*** This article was published by the Elk Rapids News – May 28, 2020
By Barb Mosher, Contributing Writer
As a floral and event décor designer for more than 35 years, Amy Hendrickson has reassured her share of tearful, frazzled brides-to-be, but the 2020 northern Michigan wedding season is stretching her — and them — like never before.
“There have been a lot of Zoom calls, a lot of tissues, a lot of sending chocolate in the mail,” said the Elk Rapids resident and owner of Amy Kate Designs. “It hurts my heart on so many levels.”
Efforts to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus through social distancing and restrictions on large groups gatherings have led to the cancellation, rescheduling, or significant downsizing of weddings and bridal showers worldwide. Hendrickson’s own business calendar has been reduced from 36 events between June and October to eight.
I’ve been inundated with paperwork, understanding the restrictions, following the rules in our industry,” she said. “I have to pass all that on to my (brides). Then they have to have heart-to-heart conversations with family and come to realize that it’s not just about them. And that’s hard when it really is about them. Everyone grieves differently. It’s a process.”
Planning a wedding can be trying even in the best of circumstances. Myriad decisions must be made and coordinated: date and time, venue, guest list, food, flowers, photography, honeymoon. When those plans come to a screeching halt due to a pandemic, it’s back to square one with a whole new set of problems. Bride-to-be Wendy Veeder found herself navigating that challenging scenario this spring.
“As soon as I figured out I had to cancel my March bridal shower, that’s when I started getting nervous about the (May 16) wedding,” said the 2006 Elk Rapids High School graduate who had already mailed wedding invitations to 185 friends and family mid-February.
Within a few weeks, the sobering reality of the Coronavirus brought Veeder and her fiancé, John Purdy, to the disappointing but inescapable decision to postpone their ceremony and reception.
“More and more things were being canceled,” Veeder said. “We have a lot of family from downstate, and things were worse down there. We didn’t want people to feel obligated to come. For everyone’s safety, we wanted to do it the right way and celebrate the right way.”
After scrambling to contact and coordinate with their venue and vendors, the couple was able to reconstruct their event for July 11 and send “Change the Date” cards to the guest list. As the pandemic continues to play out, Veeder said she’s warily eyeing the calendar, hoping and praying for the best.
“Right now, we’re forging ahead, realizing we may have to adapt the numbers,” she said. “But we’re going to get married that day regardless, even if it’s just us and the pastor!”
Every business associated with helping couples tie the knot is experiencing the tremendous fallout from the novel virus. Bob Garvey rescued a centennial barn ten years ago, relocating it to his Williamsburg property and renovating it to host up to 12 weddings every year. Tucked into 40 acres of rolling meadows and strung with twinkling lights, the Garvey Family Barn was set to welcome a full slate of celebrations this summer and fall. Then Covid-19 arrived.
“We canceled our entire season,” Garvey said. “We had to error on the side of caution. There was no guidance given on wedding venues. We’re different from a restaurant. We host intimate gatherings of family and friends. We have very little control if someone doesn’t want to wear a mask or decides to move tables closer together.”
Garvey said guest lists would need to be halved at least, buffet-style meals would not be allowed, and dancing would break social distancing rules. “It got to the point where it just didn’t make any sense,” he explained. “I became convinced that bringing people into that sort of setting would not be fair to them. We couldn’t offer a safe environment, and someone had to make a decision.”
Garvey offered full refunds or credit toward a date in 2021. He said couples have been very understanding with about half taking refunds and half rebooking for next year. “They know it’s been difficult for everyone, and they’re making the best of it,” he said. “It’s worked out. I would not feel good about going forward with this season.”