Within minutes of our December 2019 proposal, questions began rolling in regarding our wedding. I love attending and helping with weddings but the idea of being the bride caused me much anxiety. I didn’t want the attention, I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, and I didn’t want to ask anything of anyone. I spent a few months googling “non-traditional wedding planner” in hopes I could put the task in someone else’s lap. After coming up short, my fiancé and I agreed on throwing a casual cocktail party on the rooftop of the hotel next door.
I imagined us getting married privately then appeasing 250 of our closest friends and family with an open bar immediately following to celebrate. Our first planning meeting with the hotel occurred on Friday March 13th, 2020.
Later that day, a national emergency was declared in the United States concerning the COVID-19 Outbreak. Thankfully, we hadn’t made any deposits or signed any contracts. Compared to so many other couples, we were fortunate to be able to go back to the drawing board.
During this time, we had the freedom to truly reflect on what was most important to us – making a commitment to each other in front of our families. We decided to get married August 2020 at a tiny and rustic family cabin and limited our guest list to immediate family only, 12 adults and 5 children. The day was absolutely perfect.
Acquaintances and friends express condolences that COVID-19 ruined our wedding. However, those closest to us reminisce what an easy excuse the pandemic was to plan a wedding that reflected what really mattered.
