", After making the decision to postpone in early March, Jasmine admits that she didn't even think about a civil ceremony in New Jersey as all the courts were closed at that time. Anna Price is a senior editor at Brides. ", Though they had planned to marry on March 26, 2020, Roxy and Alec Porter said "I do" in the groom’s parent’s backyard in Mesa, Arizona on March 21, 2020, as Lyric Photography documented the day. And while Mattie admits the pandemic "has shifted their world at large," she says that she ultimately feels filled with gratitude. 1. ", For their elopement, the couple relied on their original vendors, including Brittyn Elizabeth Photography, and their families to pull the celebration together. ", Sean McCabe and Laura Zhou married at the Orange County Magistrate on March 20, 2020, months prior to their planned ceremony on May 24, 2020. On March 21, 2020, Audrey Westerman and David DeJoseph married in Philadelphia. didn’t prepare enough. Be sure to provide plenty of opportunities for hand washing or hand sanitization and try to opt for single-use ware including plates, cutlery, and canned beverages. Lindsay recalls. They, too, married on an anniversary—their 10th together! "But, just like that, in the midst of a pandemic, we managed to have a beautiful wedding. It’s best to have a backup plan just in case! 12 Wedding Pros Share Heartwarming Stories and Lessons From Resilient COVID Couples, By Eloping, We Realized Our Wedding Was Never About The Big Celebration, 10/10/2020: What the Year's Most Popular Wedding Date Looks Like Amid a Pandemic, Megan Roup and Morgan Humphrey's Stunningly Simple Micro Wedding in Santa Barbara, A Sweet, Stylish Elopement at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, 28 Thoughtful Gifts for Corona Couples Who May Need a Little Extra Love Right Now, Why You Should Consider a Weekday Wedding, According to 40+ Wedding Pros, Everything You Need to Know About Wedding Registries Right Now, From Minimonies to Latermoons: 15 Wedding Terms All Couples Should Know in 2020, A Beautiful, Waterfront Micro Wedding With Just 10 Guests in Miami, A Romantic Zoom Elopement in the Couple’s Washington, D.C. On March 21, 2020, six days before their planned wedding date, Aimée Sommerville and Seth Assam married in the bride’s parents' living room in Minneapolis, Minnesota. COVID-19 was spreading, the state locking down, large gatherings suddenly restricted. The COVID-19 Crisis proved that to be true," explains the bride. Our hearts break for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are so many benefits to having a backyard wedding, especially in light of COVID-19 and the consequent restrictions. Their florist had already ordered over half of their flowers and couldn’t cancel. You and your sweetheart should consider whether or not you "Except for exchanging vows and rings, there is nothing else I remember until we took our first kiss and turned toward the street, which has filled with neighbors cheering and clapping," recalls the bride. We can't wait to embrace our loved ones. Even though your celebration will be scaled back, it’s important to remember that even a small group of people will produce a lot of waste over the course of a day, so you’ll need plenty of recycling and trash bins to collect it all. The couple planned their backyard ceremony in just three days, ordering supplies online and reaching out to their vendors, such as The Potted Geranium (for flowers), Party Pleasing Rentals (for rentals), and Rafal Ostrowski (for photos). From the very first day we met, we’ve had a unique story, so it’s fitting that this chapter starts off unique too. ", “Will and I love the outdoors, and ultimately decided on Big Bend National Park for our wedding. A week before their wedding, they made the decision to postpone it—and while the decision was, indeed, heartbreaking, Paula says it was the right call for everyone. ", While they had bigger plans for their day, the couple says they "would not have wanted it any other way." Some couples are open to making the most of it and are choosing to view their wedding day as a captured moment in our modern history. “We weren’t going to let a small thing like a global pandemic get in the way of our union,” Stonly wrote on Instagram, proving that love is anything but canceled. "We decided to start our union with persistence and a willingness to make things work no matter what life may throw our way…together.”. “When life gives you a pandemic, you get married at a drive-in!" In fact, Sakile has a few words of wisdom for other couples navigating wedding planning at this time: "I just want couples to know that this crazy time will teach us to really grow and learn about ourselves and our partners," she says. ", On March 21, 2020, Hayley Lollar and Kyle Pacheco married in an intimate ceremony in Kansas, nearly ten years after they first met. 1. Steena Anne Photography was on hand to capture the special moment. For more up-to-date guidelines, check the CDC and your state's website. “With COVID-19 still a growing concern, [NAMES OF THE COUPLE] have opted for an intimate backyard ceremony with only Article content It used to be the toughest thing about going to a dinner party in someone’s backyard was what kind of wine to bring. food and beverages yourself, it is a rule of thumb to buy more than what you Since wedding planning is stressful enough This more relaxed and intimate celebration has become a great alternative for brides and grooms who have decided to scale back their original wedding plans due to COVID-19. Their solution? On the other hand, California, "Since our original wedding date was also our three year anniversary, we were determined to keep it even though it meant our family and friends couldn’t physically be there with us," she says. It was a perfect day amidst the scary world we’re currently in. The number of … "After a surf and flowers being put in my hair, we gathered here to bind our lives together. ", On April 18, 2020, Julie Samuels & Benjamin Schlang said "I do" over Zoom at Julie's parents' home in Westport, Connecticut. If your wedding plans have been postponed or cancelled, the Backyard Tent Rental team can help you host a small, intimate, backyard wedding. We know we can really tackle anything life may throw at us! "We had a small intimate ceremony in our apartment on Tuesday at only a few hours' notice," she explains. "Our venue allowed us to push the date within one year, so we wanted to move forward with the safest option—a full year out," she explains. "Honestly, we are still reeling on how sacred and beautiful this day was," she continues. "The only thing that would have made it better is if our guests could have shared it with us. It was and is the beginning of a journey—simply one single day in a forever long string of moments we will get to spend together cultivating, creating, and nurturing- as wives. It was immeasurably better than anything we could’ve planned and we got to have our two labs with us which made it simply perfect! "We’ve learned that you can’t plan everything," admits the bride. "Our intimate civil ceremony gave us the chance to focus on only each other the entire day," Kristine says. There, Morgan, in a white suit by Eloquii, and Lauren, wearing a dress by Michael Ebwe, exchanged their own vows, as photographer Amanda Nolan Booker captured every special moment. Why not adopt it for your wedding? Apartment, Marriage in the ‘New’ America: A Pandemic, Equality, and an Industry Ready for Change, Our Relationship Motto Has Always Been "Expect the Unexpected" But We Never Expected a Pandemic, How Postponing Our Wedding Made Me Feel More Loved Than Ever, Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk Celebrate Their Original Wedding Date, The Exact Wording for Every E-mail You'll Have to Send During COVID-19, Brides uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. And while it wasn't what Dayspring and Shane had planned, she admits that they had a fun day getting everything together, cleaning the apartment, picking up an instant camera and a cake, and even pulling some string lights out of the garage to "make it extra special." for example, has increased restrictions with indoor operations and gatherings Don’t forget about other aspects of your wedding day that may be affected such as dance floor restrictions, hair and makeup salon closures, and bridal shop/alteration restrictions. We planned a small, intimate wedding and were so excited to celebrate with our family and friends," says Michelle Green of her planned wedding to William Green on April 3, 2020. Naturally, they asked "Elvis" to marry them at the Fabulous Las Vegas sign—and, afterward, he even serenaded them with "Can’t Help Falling In Love." "We decided to up our wedding for super unromantic insurance purposes after layoffs," Amanda admits. So, the couple went back to their initial vision, transforming their Brooklyn apartment into the ideal wedding venue. "We sent a Zoom link to our guests so they could live stream the ceremony," Audrey says. without a global pandemic, we’ve compiled a list of helpful planning tips to "I Planned My Dream Wedding in Italy...Then, Coronavirus Happened". "We got flowers from a small florist down the road and I wore the dress I had originally planned to wear for our rehearsal dinner," Aimée says. "There were no rings, no planned outfits, or any of the details we have been meticulously planning this past year; however, our courthouse wedding was simple and perfect! Our celebration, later on, will be all the more special to us. It’s about all those backyard wedding ideas and inspiration that my parents didn’t have at their fingertips. ", Shannon Probasco and Zachary Probasco married at their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on March 22, 2020, as Kimberly Orrison of Kind Honey Photography captured the special moment. ", On April 28, 2020, Bri and Lindsey Leaverton asked their friends to join them at Doc’s drive-in theatre in Buda, Texas for special screening—of their wedding! © Copyright 2000 - 2021 Maggie Sottero LLC. By using Brides, you accept our. "We were surprised after our 10- person ceremony with a 50-car parade of friends, family, and my first-grade students!" “These two went through losing their original wedding venue due to being closed down just six weeks before the wedding and then through the difficult decision to postpone the wedding due to COVID-19, they truly had been given a tough hand through the wedding planning process but have been nothing but tough and stuck together the whole time," recalls their photographer Sincerely Jules Studio. "It was truly painful not to have the people we love from all over the country there. Next, be honest with how you would feel if your guests were required to wear masks. "Our plan was to go to city hall and then have a rooftop soirée at Attico rooftop to celebrate with family and friends—and it's still happening we just don’t know when," Lizzy says. Bri says with a laugh. “We held on to the hopes of having our wedding as long as we could. "We still hope to celebrate sometime soon with family and friends in person, but for now, we are so glad to be officially husband and wife. "We couldn’t of asked for a better wedding, even if it wasn’t what we originally planned," says the couple. Are you comfortable with guests wearing masks in your wedding pictures and videos? Then, check out our 5 COVID Honeymoon Ideas for Couples During the Pandemic! So read on for our very best tips for an awesome boho-chic backyard wedding that says “Screw you!” to COVID-19. So much love for these two! Editor's Note: Please note that since shelter in place guidelines vary state by state and have changed over the past few weeks, it's important to remember that these couples decided to do what they felt was best for them based on the individual guidelines of their state and the information available at the time of their wedding. And the most talked-about detail of the party? 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