LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Many couples planning a 2020 wedding put their plans on hold for this fall, but with the Delta variant causing a spike in COVID-19 cases, it's not a clear path down the aisle.
Maggie Heely, the lead coordinator and owner of Weekend Wedding Warrior, said one of her brides has rescheduled four times because of the pandemic.
"I think we all thought by fall of 2021, especially after a vaccine, we'd be pretty good to go," Heely said.
Compared to 2020 — when gathering capacity limits were in place — 2021 couples have decisions to make about COVID-19 safety at their wedding.
"It's like the saying, those in Fight Club, you don't say Fight Club," Heely said. "It's like those in COVID weddings just don't say COVID."
She said many couples haven't changed their plans drastically because of the new spike, but her company is still wearing masks at each event. She has one client that is asking guests to be vaccinated or show proof of a negative test if they wish to attend.
But she doesn't foresee that becoming a trend.
"I think, unfortunately, it gets a little bit politicized," Heely said. "So I think it kind of depends on where people fall on if they're comfortable asking for vaccination status or not."
Lindsey and Luke Sands said they too felt the emotional rollercoaster of planning a wedding during pandemic. Lindsey said around May and June of this year, she felt herself relax, considering the lowered cases and the availability of the vaccines. But as the Delta variant spread and cases went back up, so did the couple's anxiety. They even made sure their reception was at an outdoor venue.
Two days before their wedding though, they got the call: Lindsey had been exposed to the virus, and she later tested positive.
"It was 11 p.m.," she said. "We had to call as many long-distance people as we could that night, because people were flying in or driving from states away. So we called them that night and then cried a lot and went to sleep."
Luke said they honed into the vow, in sickness and in health, to help turn their moods around.
"I ended up with the dream guy, even if it wasn't the dream wedding," Lindsey said. "Having him is the most important part."
It's this sentiment that Heely said is important to remember during wedding planning in general, but especially during a pandemic.
"Love is not canceled," she said. "Weddings don't have to be canceled either. Can they be shifted and be safer? Sure, I think so."
Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
