Regardless of the size of your wedding, you are bound together forever, as husband and wife.

It’s no secret the the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we live. With so many weddings halted, couples still wanted to marry their best friend. It is time to take control! It is time to get creative!

• Micro wedding,
• Intimate wedding,
• Backyard wedding

Call it what you may, weddings are a little different these days. Instead of having 300+ guests, or even 75 guests, we are now having smaller weddings with only 10-25 of our family members and closest friends.

One couple that decided to take back control was Chelsea and Owen. They were planning their big wedding to be at Crystal Point Yacht  in early July. Family and friends kept asking what was happening with the wedding. Chelsea and Owen couldn’t provide them with answers. Nobody could provide Chelsea and Owen with answers. With so much uncertainty surrounding their wedding date, Chelsea’s emotions were on a rollercoaster ride.

She didn’t want to wait yet another year to marry the man that she loves. She didn’t want to wait another year to start the next chapter of their lives. She didn’t want yet another day of not knowing. It was torturous!

Chelsea and I were emailing back and forth on Monday morning May 4th. We were brainstorming possible solutions and making plans. We came up with a solid arrangement and in her next email, she threw me for a loop! “Ok long shot here. Owen and I actually decided to have a beach wedding on Sunday with just our parents and siblings.” There was no date so my mind automatically went to the Sunday that was approaching in 6 days! That is exactly what she meant.

We settled on that Saturday, May 9th.

Chelsea and Owen decorated their home with what would have been the reception details. They set up their zoom accounts and a laptop so their family and friends could experience their church ceremony with them. They had their reception, which involved their first dance and cake cutting in front of their home. What could have been more meaningful than holding your reception at the home that you built with your partner?

I asked Chelsea what she would do differently, if she had the opportunity to re-do her wedding day. She responded, ” it would be nice to have the day that I originally envisioned, surrounded by approximately 200 of our closest friends (haha)”. But she also added, “I imagine that if I was responding to this question after that (large) event, my answer would have been: to have something closer to what we ended up with”.

Although this micro wedding was not the wedding they envisioned, it was exactly what they needed. They took back control from the unknown and the horror that is Covid-19. They vowed their love to each other in front of their immediate family and before God. They described it as “a blessing in disguise”.

Micro weddings, intimate weddings, backyard weddings… Call it what you may, Jane D. Martinez Photography is here for it!

 

Tips from the bride: “you’re allowed to feel whatever you feel. You can feel excited that you get to have a romantic and intimate wedding while also feeling sad or disappointed that you won’t get to make your grand entrance as husband and wife to the Dropkick Murphey’s song. Same can be applied for non-quarantine weddings – you can feel excited, scared, overwhelmed, etc. moment to moment or even at the same time. The feelings will come and go (as therapists say)”.

 

Photographer: Jane D. Martinez Photography

MUA: Deena Jones Makeup

Bridal Boutique: Seng Couture

Ceremony: St. Helena Church

Cake: D’Orsi’s Bakery