(WXYZ) — While restaurants are able to open at 50% capacity starting on Friday, many people who are planning weddings or had to cancel weddings are still wondering when theirs can happen under loosened restrictions.
"It's still that hint of the unknown. Like, should I order invites?" Natalie Behnke asked.
It's a question a lot of Michigan brides are asking. Beginning Friday, banquet and event halls can host 25 people under loosened restrictions, which is an improvement from the last time she checked in with the venue.
"When I had emailed the venue at the end of August, it was 10 people indoors with masks," she said.
Like many other brides, that just wasn't enough, so she and her fiance postponed.
"I think we had sent out about 150 save the dates, including double households, so we had probably over 220 people invited," she said.
Then, there are the people behind the scenes, who depend on brides for business.
"The challenge is I had 300-plus employees last year, and now I have under 100 employees," Paul Wegert, the managing director of the Inn At St. John's said.
The Inn at St. John's has four ballrooms, but has essentially been dark over the past year.
"We have 10,000 square-foot ballrooms, and we can only have 25 people in there, while restaurants are open at 50%, which is great for the restaurants," he said.
Weger said the 50% capacity should be talked about at venues like his, because of the space that can accommodate for social distancing with guests. Until then, he said the loosened restrictions are still a good sign, but it's not really a patch for their business.
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