Coronavirus outbreak puts wedding industry on edge

Coronavirus outbreak puts wedding industry on edge

Guests are jittery, travel is tangled, and soon-to-be brides , grooms are facing tough choices.

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Guests are jittery, travel is tangled, and soonto-be brides and grooms are facing tough choices because of the coronavirus outbreak: postpone, cancel or forge ahead with their weddings?

Uncertainty as virus cases grow in the U.S. and elsewhere has sent ripples through the wedding industry, from photographers and caterers to harried wedding planners and venues.

“So much extra stress,” said 26-year-old bride Hayley Pass in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. “After all this planning it’s like, really, we’re going to postpone? We just really want it to happen but it seems like the worst is yet to come.”

She and her fiance had 155 confirmed guests for their March 22 nuptials in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, with a handful of cancellations due to virus fear. One relative made it clear that she and her family will attend but would keep hugging and kissing to a minimum.

The couple will only cancel the wedding if their venue — or their closest loved ones — pull out. They would head to the courthouse instead to get hitched, putting off their party until COVID-19 subsides. Other couples expressed similar resolve to keep their wedding dates as the industry heads into the busy June season.

Rescheduling or canceling raises a world of questions. What are the odds that vendors will all be available on the same new date and time? Will couples lose money, in deposits and beyond already paid? Standard wedding insurance doesn’t cover anxiety over a spreading virus that has

AP PHOTO/TERESA CRAWFORD David Gaffke, owner of the bridal salon Complete Bridal, poses in his shop in East Dundee, Illinois, on Feb. 28. He is heavily reliant on China for manufacturing. “It’s frustrating when it comes to having to tell a bride that we’re not able to fulfill your needs,” he said. “This is the most important dress they’re going to wear.”

AP PHOTO/TERESA CRAWFORD Wedding dresses are displayed at Complete Bridal, a shop in East Dundee, Illinois, on Feb. 28. The store is heavily reliant on China for manufacturing. Factory closures there have meant fewer choices for brides. Those with weddings coming up soon have to buy off the rack and forego customization.