Wedding Season Derailed: Coronavirus Cancels Party Plans

Nearly a million couples scheduled to tie the knot between March and May are being forced to rethink their plans due to the coronavirus outbreak. NBC's Liz McLaughlin reports.

(NBC News) — Wedding season has just begun, and quickly been derailed due to the coronavirus crisis.

Couples and vendors across the country are now scrambling to make new plans.

Cassie Kreitner and her fiancee planned all the little details for their big day in May, but now all of that is changing due to social distancing guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19.

“I saw in some of the bride Facebook groups, people were starting to panic,” Kreitner says.

With almost a million weddings scheduled in the U.S. from March to May, many ceremonies are being canceled.

Wedding website “The Knot” launched a 24-hour hotline to help couples navigate this uncharted planning territory.

“We’re encouraging couples to be flexible with vendors,” says The Knot’s Kristen Maxwell Cooper. “You may not be able to get a Saturday down the road, but there are other days that are perfectly acceptable.”

Kreitner’s guests are getting a new invitation for a Sunday in August.

“The longer this goes on, the more people are going to be rescheduling and you’ll have fewer dates to choose from,” she says.

Still, it’s not all cancellations. Some couples are holding much smaller ceremonies, and planning for a larger reception further down the road.

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