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Wedding venues hit by social distancing

Large gatherings of all sorts have been halted by the coronavirus, including weddings. That's been hard, not only for many couples, but for wedding venues, too.

ASHLEY, Pa. — While scrolling through Facebook, you may have come across a video that features wedding venues from the world, including the Grand Bank in Ashley.

Wedding Venues over the world come together to create toilet paper challenge

Hello world! We are part of a number of FB groups where we are able to connect with and support other venues. This has been so helpful in this difficult time! So we contacted some of our venue friends all over the world and asked them to help us create this fun little video. It's a time to stick together and support each other and add a bit of humour. Thank you to: Gardens in the Gorge White Chimneys Glemham Hall The PONDS at Mable Farms The Roost at Butler Farm Izenstone Hewitts Homestead Wedding Venue & Accommodation The Grand Bank Willow Creek Crowcombe Court Rushpool Hall The Ravenswood Samantha Gilchrist Weddings Scott Mathieson WATCH TO THE END FOR OUTTAKES! #toiletpaperchallenge #supporteachother #weddingvenues

Posted by The Ravenswood on Sunday, April 12, 2020

"Someone from London who had posed the idea and she just reached out to the group, asking everyone if they owned a venue if you were able to go to your space and lend a roll of toilet paper to another venue across the world," said owner Ashlee Martinelli.

Martinelli says the humorous video was something she could be a part of during this time of social distancing and not feel so alone as a wedding venue owner.

"So many people, it's not just here in northeastern Pennsylvania, it's everywhere. There's so many people who are impacted by this, and it was something cute that everyone banded together to do."

Martinelli says she's working with couples who are trying to figure out what to do with their weddings scheduled for this spring and summer and has even put together a program for couples struggling with the process.

"Postpone, don't cancel. Our hashtag is #savethewedding; you know #vownowcelebratesoon, all of those things. You can still celebrate your marriage but maybe have the celebration later when you can still have all of those guests."

Martinelli says businesses dependent on events are trying to be creative to make it through this difficult time, but she looks forward to the day her space is Ashley can thrive again.

"It'll be really amazing to see these businesses be able to open up again, but on an event industry side, how will that impact gatherings? Because more of our clients have weddings with 150 guests, so more than that, and you know the question really is when will they be able to gather at that size?"

With so much uncertainty, Martinelli says she's happy to have a support system online filled with people from all over the world going through the exact same thing.

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