Atlanta

Atlanta couple forced to cancel wedding now planning drive-in ceremony

ATLANTA — Couples across metro Atlanta forced to cancel or postpone their weddings due to the coronavirus pandemic are finding safe and creative ways to still celebrate their nuptials.

Juanita Velez, 30, of Atlanta and her fiancé, Helio Bernal, 30, of Atlanta planned to get married in Mexico on July 4, but the couple called off the ceremony as soon as the pandemic began to spread across the country.

“We didn’t want to put our guests and our friends and family in danger, as well as the people who are working the wedding,” said Velez, who immigrated to Atlanta in 1996 after fleeing Colombia in the middle of a drug war. “We didn’t want to put anyone at risk, so we decided to cancel the wedding in Mexico and unfortunately, our wedding planner wasn’t able to get our money back.”

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Out thousands of dollars, the couple vowed to find a way to celebrate their nuptials.

“We have been waiting seven years for this great moment,” said Bernal, who emigrated from Mexico to Atlanta. “We still wanted to make this happen, but we were very low on resources.”

The couple started reaching out to local businesses and eventually landed a venue. The Plaza Theater, which is currently closed, has been hosting drive in movies outside Dad’s Garage Theater.

“We decided to bring together all our friends and family at the drive-in,” the couple told Channel 2 during an interview via Zoom. “They’ll be in their cars and we will put together a trailer of our love story on the big screen.”

For those guests who can’t make the wedding, the couple plans to stream the ceremony live on Facebook. They’re also planning on giving out special customized party favors for the guests who attend.

“We will give out decorative masks as party gifts,” they added.

The couple is expecting 53 vehicles to attend.

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