2300 Weddings Disrupted By Hurricane Sandy Salvaged By The Knot Via Facebook

Follow @RhippleMedia Hurricane Sandy’s path of destruction has put life on hold for millions of residents in states along the Eastern Seaboard. The Knot estimates the weather disrupted wedding plans for more than 2,300 brides-to-be this week.

The Knot created a Facebook page as an online forum to connect brides with venues and vendors to reschedule this week’s weddings and to keep the more than 4,000 November ceremonies on track.
The Facebook page called “Helping Brides in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy” is a place where East Coast couples can share tips, find available venues and talk to local experts. Helping couples tie the knot as scheduled is the main goal for The Knot, the most-trafficked wedding website.
“We knew we needed to come up with a fast and easy way to connect as many brides to wedding planning pros and venues as possible,” Anja Winikka, TheKnot.com’s site director, said. “We felt like it was our responsibility to connect the two.”

From Nov. 1 to Nov. 25, vendors are asked to list their businesses, addresses, availability and contact information. Many venues in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut lost power and sustained damage from flood waters, forcing brides to make major adjustments. “Planning a wedding is stressful enough,” Winikka said. “It’s full of unknowns. But when you add a natural disaster into the mix, it can cause a total breakdown of plans.”

Using the Facebook page created on Thursday, Facebook user Kelley McGrath put out a general inquiry about available hotels in Montvale, New Jersey with room for guests. Mcgrath wrote: “Nephew is getting married Friday at Seasons in Montvale. Venue has power, but hotel Marriott Courtyard does not have water, and without water they can not allow us in. Any suggestions on other hotels to check out. We have guests coming from as far as Japan.” The Knot’s senior events manager, Susana Diharce Guzman, promptly offered to reach out to contacts in the area

For brides worried about wedding reservations in Lower Manhattan, The Knot’s editors suggested that couples find a new restaurant in the Upper East Side, big enough to accommodate a large group since it’s still unknown when power will be restored to city businesses.

The editors are using the Facebook page to provide local and expert knowledge during a difficult time. Many of the editors live in areas where Hurricane Sandy’s effects were seen firsthand, according to Winikka.
“Most of us live in areas that were affected by the storm,” she said. “Bubby’s, a well-known Brooklyn wedding venue, flooded just around the corner from our co-founders’ apartments. It was clear that anyone planning a wedding in the affected area would have to make massive changes to their wedding plans, and we wanted to do all we can to help.”

Are your wedding plans on hold because of Hurricane Sandy? Tell us in the comments if you’re using social media to reschedule or organize wedding plans.

Mashable