BRIDAL TRENDS
What will weddings look like in 2021? Pandemic throws nuptial plans for a loop, but with patience and flexibility, they can be just as magical
Lauren Brenneman's wedding ring sits on top of her bridal bouquet. Photo courtesy of Wertman Photography
written by LAUREN LAROCCA While many wedding plans were upended in 2020, with
and struggled to decide how to proceed, she and her fiancé were in the unique situation of getting engaged, planning a
brides-to-be having to postpone or completely revise orig-
wedding and getting married — all during the pandemic.
inal ideas, those who embraced the unprecedented COVID
“We were a weird COVID marriage story,” Brenneman
times and went with the flow might have had surprisingly
said.“We were lucky because we were able to start fresh …
pleasant results, and their weddings became beacons of
and we didn’t have any expectations and plans.”
light amid a harsh year. Lauren Brenneman, who lives in Hagerstown, said that
Two weeks prior to getting married, they booked a micro-wedding package at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
while friends of hers who had already planned weddings —
in Richmond, Va., a site that allowed visitors short time slots
hired caterers, booked venues — were tied to those plans
throughout the day in various pockets of the gardens to
