Schmidt and Cece had the ideal pandemic wedding on 'New Girl'

• This article contains spoilers for "New Girl."
• Schmidt and Cece get married in the season five finale of "New Girl."
• Schmidt ends up having to attend the reception virtually, and the couple later get married with just their parents and roommates in attendance.
• Combined, the two celebrations make for a safe and beautiful event people could have amid the pandemic.

Although large gatherings contribute to the spread of the coronavirus, millions of people have still had weddings in 2020.

Figuring out how to safely hold a wedding has become a source of stress, controversy, and confusion for engaged couples.

But an iconic sitcom couple's wedding provides a model for those hoping to get married with minimal risk before there's a vaccine.

Schmidt and Cece's wedding doesn't go according to plan on 'New Girl'

After four seasons of on-again-off-again antics, Schmidt and Cece finally tie the knot in the season five finale of "New Girl."

Much of the fifth season is dedicated to Schmidt planning their dream wedding, with the type-A planner painstakingly picking out everything from the venue to accessories for the bridal party.

But when the big day finally comes, Schmidt isn't there.

In a moment of simultaneous chivalry and stupidity, Schmidt gets on a plane to Portland, Oregon, on the day of the wedding to convince Cece's mother to attend the event. However, she shows up at the wedding of her own accord in a classic sitcom switcheroo. And to make matters worse, Schmidt ends up trapped on the plane because of landing gear issues.

The technical difficulties cause him to miss his own wedding.

The setup is perfect for an epic Schmidt meltdown for which he's known for on the show. But rather than moping about missing the event he's been planning for months, Schmidt tells Cece to go forward with the wedding despite his absence.

"Have the party without me," he tells his fiancée on the phone. "We'll get married at City Hall."

"Your whole life has been about this party," Cece objects.

"My whole life is you," he responds. "I'm so happy."

And he truly is happy. Although Schmidt was excited about the wedding celebration, his marriage and the happiness of his partner is all that really matters, so he doesn't mind missing the big day.

The couple's real wedding ends up much smaller than they anticipated

Schmidt can't physically come to his wedding reception at his father's vineyard, but he's still able to celebrate with his loved ones.

He calls into the party via video chat, virtually attending the outdoor wedding - like millions of others around the world have had to do for events in 2020.

But later that night, Schmidt's friends surprise him with an intimate wedding ceremony so he and Cece can officially get married.

The ceremony takes place at the loft where most of the central characters on the show live, and only the residents of the home, a couple staying with them, and Schmidt and Cece's parents attend.

They set up a chuppah-Mandap hybrid in the living room and cover the space with flowers, making the small ceremony just as beautiful as the big event.

The wedding only had 14 attendees total, including the bride and groom and two officiants.

Combined, Schmidt and Cece's weddings make for a safe and beautiful event people could have amid the pandemic

Although the episode featuring Schmidt and Cece's wedding aired in 2016, four years before the coronavirus pandemic, it provides a blueprint for 2020 microweddings.

If you combined Schmidt and Cece's ceremony and reception, you would have an almost ideal pandemic wedding.

An outdoor wedding with less than 15 total attendees - most of whom live in the same household - would be much safer than a large gathering. Indoor weddings with lots of guests have proven to be coronavirus superspreader events, so an intimate ceremony would be less risky.

The couple also provided a virtual option to enable more people to come to the event (i.e. the groom in this case), which has almost become a staple of pandemic weddings. Schmidt and Cece were just ahead of the game.

It would be easy - and pretty affordable - to replicate Schmidt and Cece's wedding for yourself.

You could replace the loft setting with a backyard or park, and chairs, flowers, and an altar aren't difficult or expensive to come by.

Your officiant could wear a mask, as could your guests. It would be even safer if those guests were in your household or pandemic "bubble," so you wouldn't be adding anyone new to your circle just for a party.

The outdoor setting would allow you to social distance as well. Plus, if the event offered a way for people to virtually attend, guests who couldn't physically come to the wedding could still be part of the celebrations.

Schmidt and Cece could pull off their wedding because they were focused on their marriage rather than a party

Of course, not everything about Schmidt and Cece's wedding would work in the pandemic. The original reception had far too many guests, no one was wearing masks or social distancing, many people traveled via plane to get there, and their ceremony would have been safer if it took place outdoors.

But their wedding day demonstrates that it's possible to have a beautiful, happy, and safe wedding even if it isn't what you originally imagined. And even more so, you don't have to see that change as a loss.

We'd all prefer to have everyone we love around to celebrate the milestone of marriage with us, but sometimes circumstances make that impossible.

At the end of the day, all that matters is you get to marry your person and live a happy life with them. You can honor that step without unnecessarily putting your loved ones at risk.

And even if they're not at the wedding, the people who love you will be there to support you throughout your marriage.

"For the first time, I see what the rest of my life looks like," Schmidt says in his vows to Cece, driving home why people get married.

If you focus on that life together instead of the day you make it official, pandemic wedding planning will become a lot simpler.

• Read more:
• Stop throwing big weddings in the middle of a pandemic. It's not just about you.
• Fauci says planning weddings and parties for 2022 is 'a pretty good bet'
• Virtual weddings are becoming the norm during the pandemic, and wedding planners think they're here to stay
• The 19 best outfits Jess Day wore on 'New Girl'