How did COVID affect your wedding?
We have been engaged since December 2017 and had planned to get married in the Fall of 2018. We decided to build a house for our newly blended family, so we postponed until May 30, 2020. We had a beautiful location (Chart House Lake Tahoe, a fantastic planner, Chateau Bliss) and everything was ready and planned…and then COVID hit. All of our plans were postponed and we had thought of postponing until 2021 until we very quickly lost very dear family member to cancer, my late husband’s mom. She was overjoyed I had found such a wonderful man, who loved my children and I so much, and was so excited for our wedding. She passed on May 2, 2020 and in my grief, my now-husband suggested we just get married now, in a much smaller way, because with the state of the world, and having lost someone, all that mattered is that we were married and a family of five. We quickly re-planned our entire wedding within a month and were married on July 25th! It was tough; lots of nerves, a very short timeframe and ever-changing regulations added to the stress. In the end it was a beautiful day and I am so glad we went ahead and did it!
How was wedding planning?
Having planned our wedding twice, I often wonder how the first wedding would have been. The worst moments were wondering if we would be able to have our wedding in May, then when we re-planned it, the ever-changing COVID guidelines and restrictions. And I never thought I would have a wedding where people had masks on! But, overall, we wanted a day filled with music and great food!
Any memorable moments?
I walked down the aisle to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” By Kinna Granis and our recessional song was “Dreams” by the Cranberries. Larry did a great job of telling our story, incorporating our children with a sand ceremony and talking about the meaning of our recessional song, “Dreams.”
Dancing with all of my cousins was a blast! It was the best moment of the reception and I wish my grandparents were there to see it. The toast from our oldest son, Bradley, was beautiful, and Aaron was so proud of his son.
Any funny or unexpected moments?
After a week of daily thunderstorms and downpours, we actually had an afternoon that was storm free! We were shocked and so thankful.
Our youngest son, Preston, was so excited to be the “flowerboy” and he took on that job with so much flair and excitement! Everyone roared with laughter as he walked down the aisle.
My late husband’s father, Tom, gave us the most beautiful toast. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room! Aaron’s dad, George, was the most excited about our food! I have never seen anyone more excited about food at a wedding, and he was walking around telling everyone what they needed to try! He couldn’t stop eating as we tried to take family pictures!
What was your favorite part of the day?
Amy: I loved being able to get some friends and family together for our wedding. Even though some of our loved ones were unable to attend, I was so thankful for those who were able to make it and share our day with us. I loved having my children, Henry and Preston, walk me down the aisle. That was such a special moment for us and I will never forget the pride in my boys eyes as we embarked down the aisle together. I am so thankful for the love and support of our families.
Aaron: I am very happy our families were able to come together for our wedding day. Like Amy said, I am honored that so many could make it, but did miss having some very important people there. Our wedding was great, and I loved seeing my beautiful bride and sons walking down the aisle.
