Sofia Eidsath and her fiancé Andrew Kinsella thought they had everything planned for their wedding at the end of May. She had the dress, the venue, the entertainment, but the one thing they weren’t budgeting for was the new coronavirus.
“We were about to send out official invitations and finalize a few small details,” Eidsath said.
Since the pandemic, the couple have had to put their happily-ever-after plans on hold for another year.
“Things just kept getting crazier and crazier outside, and we were starting to realize if we are going to have to socially distance ourselves in our houses, then it’s very unlikely by May 30, everything will be back to normal.”
Eidsath is American, and after meeting her fiancé while they were both studying at Western University, she made the move to Canada full time in 2014.
“We had been together for about eight years, and I was like, ‘You need to propose to me soon because I am losing my mind.'”
Although expecting the proposal, Eidsath said her fiancé still managed to surprise her during a family vacation in Muskoka.
- ‘Shock and disbelief’ after Manitoba school trustee’s Indigenous comments
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- Several baby products have been recalled by Health Canada. Here’s the list
- ‘Sciatica was gone’: hospital performs robot-assisted spinal surgery in Canadian first
Now, just two months away from their would-be wedding date, the couple have been working on getting things pushed back.
“The venue was really great to work with up until this happened,” Eidsath said.
She explains that after their date had to be moved, the venue started pressuring them to choose either a Friday or Sunday date still in 2020, which would not work, as they had many relatives travelling from the U.S. and other countries.
After some work from her wedding planner at Unmistakably You, they were able to get May 8, 2021, but Eidsath said they are still facing other challenges with their photographer, who wants an extra 25 per cent to change the date.
“It does not sound crazy until you realize you’re already paying them $4,000 and then that’s an extra $1,000 and that’s a lot.”
The couple are now deciding if they will pay the extra $1,000 or lose their deposit and find a different photographer.
Eidsath has mixed feelings about having an extra year to plan, adding that they have most things ready to go, so it feels like things are just stalled. She says the most important thing is that their loved ones are all able to be there to celebrate on the day.
“You have to put what’s going on in the world over what would have been a happy time for us,” Kinsella said.
Eidsath and Kinsella are not the only ones having to alter their wedding day. Wedding planner Nicky Caralis, owner of Caralis Wedding and Events, told Global News many of her couples with upcoming weddings and even weddings a few months out are having to change course.
“With spring weddings there’s a bit of a panic, and people are not able to make decisions because there is just not a lot of information,” she explains.
“A couple of my couples are thinking about doing a virtual wedding in their living room where they will have all their guests call in.”
Caralis said right now there is a lot of uncertainty for her couples who don’t know how long the social distancing may last or even if their venue will be open.
She said it is also difficult for many wedding vendors, who are usually self-employed. Caralis adds many of the vendors she deals with are trying their best to be accommodating under the circumstances while also wondering if they will qualify for the support the federal government is promising.
For the couples who are due to get married soon, she has this advice: “Try to move forward with your wedding, life will go on, and we have to make the best of it.”
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are asked to self-isolate for 14 days in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
Comments