GRATITUDE ABOUNDS - Weddings North Magazine

BY SUE READY

We all can agree 2020 was not a normal year for wedding planning with a global pandemic, a variety of COVID-19 restrictions and ever-changing state mandates.

Brianna Argir always had a very clear vision of her perfect wedding day. “I wanted a September outdoor wedding and a reception in a shed or barn of some kind.” And that’s exactly what she ended up with on Sept. 11, 2020, when she married Peyton Argir though a bit of drama did lead up to the nuptials.

BRIANNA AND PEYTON ARGIR

What Brianna did not factor in wedding planning was getting COVID three weeks before her wedding and being quarantined for two of those weeks.

Brianna had no clue on Aug. 15, the day of her bachelorette party with friends and bridesmaids, she had COVID. She was not diagnosed until Aug. 17.

With a wedding looming some three weeks away, Brianna was filled with many moments of panic. Still ahead were many last minute wedding preparations needing her attention. Worst case scenario, she and Peyton considered the possibility of canceling and rescheduling for 2021.

Fortunately for Brianna, major help came in the form of mom, sister and aunt. “My mom and sister were very much on the same page with each other and knew exactly what I wanted and how picky I am about things.”

Brianna’s mom, Debbie Herron, and sister Cheylin, communicated frequently through FaceTime with her over reception decorations and flower colors.

Cheylin took time off from work to help with planning, noting, “It was stressful for Brianna who had to envision what we were doing through FaceTime and pictures. Due to COVID a lot of places were closed, forcing us to do a lot of last-minute online ordering.”

Brianna was fortunate to have so many other family members and friends reach out to make sure she was feeling OK and checking to see what was needed. But for Brianna, hands down, her mom was the one she had to lean on the most to get through all of this. “She’s always so good at calming me down and looking at the reality of things,” Brianna said.

During quarantine, Brianna had a period where breathing was difficult and her chest always felt heavy. Her sense of smell and especially taste are still to this day not the same. She is so grateful Peyton never got COVID.

The safety of the guests was a priority. The outdoor wedding was held at The Woods in Brainerd followed by an outdoor reception at Brianna’s stepgrandparent’s home.

Since both events were outdoors, guests were able to make their own decision over mask wearing. Hand sanitizers were available at several locations.

The bridal party, friends who were at the bachelorette party and Peyton, were all retested prior to the wedding day to make sure everyone was still negative.

Brianna’s advice for couples wedding planning is to “be sure both of you are on the same page. Find the things that are non-negotiable in planning. Always keep your best interests before anything else. At the end of the day the only thing that matters is that the two of you are happy and things are the way you want them.”