The 3 Willows Event Center was ready to pop champagne bottles at its first wedding reception at the new venue in Lyons Falls on July 25 of last year.
But COVID-19 hit last March and the entire wedding reception season at the 500-seat wedding and event banquet center was canceled, leaving couples and 3 Willow Event Center owners hoping the 2021 season would be different.
And it is different.
Last month, the state released restrictive wedding guidelines leaving wedding reception venues scrambling at what the regulations mean and how to apply them. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced he was allowing weddings up to 150 people, provided that everyone attending had proof of a negative virus test. The guidelines also include that county health departments have to approve all weddings.