Weddings, Funerals Both Impacted By Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The search for a dream wedding dress may be on hold because of the coronavirus (COVID-19). With weddings booked months in advance, a state of emergency is a nightmare come true for many Oklahoma couples.

Monday, March 16th 2020, 5:59 pm

By: Hunter McKee

It's also affecting bridal stores. They expect to lose customers.

"I think with our business, it would be almost impossible to do that virtually," said Jane Kelly, owner of JJ Kelly Bridal. "I mean, I can't work from home and help a bride with her dress."

Kelly is advising brides to bring only two guests to the store. Wedding planners say they've had couples cancel their events or find alternatives to make sure they don't have more than 50 guests.

Some companies say they've actually advised their clients to cancel, even though it hurts them financially.

"It does truly affect me. I have budgets, and I have income that I project for the year -- and they're just dropping like flies," said Bea Penhall, owner of About Last Night.

Funeral homes have also taken extra precautions by limiting the number of guests in their building. Funeral director Tyler Smith plans to provide livestreamed services, private burials and private family funerals.

"We've told some of the families, just in general, we're going to follow CDC guidelines trying to keep those crowds less than 50 people," Smith said.

Smith also mentioned sanitizing and keeping each of their locations as clean as possible, especially because of the amount of elderly guests they see each day.

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