Couples shrink guest lists to comply with virus restrictions
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Nikki De Vries had hoped to celebrate her wedding Saturday with about 50 of her family and friends.
But this week, she was faced with the unenviable task of whittling her guest list down to 15. She understands, though, that disinviting some people is an unavoidable consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I don’t want my family members to get sick,” said De Vries, who last weekend married Armando Castro in a small ceremony in Sioux City.
Recently, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation imposing new restrictions on public gatherings as the state recorded record numbers of new coronavirus infections. Attendance at weddings, funerals and other indoor events are temporarily capped at 15 people, while outdoors gatherings are limited to 30. The proclamation remains in effect until at least midnight Dec. 10.
In recent months, as COVID-19 ebbed and flowed, De Vries went back and forth on her November wedding plans, before she ultimately decided that the nuptials should go on because “there’s always a reason not to.” For those immediate family members who do make the final guest list, the ceremony will have masks and sanitizers in addition to the rings and vows.
“I feel kind of sad that certain people aren’t going to be there, and kind of guilty, like, who do you invite, who do you not invite, where do you draw the line?” she told the Sioux City Journal.
With an ongoing, elevated number of coronavirus infections in Woodbury County, the Siouxland District Health Department has warned repeatedly against large wedding receptions and similar gatherings. Now these warnings are backed by a governor’s proclamation.
It’s unclear to what extent the governor’s order will impact funerals, as a large number of obituaries in recent months...