5 Inspirational Quarantine Wedding Stories

The current pandemic has forced-large scale events including Broadway shows, music festivals, and dance performances to be canceled. Unfortunately, many couples are also re-evaluating their wedding plans due to lockdown regulations and social distancing standards. While this may mean delaying the important date for next year or in a couple of months, some couples are still saying “I do” during the coronavirus emergency. Love lives on even against COVID-19. Maybe that is the cure? Wistful thinking here...

Anyway, we have curated our top list of five inspirational stories of couples who tied the knot in creative (safe) ways. Hopefully, their experiences will provide comfort and help you navigate the next steps for your own big day. 

Return Of The Backyard Wedding 

There are many interpretations of a COVID-19 wedding; one trend, in particular, is recreating your ceremony and reception in the safety of your backyard. Of course, this doesn’t mean inviting hundreds of people for an all-out summer bash but rather keeping it to just the two of you and inviting a few friends and family (to celebrate while socially distancing) depending on the regulations in your state. 

Couple Sakile Lyles and Kamau Mitchell were married on April 3, 2020, in the bride’s parents’ backyard –– Father of The Bride style. Although the couple originally planned to be married on a beach in Tulum, Mexico, the couple enjoyed the day and are grateful for the ability to tie the knot. Upon reflection, Sakile says the decision was a difficult one to make, but it was also an opportunity to make a decision together as a married couple. Even though their wedding was not what they imagined it to be, they were able to celebrate together and with their direct family –– and learn the ups and downs of marriage along the way.

No Limoncello For Now, But Soon!

Many brides dream of their wedding day from the moment they stumble upon their mom’s crumpled wedding dress from the 80s in the back of her closet –– look no further than the first scene in Bride Wars. For blogger Melanee Shale, this meant marrying her fiance Raphe in the small town of Orvieto in central Italy. Working alongside their wedding planner and constantly sharing Pinterest boards with one another, Melanne and Raphe were all ready to go by the end of January 2020.

But then the pandemic hit and their plans were shattered as the CDC rose Italy to a level 3 and 4 emergency making travel to Italy unsafe and impossible. Although a wedding is an important moment in a person’s life, a 45-person wedding ceremony and reception is not necessarily seen as “essential.”

Together the couple eventually decided to postpone their Italian wedding until October when things will have hopefully calmed down. They were still able to hold a legal ceremony in their home city of Los Angeles and both look forward to saying “I do” in Italy later on in the year. 

This Couple Produces The All-time Best Drive-Through 

Bri and Lindsey Leavarton were all set to be married in the beginning of March when the pandemic hit. In just 17 days, they were able to produce a special “film” if you will to share their special day with friends and family as a makeshift wedding ceremony.

On April 28, 2020, Bri and Lindsey asked friends to join them at Doc’s drive-in theatre in Buda, Texas for a screening of their wedding. The couple exchanged vows on stage as guests were able to tune in via their own computer screens. On their Instagram @the.mrs.leavartons, the couple wrote in the caption: “Love is the most powerful force on the planet.” Not even the pandemic can stand in the way of marrying the love of her life, expressed Bri. 

Longtime Couple Say I Do With Mexican Flare

Couple Rachael DeVaux and Bridger Harlington, who have been together for nine-and-a-half years, said “I Do” in the safety of their backyard. They too were planning for a destination wedding in Cabo, Mexico –– where Bridger had popped the question ––  on April 26 of this year.

While both thought their date was late enough from the start of the coronavirus emergency, Mexico soon closed their borders while the States started a nationwide quarantine. The Seattle-based couple decided they did not want to wait any longer and began to plan a casual, backyard wedding with the intention to celebrate their one-year anniversary in Cabo on April 26, 2021.

Bridger’s grandpa was able to marry them in the family’s backyard, and Rachael –– registered dietitian and certified personal trainer –– baked her own gluten and dairy-free wedding cake. Their siblings Zoomed in to watch the intimate four-person ceremony. The couple both wore a white top, proving that while this was not what they imagined their wedding day to be, it’s the simple things in life that make your wedding day special. The family enjoyed flautas, fresh pico de gallo, and tequila shots in keeping with the original destination wedding.

On her Instagram @rachaelsgoodeats caption, bride Rachael wrote, “There’s always a silver lining, you just gotta look for it.” 

Military Wife Takes Travel Ban In Stride

Soon-to-be-bride Emily Harmon was gearing up for her bachelorette party, when her fiancee  Michael Brown, who is currently serving in the U.S. military, delivered unfortunate news: the military domestic travel ban would be in effect until May 11. This newsflash meant Michael would not be able to attend his own wedding –– just a minor bump in the road –– so Emily hopped on the phone with her wedding planner. Together they were able to find a new date for their wedding so they could marry and celebrate with each other and their friends and family. 

Emily is grateful for securing a new date; as many couples face the same challenge venues are being booked perhaps faster than before (introducing a new type of bride wars). For Emily and Michael, what is most important is the health and wellbeing of their friends and family as well as being together on their special day in the near future.

Perhaps some of these stories will spark ideas about how to turn your backyard into your dream wedding or how to successfully host a Zoom wedding. If you are looking for more information check out this article which lays all of the necessary steps you should take to not compromise your dreams but make them safe in the given circumstances. 

Love stories like these are meant for Netflix romantic comedies, but they can be your reality, too. Stay safe future brides and grooms!