Sarah Reeves-Saunders and Jarrid Brown have had to postpone their April wedding due to coronavirus. Picture: Candice Van Moolenbroek.
Devastated bride's wedding nightmare amid Covid-19
Rainee Shepperson
A DEVASTATED Sarina bride can no longer celebrate her April wedding due to the shocking ramifications of the coronavirus.
After the government's announcement banning non-essential gatherings of more than 100 people, first-time bride and groom Sarah Reeves-Saunders and Jarrid Brown were forced to make the difficult decision to postpone their nuptials indefinitely.
Ms Reeves-Saunders said she could not help but cry about the situation yesterday after all the effort that had gone into planning a wedding.
But with family in NZ unable to fly due to the travel ban and parents in the high-risk category, she said postponing the ceremony was her only option.
"We were supposed to have the wedding at my parent's house with about 100 people attending" she said.
"Even if we had a smaller guest list, my dad is 76 and I have a baby nephew, so we can't afford to put anyone's health at risk."
Ms Reeves-Saunders is a Sarina photographer and has seen first-hand the effects coronavirus has had on small businesses.
The 32 year old said the majority of her work was shooting weddings and she already had several clients cancel and postpone their ceremonies.
But as a bride herself, she understood the importance of being flexible.
"I have given people a credit for their booking with no expiry date, so if they want to re-book their wedding for a later date I can work with that," Ms Reeves-Saunders said.
"I have noticed all the wedding vendors have been really flexible so when things go back to normal people should be able to reschedule their ceremonies."
Sarah Reeves-Saunders and Jarrid Brown have had to postpone their April wedding due to coronavirus.
Despite a cancelled hen's party this weekend and a drop in bookings, Ms Reeves-Saunders said life would proceed as normal.
But it was little things around town that showed the true impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I normally leave the house to get a coffee everyday but I've noticed a drop in business everywhere. I think less people are heading out and everyday life is going to change for a while."
Mackay wedding photographer Deanne Wood has noticed a similar drop in business and is concerned about the industry.
She said photographers, makeup artists, florists and venue owners would all be affected.
"I've got about nine weddings that might be affected in the next few months and a few of my clients are still trying to work out their guest numbers," Ms Wood said.
"It really depends on whether their venue is flexible and has an outdoor option."
A big Thank-you to all who voted for me. I made the top 4 wedding photographers of Mackay according to a recent Daily Mercury poll along with some other amazing photographers. http://ow.ly/psQp30pZblz
Posted by Deanne Woods Photography on Thursday, 5 December 2019
Ms Wood is hopeful her clients will postpone, rather than cancel their ceremonies.
She said photographers like herself relied on weddings and with the current state of the world, she was worried about the next year in business.
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