In these unprecedented times we can be sure of one thing now more than ever…love conquers all! The past few months navigating the COVID-19 pandemic was something our couples (nor us) saw coming, we’ve all had to pivot, adjust the game plan, or in some cases keep the game plan in place with some adjustments made. The history of our property has always included great love stories, and we will continue to celebrate those magical moments. Today we’d like to highlight one of those love stories that has conquered all…including a pandemic and we hope that you are inspired to think about this journey in a new light. Know that no matter the date, or how big the party is, or isn’t, your day will be about your profound love for each other. So let’s dive in!
Kristen & Jay at Lake Chocorua in the Fall.
GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW FROM ENGAGEMENT TO PLANNING.
My fiancé proposed to me in November 2018. We weren’t in a rush to get married. Instead, we wanted to enjoy our engagement, save our money, and take the time to plan a wonderful wedding. For us, that meant having our guests with us for several days and not just one evening. It also meant getting married in the White Mountains during the summer.
I came across the Preserve’s website on one of my very first web searches for venues. I immediately thought it was amazingly beautiful. We visited it that winter, and even covered in snow, it lived up to our expectations. We did our due diligence and looked at other venues, but none were as beautiful as the Preserve. It met all of our criteria: exclusive to our event, multi-day, ability to house a large number of guests on site, and beautiful facilities that could be used to the best of our imagination! We booked it for an August 2020 weekend.
By the time COVID shutdowns started in New England, our wedding was 90% planned and we had 50% of our investment paid out in deposits to our carefully selected vendors. Our wedding was just under 6 months away as we, along with the rest of the country, began to navigate the effects of the COVID pandemic.
We had every bit of faith that everything would be sorted out and our wedding would proceed as planned. As we entered May and reopening wasn’t underway yet, we started to feel a little nervous but, right then, restrictions started to be lifted. Still, we reached out to our vendors and learned from all of them that they would be extremely flexible if we needed to postpone or cancel. It was good to have that peace of mind, but all of our plans were made for the August weekend and we were sticking with it as long as we could, especially as restaurants, ceremonies and lodging began to open and hope seemed to be on the horizon!
On June 5th, we got the best news ever: Receptions were finally allowed which meant we could press on with our wedding as planned. So, some might call this a story with a Happy Ending, but knowing that we are starting our new life together, as planned, this August is actually more what we consider a Happy Beginning!
DID YOU CONSIDER A SMALL CEREMONY or ELOPEMENT and then a large “reception” at your 1 year anniversary?
No. Although the reception is certainly a large part of the wedding day, we think the ceremony is of equal importance. Our guests are not making this trip just to have a party. They are making this trip to see us exchange our vows followed by a celebration of having been witnesses to that. They are coming for THE DAY that we start our new life together. The ceremony makes the wedding day so special, so we really did not want to disconnect it from the reception.
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT EXPOSING GUESTS TO COVID AT YOUR WEDDING?
No. Restaurants and many stores have been open for quite some time now and the curve continues to flatten/decrease. We have been in groceries where people are far less than 6 feet away from us and those people are COMPLETE strangers. We know and trust our family and friends will only attend our event if they are well. Also, we have talked directly with a large cross section of our guests and found that (1) those who are in a high risk category for COVID will not come and they want us to proceed, (2) we have only invited close family and friends all of whom want to see each other and share in our special day, (3) our event is being hosted at a site that is private and exclusive. The site is being cleaned and prepared STRICTLY for our guests and will be used only by our guests. And (4) all of our vendors will be following the guidelines put in place to ensure our guests’ safety. For all of these reasons, our wedding will arguably be a lot safer than going into a grocery store, gas station or restaurant.
GIVE US THE PULSE ON YOUR GUESTS’ LEVEL OF COMFORT ATTENDING
Even though the vast majority of our guests are still planning on attending our wedding, they do have varying levels of comfort with direct or close contact. So we thought about how we can "signal" those varying preferences. Jay came up with the brilliant idea to offer one or two colors of leis for people to wear on site. Upon arrival, guests can choose red, yellow or none. A red lei would signal that this person prefers 6ft personal space around them at all times and no contact. A yellow lei would signal that closer proximity is acceptable to him/her but that they still prefer no contact. We may offer the leis for the Friday night BBQ Welcome Dinner because it fits with the theme and something more discrete or polished for the ceremony and reception.
The hilarious thing is that Jay's idea was inspired by how a SINGLES PARTY he had gone to "a long time ago" designated if you were greatly, moderately or not at all looking for a relationship (green, yellow, red). HAHA!
No matter where the inspiration came from, I think it's a fantastic and comfortable idea for our guests.
WHAT ARE SOME REASONS THAT COMPELLED YOU TO STICK WITH YOUR WEDDING DATE?
Under the current guidelines, we can do everything we had planned. Our guests can stay on site and at nearby lodging; our ceremony can happen exactly as planned; our reception can accommodate all of our guests and have dancing! Also, all of our vendors are all available and up for the task and the season is the one that we picked.
Another huge reason we wanted to stay with our date is because we thought, and now we know that our wedding will be taking place nearly at the soonest possible point after the COVID stay-at-home orders end. Many of the guests we have spoken with are so excited that, after all this time of isolation, they will be seeing so much of our family. The stay-at-home orders have been so trying and nerve-racking. It’s time to celebrate being together with the ones we love!
Kristen & Jay being the fun loving silly couple they are!
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE MAKING ANY SACRIFICES GIVEN THE CURRENT GUIDELINES?
No. If our wedding were to take place while the current guidelines are in effect, the following three things are the only changes we need to make to our wedding: Reception tables must seat 6 rather than 8; guests must wear masks for the 5 minutes that they go through the buffet line; our reception may need to be in the sailcloth tent rather than the barn due to the 50% capacity restriction. NONE of those changes will affect my fiancé and I exchanging our vows, our first kiss, our first dance, our meal, our flowers, our photos or anything! Also, between now and August, I am confident that there will be another change to the guidelines that will give us more freedom still.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST DRAWBACK TO STICKING WITH YOUR DATE?
It is true that some of the family and friends we had invited have elected not to attend. They either have health or financial impacts that prevent them from doing so. In a perfect world, we would have had them with us. However, (1) moving our wedding does not guarantee that their financial situation or level of comfort will be any different at that time and (2) they are not upset with us for continuing without them, they are overjoyed that we are ABLE to still get married as planned. The future is always unknown - and we have here and NOW.
ANY OTHER CLOSING THOUGHTS THAT MIGHT HELP CURRENT AND FUTURE COUPLES?
Life is full of all sorts of challenges that we must overcome. Whenever I am confronted with a challenge I consider the following options:
1. I can either let the challenge take control of me, or I can take control of it.
2. I can choose to view the challenge as a setback or I can view it as an opportunity.
From my perspective, COVID is just one of those challenges. COVID restrictions have been part of my way of life since March. It turned my routine on its head!!!
#1 I have taken control of it: I have grown closer to my fiance than I could have ever imagined. I have been able to start a routine of jogging during the middle of the day. I am eating more healthily because everything is homemade and fresh. I am less stressed because I don’t sit in 2 hours of traffic each day. I was able to transition to work from home seamlessly. And now, finally, the country is repairing and restoring itself economically. Our wedding is possible because the risks have decreased sufficiently for the restrictions to be lifted.
#2 I am going to seize this opportunity and celebrate it with my closest friends and family. I feel like I have been given a gift that so many April, May and June couples didn’t have. I am not going to pass it up.
