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Fredericksburg native plans wedding amid coronavirus

When Rebecca Itz and Jonny Callaway first met, it played out like a modern-day love story.

After Callaway redownloaded a dating app, the first profile he was shown belonged to Itz.

“And I just fell in love,” Callaway said.

Just over a year and a half later, the couple became engaged when Callaway snuck in a surprise during the holidays.

“When I went to Fredericksburg to celebrate Christmas with her family, I hid the ring in the tree,” Callaway said.

While Fredericksburg native Rebecca Itz and her fiancé Jonny Callaway plan their dream wedding for June 2021, they must consider how the coronavirus could change their plans

The couple met in College Station where Callaway is from, but Itz grew up in Fredericksburg.

“I really wanted to get married in Fredericksburg, because that was always my goal,” Itz said.

With the engagement happening in December of 2019, the happy couple could not predict what 2020 had in store.

Itz said newly engaged couples experience all kinds of pressure as soon as the news is out.

“Immediately after you get engaged, everybody wants to know, and within days, people had asked me, ‘Have you set a date yet?’ No, absolutely not,” Itz said.

The couple is taking their time with planning the wedding and feel that it is paying off.

The first thing you should take care of when planning a wedding is setting the date, Itz said.

Callaway and Itz avoided unexpected turbulence by planning their wedding for June of this year.

“The second thing we did is we picked a venue,” Itz said. “And I did a lot of research with venues in Fredericksburg.”

After considering several potential venues and touring top choices, they chose to host their wedding at the Vista Oaks event center.

“We’re getting married in the chapel and then, next door, 20 yards away from the chapel is this big event hall,” Itz said. “It seats 500 people and that’s where we’re going to have the reception. So, it’s like a one-stop shop.”

After the date and the venue were set, the couple still had a lot of planning ahead of them from the bar service and food vendors to the dress and invitations.

“When you’re doing a wedding, the most important thing is your budget,” Itz said. “It’s expensive.”

Itz said most of the vendors they considered had COVID-19 clauses built into their contracts.

“I have a lot of research on everything,” Itz said. “I have gotten at quotes from at least five different people for everything.”

With a few local additions, the couple will have their rehearsal dinner catered by Mamacita’s and the priest who confirmed Itz will be marrying the couple.

One of the hardest challenges they face while planning the wedding during a pandemic is the guest list.

“We know not everyone will come and even with COVID-19, they’re still not going to come,” Itz said.

Both Itz and Callaway have big families which can make planning a wedding difficult during a pandemic.

Itz said they talked to their wedding planner and “asked her if we need to reduce the number, or even change the date.”

Unfortunately, it is too soon to tell what the world has in store for June.

“If they don’t come, I respect that, because at the end of the day, family is all that matters and you want them to be happy, too,” Callaway said.

The couple’s engagement photos were taken by KSnap Photography on the RJ Ranch and Itz Ranch in Fredericksburg – Submitted Photo

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