Column: Coronavirus stalls weddings

by Jalen Beliveau

She had planned her dream wedding as a little girl, it would be in a barn, something fancy but rustic, fall would be ideal, and afterward she would honeymoon on a beach.

Haley Bennet had been trying to plan her wedding when the news of the coronavirus hit. She was engaged last fall and planned to be wed in the Fall of 2020. 

“We have a plan, you know? Buy a house, get married, begin our lives together,” said Haley’s fiance Micheal Wood. “Now we don’t know what is going to happen.”

Bennet said, “We do not want to have a wedding where all the guests have to social distance or people cancel because of the timing.”

Wood and Bennet have considered waiting another year but are nervous other couples rescheduling may take up all the slots. Luckily they had not booked a venue yet.

“We are leaning towards booking the wedding for the upcoming fall if we can also pay extra for a protection plan or some kind of insurance,” said Bennet.

The uncertainty of how long the virus will last was stalling their decision. They did not want to take a risk and end up losing money. Both Bennet and Wood’s jobs have laid employees off and cut back hours of work so cash is not something they want to be throwing around.

Many couples are pushing back their weddings or even canceling. Moving one wedding may cause issues for other weddings already scheduled. Not to mention the costs of changing the date. The wedding deposit alone can cost anywhere from  $2,500- $5,000 and are usually nonrefundable.

“I keep telling Haley to breathe, we will get married even if we have to FaceTime everybody,” said Wood. Bennet laughed and told Wood not to joke like that.

“I am looking forward to sunny days, but for now I am enjoying time with my family. Hope everyone is doing well.”
-Jalen Beliveau