A simple but stunning nuptial celebration, surrounded by intimate friends and family. Sunflowers and blue tennis shoe accents brought delight in the midst of a global crisis, and chosen Scriptures encouraged bride and groom to joyfully exuded the supernatural beauty and joy of the sacrament, despite pandemic conditions.
The Story
They met at Harry Potter trivia at New York Deli in July 2015. Though Ian didn’t know anything about Harry Potter, Jess helped the team to victory! (Honestly, might have been the first time that trivia team won the night!)
The Proposal
Two weeks before the proposal, Jess accidentally found the ring, freaked out (in a good way!) then had to play it cool until the actual proposal happened. In July 19, 2019, while spending the weekend at Jess’s parent’s river house, Ian proposed on the dock. As Jess had found the ring 2 weeks earlier, and naturally, tried it on, she knew it was a little big and rushed to get off the dock so she wouldn’t lose it!
The Dress
Jess styled and sewed her own dress! Her taste was much more simple than what is readily available in the wedding dress market and her budget conscience style wanted something that wouldn’t feel too wasteful. So instead her mom helped to find a pattern and crafted a dress that was just right for her. She’s planning to dye it so I can wear it again in the future.
Favorite Moment
For Jess it was when Ian pulled his vows out of his sleeve. She almost almost fell over laughing! For Ian, it was watching his bride walk down the aisle towards him.
How did Covid-19 impact your wedding?
The couple had to significantly reduce the amount of guests in attendance, but were able to utilize Zoom to allow friends and family from around the country to join us virtually. Zoom made all the difference in feeling like we were still connected to our friends and family that couldn’t join us. In the past, if someone couldn’t make the wedding, they’d just miss out. Now brides and grooms are able to include them in our special day regardless of distance or limitations. In the end, COVID made certain aspects easier but was also a huge hurdle to navigate and it was impossibly hard to decide how to reduce the in person guest list. All things considered, it was different than we envisioned, but they had a great time and it all worked out.
Advice for future couples planning their wedding
“Share the load! So many friends and family pitched in, especially the morning of, to help us pull off our day!”
VENDOR CREDITS
Photography | Awesomesauce Photography
Ceremony and Reception Venue | Seventh Street Christian Church
Bridesmaid Attire | Amazon
Groom’s Attire | The Black Tux
Dessert| Shyndigz
Awesomesauce Photography offers colorful, fun, and emotional storytelling wedding photography at an affordable price. Based in Richmond, VA available for travel worldwide.
