The COVID-19 global pandemic is forcing a lot of industries to come to a pause.
Weddings, typically known as joyous celebrations surrounded by friends and family, were forced to become days of isolation as local leaders prohibited gatherings of 5o or more people in San Diego County.
"It’s a ripple effect. Everyone is affected and everyone is connected somehow," explained wedding planner, Suher Haidar, who is also a co-owner of Mama’s bakery and catering in North Park.
The eatery is a long time family business that is now losing out on major catering events like weddings.
"If we don’t get any business in the next couple of months as small business owners whether it’s the wedding industry or anything else we are going to start getting affected and doors are going to start closing," Haidar said.
Haidar suggests couples postpone their weddings instead of canceling so businesses don't lose out on their deposits. Eventually couples will be able to celebrate their wedding date.
She also suggests couples consider moving their weddings to a weekday or try and work around the vendor or venue's schedule.
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"We do so much work leading up to it," she said. "We've already invested so much of our love and affection to these weddings."
And couples are taking the advice, putting their "I do's" on hold through at least the month of March. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended any event larger than 10 people be postponed for the next eight weeks.
"My background is in catering so I don’t know, something always goes wrong it's just kind of how things go," said bride-to-be Melissa Coel.
Through video chat Melissa Coel and her fiancé Lucas Marquardt said their San Diego wedding is not happening next month.
"At first our vendors and our guests didn’t know what answer to give us and then we didn’t know what answer to give them, is it on?" explained Marquardt.
Marquardt is from San Diego, where he and his fiancé now live, and the pair were hoping to get married in the city among their families and friends.
"I think through all of this the more things that go wrong with the wedding the stronger the marriage," said Coel.
While the couple is disappointed their San Diego wedding was called off, they said they know what matters most.
"Thankfully she still wants to marry me so that’s the important thing," Marquardt said with a big smile.
