Over it! Am i being selfish?!

I don't think you're being selfish in not wanting masks at your wedding - I didn't want masks at my wedding (though I am supportive of wearing masks during the pandemic), so we postponed. You deserve to have the wedding you've dreamed of! But unfortunately, this is the decision so many people have been struggling with over the past year: Postpone? Continue as planned with the restrictions (masks, social distancing, etc)? Modify the plan (new location, etc)? There is no wrong answer, only you and your fiance can decide what's best for you. If your dream is to get married in the mountains, are you able to find a new location in the mountains that isn't on National Park land? There are lots of beautiful places outside National Parks that have gorgeous scenery for a wedding! Otherwise, you could postpone until the masks aren't a requirement anymore?

It's not relevant whether you are "selfish for thinking this way." I think everyone understands that wearing a mask on one's wedding day is not idea. But is is important to make sure you comply with the rules that affect where and when you plan to get married.

The content of the EO seems to allow for leeway for the individual park managers to make their own decisions, based on their judgment of park conditions. Before giving up, I would reach out directly to the park you want to visit to ask how they are handling this new EO and if your circumstances are allowed.

Some national parks have gotten so crowded during the pandemic that even though they are outside, there are still issues affecting employee safety (including staffing shortages leading to waste and sewage piling up). But I bet some of the less popular parks, or less popular areas within parks, don't have such stringent rules.

And the bottom line is that these new rules are LONG overdue. The lack of national rules being put in place last year means we are all still in the depths of the pandemic now. And human nature being what it is, the rules need to be strict in order to get any semblance of compliance.

Hi there!

I am so sorry your super reasonable elopement has turned into this mess! I definitely wear my mask at all times when out in public, but never outdoors unless I am close to other people. Just out of curiosity, what kind of enforcement will there be for this new mandate? Like is there gonna be a park ranger monitoring your wedding at all times, or are they going to search through your photos afterwards to make sure everyone had on masks, or...? Is the penalty a fee or will they throw you in federal prison??? I am not encouraging anyone to go against executive orders, but I don't understand how they reasonably expect to enforce this fully without hiring tons of new employees for "mask enforcement duty."

On a more productive note, are there any Air BnBs or VRBOs near that national park with incredible views of the national park or the mountains? Especially since y'all are just doing an elopement and not a big party, I don't think any rental place would take issue with that. And hopefully that will help you stick to your budget and not have to worry about masking up.

Sure. But have you checked with the park(s) in question to find out what is and isn't allowed? The EO you reference is written to leave room for some leeway. I wouldn't despair yet.