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Couples that planned to get married in 2020 have not had an easy time. The year has been filled with reevaluating what a couple's wedding day will look like. Should you postpone everything to 2021 and extend your engagement? Should you downsize your wedding, implement COVID-19 requirements, and get married this year? Should you get married now, and postpone the larger celebration to later? The options are endless, but one thing is pretty much certain - if you decided to get married in 2020, your wedding will not be exactly as originally planned.
All photos courtesy of Stephanie Maurie Photography
Prior to the pandemic, Amanda and Felipe hired me to help with their wedding day. It was planned for June, on a boat cruising the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, ending with fireworks at Navy Pier. Felipe is originally from Brazil, and Amanda is originally from Texas. Their goal was to get people together from both sides of the family for ONE. BIG. PARTY. That party was going to be quintessential Chicago - with views of the city as their wedding backdrop.
Then, things changed, and because of that, plans had to change too. Amanda and Felipe were not giving up that gathering of loved ones. Because of restrictions on group sizes, and because the majority of their guests were traveling, they knew postponement was the only option. However, they also knew they wanted to get married now, which is exactly what they did!
They kept that same vision of all Chicago has to offer, but downsized it. On a gorgeous Friday night, exactly one year before their postponed wedding, they got married on a smaller boat from Chicago's First Lady Cruises. By their side were a few close friends, and the ceremony was at the tip of the boat and officiated by one of those friends. Surrounded by water and city views, with the cheers of onlookers as they cruised by, they became Mr. and Mrs.
Stephanie Maurie Photography was there to document everything, and as you can see, it was stunning! The best part? We get to do it all over again in 2021! However, next time, it will be bigger, better, and they will have all of their loved ones by their side.
What is the takeaway from all of this? There is no right way to get married! Big weddings, intimate weddings, micro weddings, elopements, and postponements are all great ways to get married. As a couple, you need to first and foremost evaluate what is most important to you. Is it most important to get married now? Is it most important to have a large group with you? Is it most important to have the vision you had in your head?
The greatest thing about Amanda and Felipe's solution was that they got all three of those things! They got married, they get to do it all next year with their large group, and they got their vision executed for BOTH!
Congratulations, Amanda and Felipe! Get ready for an epic celebration next year!
xoxo,
Afton
Photography: Stephanie Maurie Photography
Venue: Chicago's First Lady Cruises