Every couple has a vision of their big day - sometimes for years before they actually get married. Krista and Jacob were no different as they spent months choosing their venue, their vendors and everything that they wanted.
And then COVID hit.
They were thankful that their wedding wasn’t until August, that should leave plenty of time for things to return to normal. And for a time, they did. They worked with their venue on numbers with indoor restrictions. They were able to add a tent outdoors so they didn’t need to change their guest count. We offered to include sound in the tent so everyone in the two spaces were still connected, and everything was progressing.
Then came the mask mandate.
It was at that point that Krista and Jacob decided their perfect day needed a new location. So nineteen days before their wedding, they asked Krista’s parents if they would host it in their back yard. Krista’s dad, Tim, recounted their conversation during his speech calling his decision to say yes one of the quickest he had ever made. They immediately started the process of finding a tent, tables, chairs, caterer, and all the little things you take for granted when you have your event at a traditional venue.
By the time their wedding day rolled around you would have thought it was exactly what they had planned. The tent was beautiful and fit their yard perfectly - right down to the portable dance floor set up on the lawn. The whole neighborhood got involved. One house helped by running extra power from their deck and garage, another volunteered to have the portable restrooms set up in their’s. Everyone pitched in to make Krista and Jacob’s day memorable for all the right reasons.
Dinner was served from the garage. Guests toasted the new bride and groom with drinks from the bar set up in the garage. And then we danced.
The look on Jacob and Krista’s faces say it all. So much love between the two of them, and all around them. About 200 people came out to celebrate with them and we could tell from the beginning that this crowd was ready to party. The energy level only went up from this point - and kept going all night long.
We had a beautiful Anniversary Dance - and finished with a lovely couple who had 55 wonderful years of marriage. His advice? He decided to let his wife answer. Her advice? Saying “I love you” every day, no matter what.
At one point Jacob’s father and new father-in-law approached me asking what songs we had for a “ball and chain”. They had fashioned “the old ball and chain” from an actual chain - one to keep in your vehicle when the snow starts flying - and an old bowling ball. They had great fun attaching it, and Jacob played along and had fun dancing and dragging it around the dance floor for the next couple of songs. When it came time to take it off, they couldn’t. The bolt they used to attach it got stuck - so they had to search for tools before they could get it off.
We did hit one little bump during the evening - we received a visit from the local police department asking us to keep it down a little. I guess you really can have too much fun.
Other than that, the night was perfect. People danced, laughed, and were really living their lives - all to help to celebrate Krista and Jacob’s love.
For me personally, it was a great first wedding of 2020 - #thankscovid - and reminded me why I love what I do, and has me all the more energized and anxious to celebrate with the rest of my 2020 couples.
You have to check out this great video shot and produced by Andrew Legatt!