Wedding venues adapt to DC's new mask mandate
WASHINGTON - The coronavirus is taking the ring out of wedding bells in the nation's capital.
As of Saturday in the District, everyone over the age of 2 will be required to wear face masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status.
That has some couples who have been waiting anxiously to get married scrambling yet again.
"The venue obviously wants to keep its license and be able to keep open," D.C. wedding planner Katie Martin tells FOX 5. "I mean it is a law, it’s a thing that we have to follow…if venues get caught they will be closed down."
The announcement from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to wear masks inside comes as millions remain unvaccinated and the Delta variant continues to spread throughout the country.
Martin says it's been a difficult year-and-a-half for the wedding industry, and for reassuring couples whose weddings were already postponed by the pandemic.
Martin says now, many couples are requiring or encouraging guests to be vaccinated.
Many others are just thankful to be able to gather once again.
"I think people for the most part have been very respectful and all of my clients are excited for the weddings and excited they’re not rolling back the number yet," Martin said. "So that’s the biggest thing we need to be concerned about: That if the variants get out of control, governments will shut venues down again."
FOX 5 spoke with other wedding planners who say some clients are thinking of postponing their event, canceling outright or moving the wedding out of D.C. to somewhere without restrictions.
Those wedding planners tell us the industry cannot handle another season of cancellations.