Audio By Carbonatix
On March 13, as the spread of the COVID-19 virus continued, Governor Jared Polis temporarily banned gatherings of 250 or more, and over the weekend, the federal Centers for Disease Control offered a stricter recommendation, calling for the cancellations of events expected to attract fifty people-plus for the next eight weeks.
As a result of these edicts, three Denver TV personalities – Channel 2 morning personality Chris Parente and two 9News reporters, Liz Kotalik and Ryan Haarer – have announced that they’re delaying their weddings.
In “Channel 2’s Chris Parente on TV, Love and Being Yourself No Matter What,” a June 2019 Q&A, Parente talked at length about how much he was looking forward to his planned nuptials with the love of his life, Luis Rios.
But at 1:36 p.m. on March 15, he tweeted: “Friends. Luis and I have made the decision to postpone our wedding. We do this in solidarity with everyone who is working to #slowthespread. We feel peace, and we encourage everyone to rise in greatness, to do what must be done.”
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After a pair of heart emojis, Parente added: “Love will conquer all.”
As for Kotalik, who reports for and anchors on 9News’s own morning show, she and Haarer, a fellow reporter/anchor at the station, had wedding plans of their own. But in a tweet sent out at 7:24 a.m. today, March 16, she revealed that the ceremony will have to wait.
“For those who’ve followed our journey, a quick update: We canceled our wedding to respect CDC recommendations in this confusing, critical time,” she wrote. “@RyanHaarer and I are beyond heartbroken, but we know many have it worse. Perspective is important always, but especially now.”
