did one side)

I wouldn’t mind taking a test... especially if it means everyone know everyone else is healthy so can party away! You wouldn’t need to pay everyone could just book a test online and say they have a symptom?

My BIL got married in March. He has asthma. The risks of catching covid then were far greater than getting it now and there were about 60 people in the room. As far as I know nobody caught it at that wedding (I think we would have heard via the family grapevine at some point).

Who knows next spring but I would hope the risks are no greater than now and your relative would be fine.

That was far too short, mine was ages ago but there was a time on how long you had to swab for, 10 seconds or something.

Ok, it's clearly a rubbish idea.

We will abort!

I had assumed we were all going to be frequently tested from now on - and personally wouldn't mind but clearly lots of people will!

I guess by the spring we might have the saliva test - which is a lot less invasive and hopefully more accurate.

Considering your attitude to why people might not like getting swabbed alone, I’d decline in an instant. I have one monthly and it doesn’t take 3 seconds and I find it unpleasant (I threw up a bit of my breakfast last time...). Are children attending the wedding? I dread the day I have to swab my kids, especially the younger ones.

The test gives a snapshot in time only. You can have caught it as soon as you put the stick in the tube and walked back to your car. And then there’s the fairly high false negative rate. It really is a lot of imposition for nothing.

My advice to you would be not to have people at your wedding that you wouldn’t trust to keep away if they are symptomatic.

The tests aren't 100% accurate I believe.

Are you going to test the caterers and non-guests like the dj?

@OverTheRainbow88 that was our thinking, would make people feel safer but I think I called it wrong!

From the sound of it, it doesn't sound like your test was very thorough - I bet it came back negative didn't it?

No. Chance. For a shit sit down bit of chicken and a dodgy DJ?

@alibongo5 I had it done in a private hospital before being given the green light for surgery and I'd self isolated for 2 weeks prior, so yes it was negative.

@DameFanny no - it's why I think we need better statistical reporting - of those who have coronavirus at the time of swabbing, 30% will get a negative result.

Tbh I would OP and self isolate if I wasn't working but then my theatre colleagues have been doing so often for work so it seems pretty normal to me.

Will you pay for the tests for all your guests?
At present you are only supposed to order a test if you have symptoms. You're supposed to pay if you want one for another reason.

@Aragog yes

But to answer another roosters comment - the tests aren't painful, or shouldn't be. They are uncomfortable at most but it's for a few seconds. The throat one can make you gag. The nose one is a little uncomfortable as goes quite high up. I've certainly had far worse procedures though.

It's certainly nothing to be worried about, or be bothered by much.

No I wouldn't. It would also put me off attending because quite a few people with negative tests seem to fail to realise that all that means is that they were negative in the moment they took the test. I would expect a lot of complacency and corner cutting at the wedding.

Roosters?? Posters