The pandemic has prevented a couple from Falls Church, Virginia, from walking down the aisle, and now they say they’ll lose $30,000 if the U.S. travel ban on citizens from Britain and other European nations isn鈥檛 lifted soon.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just trying to get married,鈥� Kellee Jacobsen told 小萝莉影视.
Jacobsen, 32, works at an IT staffing company. Her fianc茅 Alex Karkeek, 33, is a British citizen with a green card. He works for a local wealth management firm.
They met in the U.S. when they were in college, went their separate ways and reconnected a few years ago when they both moved separately to the D.C. area. They鈥檝e been engaged for three years and have postponed their wedding twice in the hopes that the travel ban would be lifted by the time the rescheduled wedding would take place, so that Karkeek鈥檚 family and friends could attend.
Their vendors worked with them twice, but the couple said the vendors won鈥檛 let them postpone again. The couple has already paid $30,000 to the venue, caterer, photographer and the band 鈥� 鈥渏ust all the bells and whistles that come with a wedding, unfortunately,鈥� said Karkeek.
And they said they won鈥檛 get that money back if they don鈥檛 go ahead with their planned Aug. 20 wedding at a winery in Charlottesville, Virginia.
They鈥檝e tried everything they can to get permission for Karkeek鈥檚 family to come to the U.S. for the nuptials.
That includes cutting their foreign guest list down to three 鈥� Karkeek鈥檚 fully-vaccinated parents and brother 鈥� hoping that would make it easier to get an exemption from the ban. They鈥檝e written to the president, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and others in the White House asking for a short-term exemption, but haven鈥檛 received a reply.
Jacobsen told 小萝莉影视 she has 鈥渨ritten letters to every U.S. government official in the White House that has their hand in this matter.鈥� She also wrote to her representative in the U.S. House and to one of her senators; both said there was nothing they could do.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just very frustrating,鈥� said Karkeek, who pointed out that American citizens can travel to and from Britain and the rest of Europe, but the U.S doesn鈥檛 give the same courtesy to European citizens who want to come to America.
It鈥檚 a big 鈥渄isappointment that our 鈥� government has not said anything about the matter or given us any sort of timeline as to when we can expect it to change,鈥� Jacobsen said. 鈥淭he United States can鈥檛 seem to figure out a plan to open the borders, reunite families, refuel the airline industry and open up countless jobs. It is a real disappointment.鈥�
Jacobsen and Karkeek are considering sending Karkeek鈥欌�檚 family to a country that the U.S. allows travelers to enter from, but they said that would be expensive and time-consuming. Now, they鈥檙e resigned to losing all of the money they鈥檝e paid for the ceremony, because they said they won鈥檛 get married unless Karkeek鈥檚 family can be there.
鈥淲e both want our immediate family there,” Jacobsen said. “Those are obviously the most important people in our lives, so we do want to make sure that they鈥檙e there for the big day.鈥�
