A Perfectly Lovely Social Distancing Wedding

My husband and I met at Miami University at a social event. Since then, we have pursued each other, getting to know each other and casually hanging out until we finally decided to go out on a nice date. We dated for a short time before knowing that we wanted to get married. We always talked about getting married one day, so the proposal that would have seemed odd to some was nothing surprising to me. Evan decided to have us paint pottery one day, and after a lot of convincing, he got me to paint matching “Mr. and Mrs.” mugs. I wanted to wait until we were married or at least engaged, but I caved. Less than a week following the painting session, Evan and I went out for brunch with our friends, and then we had a day-date planned… probably so that I would dress up for a change. While at brunch, I ordered coffee, and so did he. The waitress brought out our coffee in the mugs that we painted together, and they arrived on a tray that read, “Together is my favorite place to be,” that Evan made himself. I was caught off guard but didn’t fully realize what was happening until he began saying many beautiful things about me and our relationship, and I knew. Of course, I said yes; Evan got down on one knee, and things got crazy! Our friends and family popped out of nowhere. He had planned a surprise engagement party. We got in the car after the party because he had planned out the rest of the day. We did all of my favorite things and spent the night downtown Cincinnati. It was amazing!

Evan and I were in a position where we needed to decide on our wedding due to covid-19. We were supposed to get married in a beautiful barn venue, Stone Valley Meadows, and we knew that it would not happen the way we planned. We could have postponed, but we could not wait any longer to be married to one another. Therefore, since the world was beginning to open up and gatherings were not safe, we decided to have our wedding at the drive-in movie theatre near us. We were able to have all of our friends and family come and watch us from their cars or chairs that were socially distanced. My husband and I built an arch to say “I do” under and benches for our parents to sit on. We did a live stream so that others could watch that did not feel safe enough to attend. The day was scorching but beautiful, and I would not have changed a thing! We got married at three and then walked around, passing out cupcakes to our guests, so they could have a piece of our “would have been wedding cake.” Once the ceremony was over, we went to my husband’s and Evan’s dad’s house for a small dinner in his backyard. Our bridal party and parents enjoyed dinner together, and dancing prevailed under the giant tent we set up. We still cut the cake together and had our first dance, mother-son dance, and father-daughter dance. The day was magical! We postponed the large reception to October fourth at our original venue, Stone Valley Meadows, in Franklin.

Wedding Location – Hamilton, OH
Ceremony & Reception Location – Holiday Auto Theatre
Photographer – Melyssa Ann Photography
Bridal Gown – Maggie Sottero, style Celeste in the Ivory/Soft Blush color.
Bridal Veil – PARIS by Debra Moreland, style No Moon