LOVES HEALING POWER AMID THIS COVID-19 CRISIS

Andrea Correale, Elegant Affairs Caterers

Love certainly conquers all. Covid-19 has made a negative impact on our world however the intrinsic value of love has proved more powerful.

We at World Bride Magazine inform couples-to-be, married couples and families on how to design an intentional and wonderful life together. So we advise on the best way to experience life and love even when a crisis is present. As new facts and figures unfold, it warms my heart to see that despite ‘social distancing’ good news can spread just as fast as this virus.

We shared in a previous story our ‘prescription’ on how to wisely combat this battle. We encouraged you to find safe ways to stay healthy and connected with relatives, your beloved ill and elderly. Carly Boyd did just that by creatively sharing her engagement with her quarantined grandfather. Boyd shared with ABC “I got really emotional and really sad and I just put my hand on the window, and he put his there too. I just told him I love him, and he said ‘I love you too and I hope to see you soon like really see you”. Carly Boyd plans to wed next year.




Another encouraging share by CBS17, is an elderly couple, Bob and Nancy Shellard, of Vernon, Connecticut, who have been married 67 years and never spent an anniversary apart. The couple celebrated their anniversary in a new way just recently. Bob Shellard stood outside his wife’s window with balloons and a hand-made sign that read, “I’ve loved you 67 years and still do”. Saturday afternoon, I drove 40 minutes to stand outside my 83year old mother’s house for 10 minutes so she can ‘see’ my face and hear my voice through her window. That distant yet physical presence fulfilled a connection that Facetime, Skype, Tango or any live chat app only simulate.

Social connection is understood as a core human need, and the desire to connect is a fundamental drive to feeling loved. As a person of Christian faith, I see and affirm that a relationship with God is particularly important in giving love, satisfying healthy connection needs, and fostering individual happiness while promoting community gathering.

This season can’t and won’t dispel the desire to connect but increase the desire even more as we realize how frail we are and how much more time with loved ones matter. According to ABC’s Good Morning America, Jeremy Cohen, a Brooklyn man, used his drone to introduce himself to a woman in his neighborhood. His next move will be to ask her out on a virtual date.



This should motivate couples whose plan to marry and families who wish to celebrate milestones, not to be discouraged but to consider advice from experts on what to do to hold unswervingly to keeping tradition despite a crisis.

In an effort to support you during these uncertain times, we exchanged with 20-year veteran event planner Andrea Correale of Elegant Affairs Caterers. Correale’s service is uniquely experienced in catering and event planning amidst past public health crisis. Here she shares some insightful advice for those looking to plan a special occasion event.

  1. Have you ever faced any challenges that we are currently facing where the public health was in jeopardy? When and what was it? “We have faced weather-related issues where the execution of weddings was uncertain but not health-related. I think this is a first for everyone. We have catered large public events for thousands of people where we were required to work extremely closely with the health department but nothing as vast as this.”
  1. What precautionary measures did you and your staff have to take to secure the health and safety of her staff, client and guests? “We began by sterilizing our kitchen and offices. We practiced work at home policies, where applicable, and all of the other practices recommended by government officials. An over-abundance of hand sanitizing stations for our staff is now required. Management is trained to ensure cleanliness and hygiene in a heightened way. It is our priority to keep our clients and their guests safe. We do not allow anyone to work who is experiencing any signs of a sore throat, cold, cough, chills, etc. etc.  We do not allow anyone to work who has a family member that is ill with symptoms of the virus.”

 

  1. With the uncertainty of things as they are now what are your suggestions for guests planning their events now? Should they cancel, reschedule? “No, they should proceed as planned and only cancel if the governmental bans are still in place. The news and information is changing so quickly that it is best to plan full steam ahead and reschedule only if needed close to the wedding date. This will pass.”
  1. While you may not be in the medical fields what do you suggest we can do now to ensure the safety and dignity of wedding events taking place? “I think hygiene has become blatantly obvious at events. For instance, no bar snacks or community platters where people dip, etc. All food must be served by a staff person wearing gloves. Cocktail hour spaces should be a bit oversized. Instead of putting ten people at a table put eight. We need to enforce expected hygiene practices from all Elegant Affairs staff”.

Correale’s first hand experience surrounding events during SARS, Swine flu, Bird flu and providing Disaster Relief food services following Hurricane Sandy, give credence to her expertise and why you should consider her services for this season. Correale’s services involve every aspect of this business from the perfect tabletop presentation to the smallest food garnish detail.

Her commitment to excellence in providing gourmet food, superior service and overall experience is exactly why Elegant Affairs is known as the celebrity caterer on Long Island’s Gold Coast in Manhattan and the Hamptons.

Elegant Affairs Caterers has serviced some of the most prominent names in Politics, Television, Music and Fashion like Mariah Carey, Jimmy Fallon, Billie Joel as well as corporate giants like American Express, Ralph Lauren and Amazon. Our World Bride readers are people who are professional, hold solid values of family and community, understand the dignity in work and practices financial stewardship. We rely on your commitment to us so we can keep you abreast of brands, the creators behind the brands and our personal experiences so you maintain a sophisticated, healthy and fearless lifestyle. To find out more about Andrea Correale and Elegant Affairs Caterers visit www.elegantaffairscaterers.com and be sure to mention WORLDBRIDE MAGAZINE.

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