Wedded Bliss: Big Weddings Resume In New York

LONG ISLAND, NY — Wedding bells are in the air (again)!

A year after New York prohibited big weddings to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, couples as of Monday can now hold weddings with up to 150 people.

There are several restrictions. Wedding guests must be present proof of a vaccination or negative test for the virus. They also must wear masks and stay within a "bubble" with other guests at their table. And musicians must stay at least 12 feet away from guests, among other rules.

Those in the wedding industry are ecstatic.

Heather Cunningham, owner of the wedding planning service Brides of Long Island, said resuming big weddings feels like Christmas.

"Not only do I see it as a step in the right direction, it gives everybody — brides, grooms and the wedding industry professionals — a breath of fresh air," she said.

She said that while allowing big weddings again is a step in the right direction, it will be some time before weddings feel normal again.

"All of the brides that got very excited for this announcement are now in a panic because they don't know if it's going to be the wedding they envision," Cunningham said. "A lot don't want a big, extravagant, 150(-person), sit-down wedding. They want the dancing, they want the hugging and kissing."

She said there are many questions, including where guests have to be tested and whether couples should pay for testing.

"There's so many unknowns that make it very frustrating and difficult to plan an event of this magnitude," she said.

However, many brides, especially those who don't want to wait to start their families, are still planning on getting married this year, she said. She said a handful of brides pushed their weddings to 2022, but not as many are postponing as last year.

"That's why [the wedding] industry is such a mess right now because of how many people have canceled," Cunningham said. "The wedding industry is such a family event. When you go to a wedding you want to dance, you want to hug and kiss your cousins and grandmother, and you just can't do that right now. It's about family and love and I just don't think years from now guests are going to sit at the tables and clap while the bride and groom dance."

Since coronavirus hit, the industry has taken a huge hit financially. Many venues and wedding businesses were forced to close, including Cunningham's. She said she doesn't plan on reopening her wedding store.

In addition, the pandemic has brought new traditions, such at-home Zoom weddings and drive-by weddings. Some have opted for civil ceremonies with no guests and pushed the reception to after the pandemic. Others left New York to get married in other states with fewer restrictions.

There has been a recent uptick in brides booking for the first time in a year and the industry has received the boost it needed, according to Cunningham.