Brides around Colorado Springs use ingenuity while adjusting to coronavirus restrictions
Wedding planning is stressful in the best of times, but what happens when arrangements for everything from dresses to flowers and food have to be handled during a global pandemic, social distancing and stay-at-home guidelines?
“It’s very interesting and a little scary,” said bride-to-be Brandy Bunce.
Her Star Wars-themed wedding is set for April 2021 and the planning process has completely shifted.
“We have had to concentrate a lot on aspects of the wedding we could plan without needing to meet with other people or be in a store,” Bunce, 35, said.
Finding the perfect wedding dress without going to a bridal boutique and trying on several dresses with family and friends, as is often tradition, was out of the question.
“My mother is in her 70’s so I would be putting her at risk by keeping my appointment if the pandemic continued into late May,” Bunce said, detailing worries about keeping everyone safe for what should be a happy event.
Something New Boutique in Colorado Springs had just the thing to help: Virtual dress appointments.
The idea was one of necessity, owner Mindi Linscombe said.
Something New Manager Kristi Gurule and Carroll, right to left, pick out accessories for mother-of-the-bride, Ellen Johnson, and daughter,Savannah Johnson. Future bride Savannah Johnson was doing a fitting and picking out accessories for her wedding on Saturday, May 2, 2020. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
“When we were forced to close (under state orders related to the spread of the coronavirus), we realized quickly that we still needed to be able to take care of our brides.” Linscombe said.
The solution was a box filed with several dresses of their choosing sent to or picked-up by brides who could try on the dresses in the comfort and safety of their homes while still being surrounded by family. A stylist joined in via video conferencing to help out.
“We were really able to do the whole process over Facetime.” Linscombe said. “It was really beautiful, they still got to have their special ‘say yes to the dress’ moment.”
Bunce appreciated the effort and support from the shop.
“It was unique and beautiful even without the traditional in-store experience” she said.
Savannah Johnson’s wedding is set for June and while she already purchased her dress, all of her follow-up fitting appointments at Something New Boutique had to be rescheduled with strict protocols to adhere with social distancing and other safety practices.
“My dress took months to make and arrive,” Johnson, 21, said. Even with the state allowing shops to open May 1, she could only take two people to the fitting with her. The state order allows a limited number of people in the boutique at a time.
Linscombe said she’s following the recommendations of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including requiring face masks for staff as well as gloves for the stylists.
“We want to not only protect our brides, but also our staff,” she said.
Guests arriving for Johnson’s dress appointment were asked to wash their hands and wear their face mask.
Johnson, like Bunce, altered her planning schedule for a fewer hands-on activities.
“There isn’t much a bride can do when it comes to planning from their couch when lots of meetings and planning within groups have to happen within two months of the wedding.” Johnson said.
Weddings themselves also are changing, with some venues limiting crowd size and requiring social distancing.
Creekside Event Center, where Johnson plans to get married, has already told couples to expect to adhere with social distancing policies and crowd limits set by the state.
Editor’s note: We incorrectly reported the limit for crowd size allowed at Creekside Event Center in our original version of this story.
Since reopening Something New to in-person bride fittings, future brides have been able to do fittings at the store. Manager Kristi Gurule and wedding planner Marcia Carroll, right to left, study the hem of the dress while mother-of-the-bride, Ellen Johnson, looks up at her daughter, Savannah Johnson, trying on her dress Saturday, May 2, 2020. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
Bride Brandy Bunce is planning a Star Wars themed wedding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brandy and her mother, Fern Bunce, and sister, Wendy Bunce, look over lightsabers and flowers that Brandy will fashion into bridesmaid bouquets April 27, 2020. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
Since reopening Something New to in-person bride fittings, employees sanitize each dress after it is tried on by brides. Stylist Sophia Burgo steams a dress at the wedding and formalwear store on Saturday, May 2, 2020. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
Future bride Savannah Johnson gives her sister, Eliana Johnson, a peak at her dress at their home on Thursday, May 23, 2020. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)