MACON, Ga. — The coronavirus isn't stopping love, or long-awaited weddings.
One Central Georgia bride is speaking about what happened leading up to the big day, and a few venues are saying they're gearing up for a busy year.
Lauren Howell is getting married in two weeks!
"I am just so glad it's happening," said Howell.
Howell's fiancé Matt proposed in 2019.
She said, "We flew all the way to Colorado and he had the ring and everything, and I had no idea!"
Howell says they got lucky because originally they had their heart set on a fall 2020 wedding. That was before pushing it back to spring of 2021.
"Luckily for Matt and I booked everything right before the shut down," said Howell.
However, that wasn't the case for most of their friends.
"Several friends that have had to push their wedding back," said Howell. "They actually had to push them back after mine."
2020 was unpredictable for wedding venues across the nation.
At Emerson Ballroom, Cesare Mammarella said, "It was terrible, we lost about 50-60 percent of our events."
Mammarella helps run Emerson Ballroom in downtown Macon, and now he says they're playing catch up.
"People are just trying to make up for all the events that were cancelled last year," he said.
That's why there are a lot more weddings planned for this year than normal, even on Sundays, and that's for a couple of other venues, too.
Dianne Parker at Rosa' Laevigata says: "We have some bookings for next year, so that's exciting, too."
"We're starting to book again," said owner of Alexander Ballroom Catered Events Donie Hogan. "People are starting to come back out."
All three venues have different protocol in place. Hogan also says she's still treating her bookings as though the vaccine hasn't been rolled out yet.
Hogan said, "We are still making sure people have their masks on, sanitizing. We also bring in a company after each events and sanitize.
Some other venues say they are offering different packages that allow for just outdoor seating.
In addition to weddings pushed back from last year, Mammarella said the wedding season will also be busier because more people are getting their vaccine and becoming more comfortable to attend public events.
He said venues will be playing catch up for years to come.