CLEVELAND — Starting Monday, June 1 weddings and receptions with up to 300 guests are permitted to resume in Ohio per Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton.
State leaders are asking banquet halls to allow for social distancing and to make sure guests aren't congregating in one area for too long.
Wedding and event planner, Covesa Kelly, said that's easier said than done.
"So what I have been advising my my clients is to postpone to 2021," Kelly said.
Kelly, the owner of Covesa Kelly Events, has been in the wedding planning business for 12 years. She said the vast majority of her clients decided to postpone their big day until 2021 for the safety of their guests. It was her recommendation, considering couples spend tens of thousands of dollars on the event.
"That's a big investment to risk to go ahead and push for an event in August or September and then people don't come because they're not comfortable there. They're not safe. They don't want to travel," Kelly said.
The wedding planner said she predicts the virus to have lasting impacts on how future weddings are held.
She expects couples to start making smaller guest lists, new and creative seating arrangements and offering different dinner service. She said she and her team are working to find a silver lining in the middle of the madness.
"To still create amazing memories for these people getting married and starting this wonderful new life together, which is what's important. So we're trying to just really dig deep, get into our creative spaces and come up with something that's just as fabulous as if it would have been had it gone on normally," Kelly said. "You know, events are a big deal right now. It's a multi-billion dollar industry and people are just taking it by the horns. You see the guests will drop, but you see the fabulous run up."
Kelly also expects virtual events to become more normalized as we move forward.
To review the state's guidelines on weddings and receptions, click here.
