Financial woes of weddings in pandemic

Many couples are canceling or postponing weddings this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

COUPLES PLANNING AWEDDING FOR 20-20 HAVEUNDOUBTEDLY BEENIMPACTED BY THECORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.SMALL BUSINESSES IN THEWEDDING INDUSTRY SAYIT'S HEARTBREAKINGWHEN COUPLES AREFORCED TO CANCEL OPOSTPONE.BUT THEY STILL HAVE ABUSINESS TO RUN.41 ACTION NEWSREPORTER EMMA JAMESEXPLAINS WHY REFUNDSAREN'T ALWAYS POSSIBLEIN THESE SITUATIONS.EMMA JAMES, REPORTING"Local wedding planners sayfor the most part, they're pastthe cancelation phase of thepandemic.

However, now theyhave to figure out whatweddings will look like in thefuture, and they still have along road of recovery forthemselves."MEGAN JULIAN, PROFESSIONALWEDDING PLANNER"While your wedding day isone day, and it's a reallyspecial day, understand thatfor a business for us it's 365."MEGAN JULIAN'S BUSINESSIS ONE OF MANY TRYINGTO NAVIGATE AN ENTIRESEASON WITHOUT INCOME- WHILE FACING DEMANDSFOR REFUNDWHEN COUPLES SIGN ACONTRACT - JULIAN SAYSTHE NON-REFUNDABLEDEPOSIT IS CRUCIAL FORTHE BUSINESS - AND ITGOES TOWARDS WORKTHAT'S ALREADY BEENDONE.MEGAN JULIAN, PROFESSIONALWEDDING PLANNER"Some of the planning stagesand phone calls and emailsand working through thedetails, creating contracts foryou."SHE SAYS POSTPONEMENTFEES ARE NECESSARY TOO- BECAUSE WHEN ACOUPLE POSTPONES -THEY'RE TAKING UP TWODATES AND THEIRVENDORS WILL ONLY GETHALF THE INCOME.CAROLYN CAMPBELLSCHWARTZ IS THE OWNEROF ULTRAPOM EVENTRENTAL, WHICH RENTSTHINGS LIKE TABLES,CHAIRS AND TABLECLOTHSFOR EVENTS.CAROLYN CAMPBELLSCHWARTZ, OWNER, ULTRAPOMEVENT RENTAL"All the events we had wentfrom being full steam ahead tocompletely canceled, and wedon't know when things aregoing to open back up."SHE WANTS PEOPLE TOUNDERSTAND - APANDEMIC DOESN'T MAKEA CONTRACT NULL ANDVOID.CAROLYN CAMPBELL SCHWARTZ,OWNER, ULTRAPOM EVENTRENTAL"We still have to keep payingthings even though ourbusiness is being completelywiped out."AS A WAY TO BE ASFLEXIBLE AS POSSIBLE -SHE'S OFFERING CREDITFOR ANOTHER DATE ORALLOWING IT TO BETRANSFERRED TOSOMEONE ELSE.SHE APPRECIATES THOSEWHO UNDERSTAND.CAROLYN CAMPBELL SCHWARTZ,OWNER, ULTRAPOM EVENTRENTAL"We're not big, giantcorporations even if we looklike it, we're just small littlecompanies trying to get by."IN KANSAS CITY,