NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Brides across the country are looking into postponing, canceling, or making changes to their wedding receptions as COVID-19 is an unwanted wedding guest.
A wedding is supposed to be the best day of your life, but most brides didn't plan for a viral pandemic to interrupt their big day.
"It varies from people panicking, and wanting to cancel, and everyone thinking everything’s fine," Lindsy Read said.
NewsChannel 5's Alexandra Koehn is getting married in a couple weeks, and Read is her wedding planner at Music City Events.
In Washington State, officials have banned all public gatherings with more than 250 people amid COVID-19 concerns which can include weddings. Currently, that has not happened in Tennessee.
"It is up to government officials, but as of right now, we are still moving forward," Read said.
In some cases, the decisions are up to the wedding venue.
"So far, I have not heard of any canceled events in Nashville which is great," Read said.
Lauren Schaefer, with Your Wedding by Lauren, has cut back on travel as she plans weddings in Nashville, New York, and Chicago. Meanwhile, her brides are weighing all their options.
"I’m having my clients keep in mind, how many elderly will be at their wedding? How many people will be traveling both international and regional?" Schaefer said.
Scaling back the number of guests could help prevent the spread of COVID-19 too.
However for some families, canceling the reception could mean losing money.
"What we understand is that wedding insurance does not cover pandemics, most of the time, wedding insurance would cover if a primary member of the wedding party would be to get ill," Schaefer said.
If you have your wedding coming up soon, you can do things to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Examples include:
- Have hand sanitizer stations
- Limit the number of people
- Discuss postponing the reception
- Limit slow dances
- Gave a designated person open door
- Limit hugging
- Don't have a finger food bar
At the end of the day, couples need to do what's best for their families and their future.
"Remember to breathe, fear does not help, panic does not help, there’s enough emotions around a wedding, you don’t want to try and add more," Schaefer said.
MORE TENNESSEE COVID-19 COVERAGE
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- Nashville's COVID-19 testing centers to adjust operating hours
- Walmart pharmacies in Tennessee now offering COVID-19 vaccines
- Donate to the COVID-19 Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund
See all our coronavirus coverage here
COUNTY-BY-COUNTY CASES IN TENNESSEE
What is COVID-19 (a.k.a. the new coronavirus?)
According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. Examples include the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV)and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. COVID-19 stands for "Coronavirus disease 2019," which is when this strain of the coronavirus was discovered.
What are the symptoms?
The CDC says patients confirmed to have the 2019-nCoV reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Or at least two of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
At this time, the CDC believes symptoms could appear as soon as two days after exposure, or as long as 14 days.
Prevention
The CDC is recommending "common sense" measures such as:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
