Spring is a big time for weddings and graduation parties. The coronavirus has halted gatherings, forced many of us to cancel plans and put a strain on event companies.
A local venue helping bridal parties is taking advantage of the downtime.
The reception hall at The Venues in downtown Toledo would usually be packed with a wedding party this weekend as the busy season gets underway.
But the coronavirus has the rooms and the calendar empty this month.
"This was supposed to be our first spring wedding today. Our kickstart to weddings every weekend through the end of the year," said Venue manager Angie Gioiella. "Today walking into an empty venue was kind of sad."
The forced shutdown of the business has owner, Tim Farthing, nervous.
"It makes me anxious as I'm sure the brides are all anxious but we know it'll all be better on the other side of this," said Farthing.
Still, they say It's actually been a blessing in disguise.
They are using this downtime for big renovation projects that would have taken weeks. When they do open back up they want it to be even better than before.
"We've pulled some of the staff from our party and equipment rental side to our tooling and equipment side so we stay busy over there. The rest understand that when we are so busy with events that we don't always have the time for maintenance so they appreciate it," said Tim.
Most Saturdays for the back half of the year are already booked. The Venues are here to help, working with brides to reschedule their big day. Angie has some advice.
"I would tell all the brides, first start to think about what this day is for you. If you need to keep this date, have a smaller ceremony then have a big reception later with all your family and friends," said Angie.
Some good options are backup dates down the road or taking advantage of an open Friday or Sunday.
When we can all get together again, it'll be a much-needed celebration, regardless of the day of the week.