Kentucky venue tasked with rescheduling weddings after governor's new restrictions

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Something old, something new, something borrowed and many people blue.

Gov. Andy Beshear's new pandemic restrictions that begin Friday are affecting Kentucky venues financially and emotionally.

"People are getting nervous that they're not going to be able to have the wedding that they originally envisioned, and that's hard," said Leah-Terese of Modern Trousseau. 

Under the governor's new restrictions, no more than 25 people per room are allowed inside venues. This includes weddings and funerals.

Kentucky venue tasked with rescheduling weddings after governor's new restrictions

"It really has not opened up an opportunity for people to have the day, the wedding day, that they deserve and that they've dreamed of," said Ally Adams, director of event sales for The Henry Clay.

Located in downtown Louisville, The Henry Clay and its staff are used to capacity restrictions in 2020.

"There's not really been any perfectly outlined rubric that we can go right to," Adams said. "I've done everything I can as far as researching and educating myself, but there's so much technicality as far as one word can make all the difference in how a restriction is read."

"We're doing our due diligence on the back end, but we want to make sure we understand it because we're delivering it to a lot of anxious and emotional people, and it has everything to do with the biggest day of their lives," she added. 

Kentucky venue tasked with rescheduling weddings after governor's new restrictions

Through at least Dec. 13, more than 30,000 square feet of event space will sit near empty. "We did have a little bit of flexibility with being able to still host a little bit of larger gatherings, but now with an actual physical number, it doesn't matter if we have 30,000 square feet or 25 feet," she said.

Adams and her team have made several difficult phone calls to understanding brides and grooms this week to reschedule. 

"The record is up to four times now with no additional fee," she said. 

Here's the upside to 2020: "The human connection, and not just the business transaction, is something that we've really, really focused on," Adams said.

And, if couples are patient, she said the wait will be worth it. 

"If we've got the date and they can shift vendors, I tell them, 'Just build the anticipation,'" Adams said. "It's kind of like the 'Drumroll, please.'" 

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