A Courthouse Wedding Amidst COVID-19
A Courthouse Wedding Amidst COVID-19.
460 days ago for 66 weeks and 15 months we had been wedding planning in great detail with Cue The Champagne Event Planning and Design Bride Jamie and Groom Stephen for their March 28, 2020 wedding. We had sourced the perfect flowers, decided on the most amazing velvet linen and browsed through so many different options to find the best fit for the stationery finishes. The wedding dress fit like a glove. The hair and makeup trials went off without a hitch, the soft serve ice cream machine arrived in record time and everything had just come together perfectly until Friday March 15 came and the CDC recommended that any gatherings including weddings with over 50 people be canceled!
We received the news late in the evening on Friday night. On the other end of our business line a saddened CTC Mother of the Bride carrying the pain and hurt of her daughter, yes it was Jamie’s mother. We talked, we brainstormed, a plan B was quickly devised . We assured her that we could still make a beautiful yet meaningful day a reality. The next morning we quickly sent out emails to our vendor partners and began to walk through the intricate details of how we could turn this all around.
The next 24 hours were relatively quiet via email as around the globe wedding vendors took to social media in private online groups to support one another , provide the latest WHO , CDC and Presidential updates . Post after post of industry wedding professionals who voiced concerns of rapidly growing fears of how this could impact the industry and heavy sadness of how this could impact all of our couples. It was a heavy time emotionally on Saturday. Sunday arrived and the President gave an address. The latest recommendation rolled in…….. ” limit gatherings to no more than 10 people” ……. a lump in my throat and realization that Plan B would never come to fruition while maintaining the health and safety of wedding guests, even the idea of an intimate ceremony was no longer a possibility.
By this time CTC mother of the bride Bev and I knew the quickest ways to get in contact with each other. If T- Mobile still had My Faves – Fave 5, I would be spot two behind Jamie in Bev’s phone and vice versa. Once more we chatted and the next question was ” What is the quickest way to legally get married ” with new updates everyday, lock downs across the country becoming imminent , we knew we wouldn’t make it to March 28, 2020 with more and more restrictions being put on social distancing and only going out for essential needs. Jamie and Stephen had waited so long already, waiting to the fall or even 2021 weren’t reasonable options for them. ” How about tomorrow morning we meet at the courthouse at open and I’ll perform the wedding ” One of the benefits of being an entrepreneur is sometimes you may have another company in your pocket that you can pull a skill set from, this gem was our saving grace that years ago I got ordained and started a company called Elope Chattanooga, this little wild card would allow us to get Jamie and Stephen to I do! On to Plan C !!! Check out the pics from their March 17, 2020 St. Patty’s Day Courthouse Wedding !
From the Bride :
It’s hard to find the words to explain the last 72 hours. I’ve sobbed, I’ve yelled, I’ve cussed. I’ve also laughed and smiled and felt more cared for than ever before. I didn’t get to wear my wedding dress. I didn’t get all the pretty flowers and decorations i picked out. I didn’t get to eat wedding cake and soft serve ice cream (that we worked so hard to secure). I didn’t get to walk down the aisle or take pictures with my bridesmaids. I didn’t say any real vows. My family didn’t get to see me get married. Bet let me tell ya, we know how to make lemonade out of lemons.
Last year, on March 17, Stephen deployed for 10 months. This March 17 had to be better. So we went and did our courthouse wedding, and i got ready for it in the robe and slippers i got for my wedding morning. It poured (par for the course) so we took some wedding photos in the rain and got soaked. I made my oatmeal with wedding cake protein powder. I baked us a wedding cake to smash in each others faces tonight after we pop a bottle of champagne. We’re going to have our first dance in the living room. We’re doing this thing!! I’m so thankful to marry a man who made this fiasco the best day of my life. I love you buddy ❤️
But Wait There is More !!!
Check out CTC Bride Jamie’s Waffle House Bridal Shower| Friday March 13, 2020
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Bradford !!!
Cue The Champagne Event Planning and Design Chattanooga Tennessee’s Premier
Wedding Planning and Event Studio Owned by Chattanooga Wedding Planner and Wedding Coordinator Shaun Mosley
Cue the Champagne Event Planning + Design offers Wedding Day Event Management Services formerly known as Day of Wedding Coordination, Full Service Wedding Planning Services, Chattanooga Wedding Flowers ,Elopement Planning and Event Design Services for all your Social and Corporate Events. Cue The Champagne Event Planning and Design also offer Chattanooga Wedding Flowers for your wedding and event planning needs.
Cue The Champagne Event Planning + Design caters to Weddings and Events
in Cleveland Tennessee, Gatlinburg, Chattanooga Tennessee, and surrounding Tennessee, North Georgia and Metro Atlanta Wedding locations and Worldwide.
