PENINSULA, Ohio — With so much uncertainty about weddings and big gatherings, some people in Ohio are still awaiting specific guidelines from the state as they plan and reschedule events.
Some couples are taking another route to celebrate their special days: pop-up weddings at Cuyahoga Valley National park.
Lauren Banks and Dominick Oddo of Copley got engaged in November of 2018 and planned a wedding for October 10, 2020.
"COVID happened and we couldn’t decide if it was gonna be OK or not with our wedding being in the fall," Banks said.
This past week, the couple decided to cancel the wedding, opting instead for a pop-up wedding August 22 at CVNP.
"It was best for our family’s health and for us, because with the pandemic we realized what’s most important during this time and what we’re most grateful for, and we didn’t need the large wedding and any of that anymore," Banks said.
The pop-up weddings at CVNP are being held as a result of a partnership between Haus of Cool, a pop-up wedding event planning company that's been around for about a year, and the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which leases two venues from the park (Hines Hill and Happy Days Lodge) and rents them out for events and weddings.
"In the pandemic, you see so much hurt, so much anger, so much sadness that I want people to just remember that there is joy with just being with those who are the closest to you," said Kattie Cool, founder and owner of Haus of Cool.
She's been doing pop-up weddings since last May, but when the pandemic hit, she teamed up with the Conservancy for CVNP, planning out six dates: June 20, June 27, July 4, July 18, August 22 and August 29. On each date, six pop-up wedding ceremonies will be available at one-hour intervals.
For $1,800, Cool picks the spot, providing an officiant, photographer, decor, florals and anything else that's needed, as well as handling logistics and timing.
"I set everything up and you simply show up," Cool said.
The pop-up weddings are limited to ten people, including the officiant, photographer and couple, meaning there can be up to six other guests at the ceremony.
Cool said she hopes to extend the pop-up weddings at the park and add more dates going forward. As of Thursday, she said seven of the total slots had already been booked.
Lexi Korczynski, marketing director for the Conservancy for CVNP, said the Conservancy is glad to be part of a solution, making sure couples can still have a special day.
"A lot of our couples, you know, their love stories are rooted in the park. They went on their first date, they maybe proposed at Brandywine," Korczynski said. "And so it was breaking our hearts, along with our couples, to see that what they thought was going to be their big, perfect dream wedding wasn’t gonna happen."
This, she said, still allows them to focus on their love for one another.
"They can still have a few people here with them to celebrate that love and not have to postpone that way," she said.
She also added that the Conservancy is happy that these weddings incorporate sustainability by using the same flowers and decorations for the six weddings on one date, although each date will be different.
Banks and Oddo look forward to their wedding in August, and Banks said that they feel much less stressed now.
“There’s always another time to celebrate, so at this point we just want to make sure that obviously we get married this year and a little bit of our family can see and keep everyone else safe and healthy," Oddo said.
