This wasn’t what Eddie and Melissa expected their wedding day to look like. When I had my first video consultation with them, Melissa was excited to get married in the same church where her parents were married, St. Hugh of Grenoble Church in Maryland. Eddie was looking forward to having all of this family together, including his father who lives in China.

Then COVID-19 struck. Eddie and Melissa’s May 2020 wedding had to be cancelled. All of their hard work and planning changed dramatically. But instead of canceling altogether they chose to reschedule to another date and go ahead and elope! Having a full party with family and friends is still something they are exited to do but in the meantime they simply wanted to be married.

But then other challenges came. Melissa had to give up on wearing the wedding dress she chose, as it had not yet been full altered, and go with a $50 dress she found online. Additionally, Eddie’s Dad would definitely not be able to make the trip from China. To top it all off, on the day of their elopement the skies gave nothing but non-stop rain. Eddie and Melissa took it all in stride, focusing on what truly mattered, selecting the most important aspects of a wedding to them and thoughtfully tailoring it to their elopement wedding day. A heart-warming father-daughter first look. A simple and thoughtful ceremony. A reception complete with toasts and a cake. And a first dance with music from their Anker bluetooth speaker.

Eddie and Melissa wanted to make sure as many family and friends could be virtually involved as possible. A Facebook livestream gave all the ability to watch their ceremony, and a Zoom meeting brought together closest family and friends to join in on the reception. It all came together in a way that was special and just as meaningful as a full wedding experience.

When the main events were finished we took some time for portraits around the church, with Eddie and Melissa showing off their adventurous side in the rain and a love for denim jackets. Overall I’m so happy that I got to document this experience for Eddie and Melissa. Seeing them go through so much disappointment and still have such an incredible day was encouraging and a testament to all other couples that getting married is still an option! You just might have to plan and think differently.

Thanks for reading, enjoy seeing their photo story below!