Through it all, the couples say they have discovered some silver linings.
There is a tremendous shift in focus toward people over things—the tears in the eyes, the words of praise and love, and the celebrating of people are what matters most.
“While there have been many stress-inducing decisions and conversations, the end result of focusing on how and why to bring each other together is so refreshing.”
While many things were laying low in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, these heartwarming stories shared by my belief system that love most certainly exists.
“I truly admire the couples that make the very hard decision to move forward rather than postponing, they show true resilience.”
“At one of my most recent thought processes, a couple decided to place value at the communal dining table. This signified the heart of the couple and their families. By creating such a beautiful and intimate space, it encouraged the family members to settle in and share stories of the 2 of them and connect in the most intimate way possible. You can learn a lot about a couple while partnering with them during the priority discovery process. Some will select to place the most value on the house, people and its sacredness. While others value the time spent at the dining table with the most important folks in their lives, and most of the intention and energy is positioned here.
“The silver lining is knowing that the couples can feel like they have been living the days of their dreams during such difficult times.”
“At a wedding, the bride and groom were so in love with the 1st night 7 star that they did not even want to walk all the way in the wedding reception area. The groom said, "Babe, you took my breath away"— that was really touching. The bride said, "It was beyond her dreams."
We have played a big part in making ourselves happy and creating an amazing experience and I have learned that family was extremely important to us. Your closest family and friends will travel if they can to celebrate with you. It was extremely important to create an unforgettable experience for family and friends. The overall experience was very heartwarming, and we are grateful and honored that our specials moments came to life.
“One of my couples had originally planned a 300-person wedding for fall 2020 but was forced to postpone the big celebration. In the meantime, they did not want to wait to get married and planned a backyard celebration at the brides parents home. They had fewer than 30 guests and the whole affair felt so intimate, meaningful, and special. Its been a very hard year for the bride & groom due to this pandemic, so they both were especially excited—and also a little nervous—to work a wedding during such a difficult time. Later in the evening, one the bride was so enchanted by the grooms band playing an intimate Air Supply song that she brought a flower to the keyboard player and thanked the quartet for their beautiful music. It was a small thing, but it meant so much to the band and was truly heartwarming. Both the musicians and the couple have connected to let them know how special that moment was, and its a memory I know everyone will treasure for a long time.”
“It took telling the couple that it was possible for them to realize they did not really want to wait.”
“After multiple discussions, the couple did not want to think out that they can shift everything a full year. It took realizing the couple that it was possible for them to realize they did not really want to wait. With absolutely no clear guidance from the couples mindset and things changing every day, the couples turned their 300-person wedding into a micro wedding for 30 guests. It was almost like planning an entirely new wedding—but brought in tenting, catering and everything else needed for a private intimate and family event. The funny thing about the location of the wedding being at their home is that they must have toured dozens of venues while finding a venue that matches the couples vibe is important, home weddings always have a special sentiment. For the couple, this could not be more true.
“It felt so much more personal because we were only focused on the two of them with no external distractions.”
“The bride invited her close friends and family to watch the ceremony via Zoom. She is very creative and sent everyone a wedding package that included a bottle of champagne, a pair of champagne flutes with their name and wedding date on it, confetti, and a polaroid camera so we could take pictures and document the day from afar. The bride is so generous and humble to do all so many things at once. Someone must have never attended a virtual wedding before and were surprised at how much they enjoyed it and how romantic and fun it was for the couple. Truly a lovely moment. It felt so much more personal because we were only focused on the two of us with no external distractions. It was stress-free and intimate and the reception was the best part. Since there were so few of them watching from afar, we all did a personal toast which was really special for everyone—something that we never could have done at a large wedding.”
“Once the guests arrived, they realized it was actually their wedding.”
“The couple decided to host a micro wedding but chose not to disclose that the celebration was their actual wedding to guests. They invited the 30 of their family and friends to an at-home BBQ, but once everyone arrived, they realized it was actually the wedding! It was small and intimate and full of great toasts and speeches. The toasts were actually reversed for the couple, who toasted to honor those in attendance. They wanted everyone in attendance to realize how important they were in their lives.
The big celebration is rescheduled for next year, but why put your life on hold when you can continue and honor those you love?!”
“It was a heartwarming sense of reassurance that they made the right decision of getting married at the time their heart felt the vibes.”
“It was an emotional and highly intentional celebration honoring the couples commitment to marriage. At the beginning of the ceremony, they presented each of their own special selfs a tribute to each. Each couple has unique circumstances that play into their decision to hold or postpone their wedding plans. It was a heartwarming sense of reassurance that they made the right decision and can always reflect on the memories of his presence and in-person well-wishes upon their marriage.”
“The bride excitedly exclaimed, This is better than I could have imagined or planned! All the people that truly matter are here."
“I have been fortunate enough to the couples who have graciously and beautifully pivoted their wedding plans under unfortunate circumstances. One such is a big wedding that was supposed to happen they ended up proceeding with their scheduled wedding date and cut down their list of about 300 to just 30. They embraced the situation with socially distanced seats at the ceremony and very much spread out tables during dinner, gave out customized hand sanitizers, and created homemade face masks for guests. The bride held back tears in her eyes during her speech to her beloved husband and said, I know this is not the wedding you wanted. Later on, when I mentioned the wedding was incredible to the groom during a conversation over dinner, he excitedly exclaimed, This is better than I could have imagined or planned! All the people that truly matter are here.”
“A day they imagined so differently turned out to be the most intimate and personal representation of them.”
“The couple were supposed to have a big wedding but decided to move their wedding to a more local intimate setting. The day was different than any wedding would have planned, and nothing like they imagined. One of the best moments was when they got ready together in their home...They did their first look outside of their home and walked to a local park to say I do. How romantic! On their way to the park, cars were honking and people were cheering them on. Later, they had an intimate dinner on the rooftop of a pizza place with their 30 nearest and dearest family and friends. They ate pizza, had a sweet first dance, and listened to friends tell stories about them. At the end of the party, they went home and had a mini photoshoot in their at-home garden. A day they imagined so differently turned out to be the most intimate and personal representation of them.”
“Their first kiss as husband and wife was met with eruptions of cheers and car horns from the neighborhood."
“With their plans for a larger wedding celebration postponed they decided they did not want to wait to tie the knot. They held a beautiful, intimate elopement at home on the date of their ninth anniversary surrounded by their nearest and dearest…as well as some friendly passersby. Pedestrians stopped in their paths and neighbors peeked out their windows to watch the gorgeous couple commit their lives to each other. Their first kiss as husband and wife was met with eruptions of cheers and car horns from the neighborhood! In the couples own words, Our stoop felt like an obvious choice for our wedding venue because it made logistics easy to coordinate, and it enabled us to be outdoors to mitigate health concerns. It also felt poignant to be able to get married on the doorstep of our own home, where we have shared so many important moments.”
“Everyone there realized it was the people at the wedding, not the quantity that mattered.”
“One of our couples planned what they thought was their dream wedding in a large tent for over 300 guests. They ended up instead with a small and intimate family-only wedding for 30 guests and that turned out to be the actual wedding of their dreams. The couple re-planned four different locations with each one ending in challenges and restrictions. From day one, bride wanted to get married in the courtyard of her family home, but it was too small of a space. In the end, after four location changes, they were able to hold the wedding ceremony in the forest, which was truly magical, and the reception at the brides home will now hold so many more memories than it ever could have.
“Despite the involuntary roller coaster ride these two went on, the lovely couple still ended up with a heartful and genuine day, filled with love and laughter.”
“Bride and Groom were originally planning to get married in front of 300 of their friends and family. Postponing the wedding was not an option: couple wanted to get married soon. For reasons afar and more, the couple decided to downsize their wedding, moved it up a month, and changed the location to the backyard of Brides childhood home. As they inched closer to their wedding date, Bride could not stomach the idea of hosting a party for 30 amidst the chaos: an elopement. With their nearest, dearest, and most immediate family present, Bride & Groom had a wedding on a rooftop. It was much different from how they originally planned to tie the knot, but when all was said and done, they felt that this day represented their relationship and commitment to each other best.”
“The couple decided to elope, and had arranged for a live stream of the ceremony so that their families could tune in from afar. Sat in during the vows and had the pleasure of seeing the couples friends and families texting in words of love and congratulations as they officially tied the knot! It was such a special moment, not just because they were able to play a part in their elopement, but also to be able to share in the joy with their families. It brought the groom to tears and it is a highlight of my entire year.
I cannot wait for them to reunite with their families for the sequel celebration in the future!”
