In February of 2020, Natalie and Will were putting the finishing touches on their wedding plans. A fairytale wedding at their dream venue was set and scheduled. Two-hundred of their friends and family would be present to witness their vows and celebrate with them. Every detail was perfectly in place, the weekend planned down to the hour, the invitations had been sent out, the excitement was growing… and then March came with a little time-bomb named COVID.
“Ever since I was a little girl I imagined a fairy-tale-castle-type big party. Kind of all about Will and I,” Natalie told us, “We chose our venue for a reason because it gave me that feeling that it was going to fulfill what I had envisioned my entire life…Ultimately in early April, we decided to full-blown cancel our wedding and just have it at my parents house.”
Now planning for an intimate estate wedding in Boone, NC, the couple turned their attention to maintaining what was most important to them: the closeness of family, the focus on one another, and (after a brief phone conversation with Bryson) a timeless, priceless video of their –still stunning– wedding.
“That’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve made with having a microwedding was having the video done,” Natalie told us, “I’ve watched it probably a hundred times.”
A massive benefit to the sweet intimacy of a micro wedding was simply that Natalie and Will totally got to enjoy each other! They spent more time hugging and kissing and laughing because there were almost no distractions from what the day was truly about: the two of them saying yes to forever together.
Will says he thought Natalie was out of his league but he knew he wanted to marry her on their very first date! Natalie says she loves his dimples when he smiles and the way he holds her to show her he’s there. They truly make each other so happy, and there’s no way that COVID can rain on that parade!
We asked Natalie what she’d tell a 2020 bride trying to plan her wedding during COVID, she promptly and confidently replied, “Have a microwedding. Even if you reschedule, it’s fine. Still get married on that day if you want to. Even if it’s a backyard or a courthouse or a park! At the end of the day, it’s about you two– and your love– and confessing your love together for eternity,” she adds, “Don’t worry about the other things, cause it will all work out the way it’s supposed to!”
We know it’s frustrating to be a bride in 2020. Now that 2020 weddings are mostly known as COVID weddings and the term ‘Blushing Bride’ has been all but replaced with ‘COVID Bride’. As if you needed the reminder that your wedding was in jeopardy! But the great thing is, it’s really not! You’re now a part of a crazy part of world history! Is it possible that being a 2020 COVID bride just may be the best wedding gift you could get?
“The greatest gift having a wedding during COVID gave me was really realizing the importance of your family,” Will says, “Before, we planned on having this huge, extravagant wedding with 200 friends and family, but in the end– because of COVID– we were really only able to invite our closest family members. But that’s when I realized that at the end of the day, that’s more important.”
We couldn’t have said it better.
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For help planning your COVID Microwedding, check out our Six Easy Steps to Planning Your Wedding During COVID!
