Rebekah Pasqualetto - Vintage Ballroom
MARCH 20, 2020 © Right Here, Right Now.
It’s just really sad right now. For the next foreseeable future, we don’t have weddings. Everything’s been postponed. The couple’s getting married is excited, but like, I get excited too because I get to help create their vision. A lot of what they’re doing is us working together, and I’m giving them suggestions. Most weddings, I’m helping create the day, and as an artist, I really enjoy doing that. And now, that’s all stopped. You can hear when you’re walking, you can hear the footsteps, you can hear them upstairs. It’s just a somber and silent environment all around.
So, our last wedding was on March 14. I believe it was the day before that wedding, both the clients and my staff all kind of had an idea of what’s to come. My clients wanted to go forward with their wedding at that time, and there was no ban in place, so we absolutely allowed it. And then, I want to say it was Tuesday, so just a few days later, all of a sudden, we have this imposed “10 people or less per gathering”. Well, there goes all of my work, until at least June will be the earliest wedding we’ll have. Our clients on the 14th, they were happy of the date that they chose. They were a bit nervous about their grandparents coming in, and even during that wedding, we took extra precautions. Every thirty minutes, we were wiping down all surfaces, we added hand sanitizing stations, and handwashing sinks, and we were doing everything to prevent the spread of whatever sickness someone may have. But obviously, that’s not enough, because now we’re just closed down.
It’s terrifying, but at the same time, we were at a place in our business where we were preparing to hire another full-time staff member. Right now, it’s just my husband and me, and then some of my family members work part-time during the weddings, and the teachers we have were kind of independents. We were in the process of hiring a full-time staff member, so we were saving money away to provide a salary for that person. Now, we’re not going to be able to hire that person because all of the money saved is now going to go towards keeping us open until this whole thing is over. That’s the only reason I can breathe a little bit, but even at that, we have a cap. If this goes on for more than six months, obviously not just our business, but every business, is going to be looking at things a whole lot differently. Right now, the limit on gatherings is supposed to go until April 30th, but there’s a pretty high chance of that extending, and we’re expecting that. I’m freaking out, and I’ll have my moments where I’m okay and I’m breathing, and then all of a sudden, everything just comes crashing down. I mean, part of that also, is the clients that I’m working with, the clients where they were planning on getting married within the next couple of months, and now they’re trying to figure out what to do. Most of them are understanding and totally get what situation we are in and what situation they are in. And of course, you have some people who are extremely upset, and not wanting to find a resolution to any of this, which is just making it more difficult all around, because we’re trying to keep our doors open in the meantime. So, it’s just a lot to process. I just got to turn off my phone sometimes, and not look at it. Not respond to emails until I can gather my thoughts and not have a mental breakdown.
This ballroom is who I am. This is 100% my identity. Upon opening this space four years ago, I had lost my job, and I gave everything I had at that point into making this work. For my husband, he’s taking the time to learn new skills, and he’s really diving into his hobbies. But this is my hobby. I get bored of looking at a wall, and I’ll find a way to redesign it and recreate it, and I’m always trying to better this space because it is truly what I enjoy doing. So, I don’t know. My plan from here is I have a couple of months off, I’m just going to see what kind of renovations I can do to this space because this truly is my entire life. I don’t have kids, I have three dogs and my husband, and this is my hobby, and this is my passion. So, I’m just going to keep my focus on this, and even if we’re not hosting weddings at this time, I can still do what I can to better this space.
Just like many businesses, we sell gift cards and we do things of that nature. But a lot of people right now are facing unemployment. I think all around, just being kind to one another, and understanding. If you’re planning a wedding, and your vendor isn’t giving you exactly what you need at this moment, just give it some time. I think most people, especially most small businesses, want to make their clients happy. Right now, every solution isn’t on the table. We’re very limited in what we can do in order to continue operating. So just be understanding and know that we’re doing truly what we can to survive at this point. Once this hurdle has been crossed, we’ll be able to be a lot more flexible on going forward. So, just truly having an understanding of that.
The things that I’m grateful for haven’t changed. I’ve always been so grateful that we were blessed enough to find this space and be able to create this space and share it with so many people. It was by chance that we were able to do this. This isn’t the end, and I’m very grateful that it’s not the end.
We have some amazing, amazing clients who continue to support us with how they can. We’ve even had clients say that “If it comes to the point where we’re choosing between being able to afford our rent somewhere”, like not here because this will get paid. We’re talking like … one of the ways that we’ll stay open is I’m willing to give up my house and technically become homeless. So, we’ve had students open up their homes to us, and let us know we can live with them rent-free during this time if we have to. Everyone who’s made this ballroom happen, from… like it sounds cheesy, but like, the landlords that we have are really great to work with. The clientele we have are amazing to work with. So, I’m just blessed for the people that are around us that make this ballroom possible.