P.E.I. wedding industry calls for clarity on rules as COVID-19 restrictions continue to relax

As the province continues to relax COVID-19 restrictions, some of the Island's wedding planners are wondering how it will impact the industry this summer.

The Department of Justice and Public Safety says it hopes to have the Vital Statistics Office in Montague open for May 25 and for Kristina Allen, who runs Elysian Weddings, that is "honestly just the best news.

"Obviously most couples, or many couples, have decided to postpone the full wedding but a lot are still holding onto hope that they'll still be able to get married," she said.

"One of the big deciding factors that's been moving over us is if and when marriage licenses will become available. So I know a lot of couples are going to be really happy to hear that."

She said the office had a very long wait list and anticipates staff will be receiving a flurry of calls over the next few days.

I have a few couples, myself, who will do anything it takes to get here even if they do have to come and self-isolate.— Kristina Allen, wedding planner

"There are many couples who are still hoping to get married but it's definitely not the full demand we would normally see in a season by any means." 

Allen said the local wedding industry continues to face many of the same questions as the Island's tourism operators.

"As a destination for weddings, we get a lot of couples from off-Island who are still really hoping to get here, to even just elope," she said.

"I have a few couples, myself, who will do anything it takes to get here even if they do have to come and self-isolate for two weeks before they can get married." 

On Friday, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison announced members of a household can now gather indoors with up to five other people from different households, and outdoors with up to 10 other people.

Sooner rather than later

Allen said while this serves as a good omen, she wonders how these rules will apply to gatherings like weddings.

"If we're in a situation with a wedding do we really still have to decide which two people you're allowed to hug?" she said.

"So we're still looking for a little more wedding-specific clarification." 

If the Island's restrictions won't allow for couples from off-Island to have their weddings on P.E.I., having that information available sooner rather than later would be key in preparing for alternative options.

"If they're not going to be able to get married here this summer, they're going to need to start making those back-up plans because 2021 was already going to be a very, very busy season as is," Allen said.

There was a couple in Texas who got married at the drive-in.— Kristina Allen, wedding planner

So far, Allen said only three out of 43 of her scheduled weddings has been "fully cancelled." Another four couples have told her they're looking to scale back, while the remaining have postponed until 2021.

In addition to mini "Vegas-style" and Zoom weddings, Allen is offering couples looking to adapt to the new circumstances. She's also working on figuring out a way to host weddings at the Brackley Drive-In.

"There was a couple in Texas who got married at the drive-in and, for me, I love the drive-in — it's one of my favourite places to get to in the summer," Allen said.

"I spoke to Bob Boyle and they're looking at ways to expand their services so it seems like a perfect fit."

She said while the idea is still in its initial stages, she published a post about the idea on social media and it's already garnered quite a bit of interest from couples.

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