(WHDH) — The coronavirus pandemic has hit the wedding industry hard over the last year. But, a group of New England vendors are getting together to show couples they can still have a safe ceremony.
In Rhode Island, vendors got creative to try to prove that saying “I do” is still doable — even with coronavirus restrictions.
“We can do safe events and then we can hopefully up the capacity,” Luke Renchan of the Rhode Island Coalition of Wedding and Event Professionals said.
After a wedding washout in 2020 event planners said they are determined to get back on track in 2021. So, they put on a mock wedding to make an instructional video on how to throw a safe ceremony.
“That training video is going to allow us to put together a real staple for our entire industry of the correct procedures,” Renchan explained.
Twenty-five vendors played the parts of guests and family members. Everyone got a rapid test then enjoyed a socially distanced ceremony and a seated cocktail hour.
The venue also had a COVID-19 safety office monitoring the event.
But, the event wasn’t all for show.
The food and cocktails were real and so were the bride and groom.
Real-life couple Paige and Michael have worked in the wedding industry for years.
“We worked for almost every single person in this room,” Paige said.
Both said they jumped at the chance to celebrate their love and to help their industry fight back.
“We looked at each other and said yes, absolutely we want to be part of this,” Michael said.
The creators of the video said they hope it can be used as a road map for other event organizers throughout the year.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)