Paul Szydelko
More than 20 independent Las Vegas wedding chapels have developed safety protocols they will follow in anticipation of reopening with limited operations amid the pandemic.
The agreement has the blessing of the Clark County clerk's office, which reopened the Marriage License Bureau on April 27. The bureau's March 17 closure because of the Covid-19 outbreak brought ceremonies in the self-proclaimed "Wedding Capital of the World" to a virtual halt. The industry creates an estimated $2.5 billion in economic activity annually for Southern Nevada.
"We really knew we needed to build trust in the people who come here specifically for [weddings]," said Melody Williams, executive director of Vegas Weddings, a family owned and operated wedding chapel company founded in 2001. Her company and the Las Vegas Wedding Chamber of Commerce, an organization dedicated to growing the destination wedding tourism industry, led the effort.
Williams, who has been with the company for seven years, said it was important to be proactive and demonstrate the industry's solidarity in implementing the procedures. "This is what we've all collectively agreed to do, and I think it's a powerful statement."
She said current Nevada and federal mandates, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policies and recommendations, were considered.
Among other protocols, chapels will place prominent floor markings spaced a minimum of six feet apart to promote social distancing; conduct temperature checks on guests with provisions made to isolate guests whose temperature exceeds 99.9 degrees; make hand sanitizer, wipes and disposable face masks available; provide touch-free digital payment collection, if possible; and designate a specific employee to be responsible for ongoing sanitizing procedures.
No more than 10 people can be in any venue unless they live in the same household or travel together.
How to handle guest count during initial phases of opening was probably the most sensitive issue to resolve, Williams said. "All the venues are so different. We worked a little bit harder on that verbiage, making sure we all agreed to it because everybody had a different point of view on that."
Williams said it was important to develop the protocols as a community, and she is proud of the result.
"Some of these people have probably never spoken to each other because it's so competitive," Williams said. "To bring together some of the biggest names in the wedding industry, like Charolette Richards from A Little White Wedding Chapel, and some of the oldest wedding chapels in Las Vegas, like Little Church of the West, it was pretty groundbreaking."
The guidelines help open a dialogue with couples, said Williams, who added that Vegas Weddings is waiving initial deposits. "We're letting couples book without any skin in the game. They may have a date in mind, but we know a flight could get canceled or something could happen during this pandemic. Even though we're clear and ready to host your wedding, you might need to reschedule it or move it."
Vegas Weddings also relaxed its cancellation policies to encourage bookings. "They're transferable. We have no penalties," Williams said. "We completely changed all of those pretty hardcore existing policies that have protected us for a while, but we wanted to tell people it's that important that you come here."
This year and early 2021 had been expected to be big for the industry with a number of easy-to-remember dates: April 20, 2020 (4/20/20); Oct. 10, 2020 (10/10/20); Jan. 2, 2021 (1/2/21); Feb.1, 2021 (2/1/21); Feb. 21, 2021 (2/21/21); and April 3, 2021 (4/3/21).
"The year 2020 is no longer the wedding year of our dreams," said Williams, whose company had to lay off 47 of 60 staff members and contractors. "It was slated to be record breaking. The industry itself is probably going to be down 30% to 38%, if not more, with people postponing or canceling or rescheduling."
Williams remains optimistic that Vegas' wedding chapel industry will rebound quickly. She said next year is looking really bright, and she expects 2022 to be robust, with pent-up demand extending into that year, as well.