EDMONTON -- A lot of couples planning to marry in 2020 didn’t expect their plans to be turned upside down.

“Our biggest fear was that it might rain and now we’re like if it rains it would still suck,” said bride-to-be Alix Sydenham.

“That’s the least of our worries,” her husband to be, David Brown interrupted.

The couple have been planning their special day since last August. Their guest list included 170 family and friends, then the pandemic hit.

“We’ve got 17 people coming so we’ve really scaled back,” said Sydenham.

“Throughout the whole process we’ve always known that we’re getting married and that’s been the certain that’s driven us regardless of what the day would look like,” she added.

The couple is sticking to their original wedding date and will tie the knot at The Whitewood Barn located near Millet.

The Whitewood Barn located near Millet.

“A lot of ups and downs and changing plans at the last minute and adjusting. I feel like we’ve done a pretty good job to make it work,” said Brown.

But not all couples were willing to adjust to the rapidly changing restrictions in place because of the Coronavirus.

“The majority of our brides moved to next year,” said Chris Ricke, owner of The Whitewood Barn.

The Whitewood Barn.

Only 10 of the 45 weddings booked at the barn still going ahead this year.

“We want it to be the best day ever, there’s rules that we didn’t create but we’re going to work within that perimeter and make it happen and make it an exceptional day,” Ricke said.

“If everybody cancels their wedding and pulls out on their vendors then next year wouldn’t necessarily be a possibility because we’ll bankrupt all those people. So I think we’ve just tried to be considerate of everybody,” said Sydenham.

Ricke said that consideration could be what keeps wedding vendors like herself from closing for good.

“This is our home. This is our business. It’s all combined in one so not only would I lose my barn I would lose my whole home,” she said.

The Whitewood Barn.

She said couples were given the option to reserve three different dates to accommodate the changing restrictions.

“They chose the original date then we picked a second date for later in the year and then we gave them a date into next year which again as a vendor, that’s new income that I can’t get because I’m holding back for these brides,” said Ricke.

Some couples, like Sydenham and Brown are opting to have a small, intimate wedding this summer but will return next year for a larger reception.

“How many brides get the opportunity to wear their dress twice,” Sydenham said.