7 minute read
Quarantine Weddings
BRIDES 5 GROOMS Five Five WEDDINGS Unique
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WWW.GREENWOODARLIFE.COM | JUNE 2020 | Greenwood Life
Wedding Planning During a Pandemic
By Mary Ann Sandifer
OWNER OF “I DO” WEDDING CONSULTING
I’ve o en said that God just sits in heaven with a smile on his face and looks at me and says, “So you’re a planner”?!?! As a wedding planner or anyone for that matter, who would have ever predicted the reality of the last three months. Certainly not a bride and groom who was in the process of planning their “happily ever a er”, the day every bride has dreamed of, their perfect wedding day.
5 brides, 5 grooms, 5 beautiful and unique weddings that were all supposed to be held in April through June. en there was a virus that caused a nation wide shut down, that cancelled large group events, that caused anxiousness and uncertainties for 5 sweet couples and their parents who have all had to make changes and adjustments accordingly.
Five brides, ve grooms, ve individual love stories. Even with all of these changes, from dates, venues, social distancing, color changes, pre wedding day events being held in other creative ways. ese are all going to be a part of their memory, it will all be a part of their never-ending love story, it will all be a part of their happily ever a er. is “virus” may have created a lot of things in our society but one of the main things it did for 5 very special couples is it made their love grow even more and they are healthier for it!!! We may not always know what God has planned but it’s the perfect plan and “I Do” know we are forever thankful and a er all . . . . Great things are worth waiting for!!!
1HUNT/LONG WEDDING Bride Jensen Hunt Long
Groom Chase Long April 18, 2020 was originally the wedding day for Bride Jensen Hunt Long and Groom Chase Long at St. Boniface Catholic Church with the reception to be held at the Bakery District in Fort Smith, AR for 350 – 400 guests. After much discussion and tossing ideas back and forth the decision was made to move their date to July 25, 2020 with ceremony and reception to be held at the Bakery District in Fort Smith, AR while staying with the same guest list!!! Father of the Bride Gary Hunt will still walk his only daughter down the aisle, Groom Chase will (in his words) “maybe tear up a little or a lot” as he stands at the altar to see his Bride Jensen for the first time on their wedding day, and they will still celebrate with their guests their reception celebration. The date may have changed but their love remains the same.
Greenwood Life
| WWW.GREENWOODARLIFE.COM | JUNE 2020
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BONIN/MARKWARDT WEDDING
Bride Sara Bonin
Groom David Markwardt 2 May 2, 2020 was dedicated to Sara Bonin and David Markwardt at the Loft at Stone Oak in Greenwood AR. So many ideas and plans were underway when the news came that “social distancing” and limited guest count was the new normal. Sara and David have guests planning to attend from all parts of Texas and several other surrounding states. For this reason alone the decision to move their “I Do” to the Fall date of October 10, 2020 became a reality. Sara loved this new date for obvious reasons and will be changing her color scheme as well since pastels would not be very Fall-like in color. “Despite having to change our wedding date after a year of planning, we are happy and feel we have made the right decision. It was for sure a let down but the safety of our friends and family is most important. Seven years together helped make that decision much easier. All in all, we were able to move the date with relative ease and have most of our original vendors. We chose to look at the positives with moving our date and are happy with our decision” states Bride Sara.
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WWW.GREENWOODARLIFE.COM | JUNE 2020 | Greenwood Life
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TAYLOR/BAILEY WEDDING
Bride Elliot Taylor Groom Logan Bailey
May 30, 2020 was the wedding date for Bride Elliot Taylor and Groom Logan Bailey. Their wedding day originally was going to be held at Mt. Carmel First Baptist Church in Cabot, AR with the reception to follow at the Veteran’s Park Event Center in Cabot, AR for 450 guests. This sweet Bride and Groom “just are ready to be married” and decided to hold strong to their original wedding date. The guest list was lowered to 50 guests and was held at the home of the Bride’s parents Lance and Tanya Taylor, formerly of Greenwood, AR. Elliot and Logan also “livestreamed” their “I Do” for anyone who wanted to share in their special day. A large celebration will be held on August 29, 2020 at their original reception venue.
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JOHNSON/DUNN WEDDING
Bride Kylie Johnson Groom Parker Dunn
June 13, 2020 was the original date for Bride Kylie Johnson and Groom Parker Dunn which was to be held at the Kindred Barn in Mulberry. As the COVID 19 restrictions were announced and with their main consideration was for the safety of their grandparents and their strong desire to have their grandparents in attendance, Bride Kylie and Groom Parker decided to change their date to September 4, 2020 which also required a location change to the beautiful Loft at Stone Oak in Greenwood, AR. Bride Kylie states, “When planning our wedding in the Fall of 2019, we never thought we would be in the predicament that we are in now. Not only did we have to push our wedding back 3 months, but we also lost our venue. If we didn’t have Mary Ann to guide us, it’s safe to say we would be going crazy by Ann to guide us, it’s safe to say we would be going crazy by now. Mary Ann has assured us that our day will be beautiful no now. Mary Ann has assured us that our day will be beautiful no matter what, and I know that Mary Ann and her “I Do” Crew will matter what, and I know that Mary Ann and her “I Do” Crew will deliver a day that we will remember for the rest of our lives.”
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CHAVEZ/JOHNSON WEDDING
Bride Amanda Chavez Groom Michael Johnson
June 20, 2020 (6-20-20 at 6:20 pm) was the date and time that Amanda Chavez and Michael Johnson decided on a year ago when Michael made his beachside proposal and Amanda said YES!!! Their venue location is at the Loft at Stone Oak in Greenwood, AR which will be the setting for their formal affair. With restrictions from the Governor lifting ever so slightly on a weekly basis, Amanda and Michael have decided to stay with their original date but that doesn’t mean they haven’t experienced several wedding planning changes themselves. Social distancing has created their own challenges in pre-wedding events such as wedding showers – some are now being held via drive by or outdoors when weather allows. Other considerations that have taken place will be the placement of guest tables, the number of guests at each table, the serving of food by catering staff instead of a self-serve buffet to name a few.
