As the coronavirus pandemic continues, large gatherings remain at a standstill—and weddings are certainly still included in that category. Couples and vendors have both worked tirelessly to postpone spring weddings with the health and safety of guests and staffers in mind as social distancing measures continue to be enforced.
Many celebs, who were set to wed this spring, have also had to pivot their plans. Read on to see how public figures are responding to the sudden challenges in planning.
Taraji P. Henson and Kelvin Hayden
The Empire actress touched on her wedding in January, confirming her choice of a Vera Wang wedding gown in addition to other planning notes. Henson revealed how April 4, 2020 was her original chosen date, but her planner ended up informing the couple of weather patterns during that time of year.
In March, they postponed their date even further back to July. “Our grandparents—my grandmother is about to turn 96, his is 86—how do we get them to the wedding now?” she mused to Extra. “Now we are concerned, just trying to figure out the safest and best way.”
Emma Stone and Dave McCary
Emma Stone and Dave McCary, who were reportedly set to marry in a ceremony in Los Angeles in March, opted to postpone their wedding in light of the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, a source told Page Six that they hadn’t yet set a new date, but are waiting to see what the best next steps forward might be.
The pair got engaged in December after two years of dating; they met on the set of Saturday Night Live, where McCary is a segment director, back in 2016, when Stone was hosting the show. They were first romantically linked in October 2017.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 18: Emma Stone and Dave McCary attend the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers basketball game at Staples Center on January 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, who got engaged on Valentine’s Day (in a helicopter, no less!), were one of the first couples to reportedly postpone their impending nuptials. “It was all set for Japan with 150 guests,” a source told People of Perry and Bloom’s initial plans. “Katy was actually really excited about walking down the aisle pregnant. They were both so elated that all the wedding details were finally coming together, but they are hitting pause because of coronavirus.”
Perry also commented on her postponed plans in a comment on Erin Foster’s controversial post about weddings in April. “Not to brag, but what a time to have already had your wedding,” Foster wrote alongside a photo from her own ceremony held on New Year’s Eve. While the post didn’t sit well with the masses, Perry wrote, “Feels pointed @erinfoster.”
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom attend the LA Premiere of Amazon’s “Carnival Row” at TCL Chinese Theatre on August 21, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
The couple’s decision was made public just hours after Perry revealed her first pregnancy with the music video for her new song “Never Worn White,” in which the singer is shown cradling a baby bump.
Perry, for her part, is prioritizing accordingly. In a recent interview with Stellar Magazine, she revealed that she and Bloom are “united” in their perspective on the wedding. “It’s not about the party. It’s about the coming together of people who will hold us accountable when things get really hard,” she said. “Those are just the facts when you’re with someone who challenges you to be your best self.”
Lala Kent and Randall Emmett
With a month left to go until their nuptials, Kent and Emmett made the call to postpone their weddingin mid-March. The Vanderpump Rules personality and producer have now pivoted their plans from a mid-April wedding to a summer 2020 celebration that will include their fellow Bravo castmates among others.
“The update is we had to postpone it to late July,” Emmett told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. “We’re gonna obviously wait to see how things go [and on] June 1, reassess the situation, but you know, safety is number one right now. We were heartbroken. We both (I think) shed a lot of tears, and I think we’re optimistic and excited to get it onward and upward.”
Lala Kent (L) and Randall Emmett attend the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 23, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
Sammi ‘Sweetheart’ Giancola and Christian Biscardi
The original Jersey Shore cast member and Biscardi had to postpone their nuptials until a later date in September, according to a report from Us Weekly. Giancola and Biscardi got engaged in March 2019 and were wedding planning diligently for a year.
It’s still unclear whether Giancola has invited her former MTV cast members after retiring from the reality series after a stint that started in 2009. She also turned down an opportunity to appear on Jersey Shore Reunion.
Dennis Quaid and Laura Savoie
Another celebrity couple who have to (temporarily) put their wedding on hold is Dennis Quaid and his fiancée, Laura Savoie, who are citing “travel issues” as the primary reason for pumping the brakes on their wedding plans. (Quaid proposed to the 26-year-old PhD student last October at Turtle Bay in Oahu, Hawaii.)
Quaid has spoken out before about his love for Savoie, and likely wants to make sure that their family and friends, many of whom might have to travel far for their nuptials, are in attendance.
“I didn’t go out looking for an age gap or someone really younger than me,” Quaid told The Guardian in November 2019. “I met her at a business event and then the relationship developed. You have no control over who you fall in love with. I don’t fall in love easy. But I can’t let what a few people think control all that. I’ve been married three times and this is the final one, I know it is. I feel like I have a real partner in life.”
Princess Beatrice and Eduoardo Mozzi
Princess Beatrice and Eduoardo Mozzi may have to wait just a bit longer to say “I do”: the couple’s wedding, which has already been postponed twice, may have to be pushed back a third time in light of the coronavirus concerns, which are impacting couples worldwide. The couple was originally set to be wed on May 29 at St. James’s Palace in London, with a reception held in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. But on Tuesday, March 17, Queen Elizabeth announced that the Palace would be canceling all upcoming garden parties, which will likely include Princess Beatrice’s wedding reception.
In February, a source told People that in addition to postponing the wedding date itself, the event will “be smaller than the original plan.” St. James’s Palace can accommodate up to 100 guests.
Princess Beatrice Announces Engagement To Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
Liam Gallagher and Debbie Gwyther
Liam Gallagher and fiancée Debbie Gwyther are postponing their wedding for the time being in light of ongoing coronavirus concerns. The English singer and songwriter originally planned to wed Gwyther in a dream wedding in Italy in July, but seeing as how the entire country is currently on lockdown in response to the pandemic, the couple is looking at a Plan B.
“They both loved the idea of a romantic Italian wedding this summer but now the coronavirus situation has thrown a spanner in the works,” a source told The Sun on Sunday. “Obviously in the short term, it is disappointing. But they are adamant their day—whenever it happens—will be perfect. Luckily, after so long with Liam, Debbie is used to dealing with things not going to plan.”
Gallagher and Gwyther have been together for six years; the Oasis singer proposed while the pair were on holiday on Italy’s Amalfi Coast last August.
If you’re looking to postpone your own nuptials, experts have a few words of advice: be vigilant and be flexible. “In an abundance of caution, we took the initiative to contact all couples, venues and vendors on behalf of each client to explore backup dates, place holds and establish deadlines for making decisions,” New York-based event planner Amy Shey Jacobs of Chandelier Events tells The Knot. “The goal is to mitigate the financial damage and give our clients well-thought-out strategies for rescheduling their event date. It is a giant game of chess.’’
Adds Jacobs: “Contact your venue and vendors to see when you have a backup date that works. And [check to see if there’s] a deadline for when you need to decide by.”
Published March 18, 2020. Updated April 15, 2020.