NORFOLK, Va. - Getting married was stressful even before COVID-19 hit, but now making plans for the future is extra difficult.
One local couple said they have had to postpone their wedding three times this year.
Two years ago, Dustan Butler of Norfolk got down on one knee on a beach in Hawaii and asked the love of his life to marry him.
“It's funny 'cause I'm really hard to surprise, and that's probably the only time I ever have been or will be,” said Leanne Coleman of Virginia Beach.
Coleman said "yes," but the road to tie the knot would be more difficult than they imagined.
The couple has dated since 2012.
They were supposed to wed in April, but COVID-19 forced them to push the wedding back until October. They decided to reschedule it for January 2021.
But the new COVID-19 restrictions in Virginia would have forced them to cut their guest list down to just a fraction of who they wanted to invite. They have about 110 people they want to come to their wedding.
“We want to make sure we can include all our friends and family,” said Coleman.
“It definitely has been a little nerve-racking. [We're] kind of bummed out,” said Butler.
But they said they’re looking on the bright side, like being able to travel for their honeymoon without COVID-19 restrictions and having more money to spend on the wedding.
“Maybe opening the bar a little longer,” said Coleman. “We're definitely just trying to look at the positives, and our priority really always has been just making sure our friends and family are safe and healthy. We're not ready to pick a new date because of the uncertainty, and we've told our friends and family three dates, so they're probably like, ‘Good grief.'"
Related: Hampton bride and groom forced to cancel two celebrations due to coronavirus
They praised the Brick Anchor Brew House, which is their venue. They said the owner has been wonderful to work with and has been very understanding.
“COVID - it's pretty serious, and we don't want anybody to get sick. We're looking out for ourselves, too,” said Butler.
“It's really just making it official, and as much as we want to do that quickly, it's okay to wait. We have already decided that we're going to be together forever,” said Coleman.
