The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Weddings making a comeback in Conn.
But you’d better think small
Gov. Ned Lamont’s daughter has a wedding planned for late summer, but even the governor isn’t sure how it will go.
For events such as weddings, which are planned months in advance, vendors and couples can’t hold out until the last minute to make changes.
Wedding and event planner Lisa Antonecchia, who owns Creative Concepts by Lisa, said it’s the type of industry in which every decision has a domino effect.
“With the wedding industry we need that information sooner rather than later,” she said.
As more types of businesses open as part of Lamont’s phased reopening for the state, certain restrictions are being lifted or adjusted, including social gathering limits and safety guidelines for eateries.
“Phases one, two and three haven’t been inclusive of a wedding reception in the traditional sense,” Antonecchia said.
“It’s not being spoken about,” she said. “At this point most couples have moved. The only caveat is that it starts with the wedding venue, which has to be ready to move you. A lot are waiting for the authority of the governor.”
The average wedding in Connecticut includes about 100 or more people, she said.
But while, as of June 1, Lamont eased restrictions for social and religious gatherings, allowing as many as 100 worshipers for a service, for private gatherings the limit is only 10 people inside and 25 outside, if they maintain socialdistancing protocols. Previously gatherings were limited to just five people.
Antonecchia had 22 weddings booked this year, after most rescheduled to next year or later, and after a few canceled, she’s left with six, she said.
One couple who had a wedding scheduled in May moved their date to August, and a July couple pushed the wedding to October.
She said the August wedding still could happen if her couple can limit attendance to 50 people, which not only includes guests, but vendors, too — the caterer, band, photographer.
“Truthfully, nobody wants to move this year and then have him (Lamont) turn around and change his mind,” Antonecchia said.
May 20 saw the return of sit-down dining outdoors — with restrictions — and the revival of many retail businesses. Initially hair salons and barbers also were going to open, but Lamont changed the decision a couple of days before the planned reopening, pushing the date to June 1.
Considerations and guidelines
Antonecchia said many measures still are undecided, including guidance on dance floors, guests or couples wearing masks, delivering physical congratulations to the couple, selfserve food, passed hors d’oeuvres and seating arrangements.
Social distancing for dinner is being discussed and possibly reducing a 10-person table to only accommodate four, and even cutlery placements need to be considered, Antonecchia said.
Having a wedding reception this year could mean there is no crowded dance floor, no hugging the newlyweds, no cocktail hour — but so far it’s been up to vendors and couples to figure out, she said.
“These are things that we simply don’t have answers to because they haven’t been presented to us by the powers that be,” she said.
Ken Metz, owner of the Chatfield Hollow Inn and event venue in Killingworth, said he is fortunate to have an outdoor wedding space on 26 acres to help accommodate larger events and social distancing protocols.
Nevertheless, he’s had to rebook or cancel all of his spring weddings, while couples planning fall dates are tentatively booked for next year, too, in case they decide to cancel.
He’s given them options of a full refund or to rebook, because he can afford to, he said.
“Many of the vendors — I’m thinking caterers, photographers, florists — may have more restrictive cancellation policies,” he said. “Much of that deposit money may already have been spent, so they may be more reluctant to refund a deposit to clients. They may not have the funds to be able to do so.”
Metz said he’s worried many vendors may go out of business because they are having to stretch their income over two years, rather than one.
Even though many ceremonies and receptions already were canceled this year, Antonecchia said she has been marrying couples as a justice of the peace.
“This pandemic doesn’t get to tell you you can’t get married,” she said. “It may say you can’t dance with a group of people or hug the bride, and the level of frustration is not lost on me.”