After being hired for Wedding Day Management, ELT had been working with Casey + Thomas for roughly one year. With COVID hitting in early March, we had high hopes that the event would be saved from needing to make any changes. As we finished out the summer, planning all things as normal, we came to the realization that there would need to be some adjustments. Instead of having ELT for Reception services, we decided to take the Ceremony and ramp it up to become the main event, cancelling the Reception completely. The couple chose to invite the PA Governor’s allowable guest size and live-stream the Ceremony to the rest of their friends and family both near and far.
Our services ended up being Ceremony Management and some extras like a Champagne Toast.
With Covid comes troubleshooting…So much troubleshooting! Taking a full Reception and making it into a Ceremony only was a challenge. For the couple more than for our team. They had to minimize their attendees to 25 people, and that included the staffing and vendors. Let me say.. They made all of these things look so easy. They handled changes with such grace and truly embraced the new plans. We were able to get refunds from the vendors that they had to cancel with, and there were a lot of people to call to relay the news. Seriously one of the most amazing things about the industry as a whole, and our local area especially. Everyone is working together to see the couples have an amazing day.
On the day-of, the majority of troubleshooting was with the technology of the live-stream. This being newer technology posed some challenges. The couple had an amazing support system of friends to manage all of these details with our team and together, we figured it out! Wedfuly was amazing to work with. They guided everyone during the Rehearsal on how to manage the technology and were right there the whole time on the day-of. It really made something super new go extremely smoothly.
Wedfuly was incredible. They handled the troubleshooting so well and made it extremely easy to walk through the steps. They had an intermission after the Ceremony so that we could get reset for the toasts, and the guests at home were able to listen to a playlist curated by the couple. When we got back online, the special guests were right on the screen ready to give their toasts. It was absolutely incredible to see this technology work up close and personal.
Due to COVID, we needed to make some adjustments to literally EVERYTHING! The guests, the couple, and the vendors all were able to roll so gracefully with those adjustments. The layout was different, having everything at the Chapel rather than split between that and a Reception location. We brought a table in with a linen to have champagne glasses on. Guests were served one as they arrived at the receiving line. It was absolutely magical! We decided last minute at the Rehearsal to let all guests depart and wait for the couple outside the Chapel doors. They rang the bell, and the Father-of-the-Groom opened the doors and announced them ‘for the first time in public’ as Mr & Mrs…then opened the door. It was pure magic!
There’s always things that happen during the day that we look back on and smile and laugh about. The little things that occur during the course of the event that we don’t want to forget.
While walking back up to the Chapel after the first look, my husband drove past with my son in the truck. He stopped to take a photo of me with Ryan because he was dressed up in his Navy Cadet uniform. The photographer got a shot and even gave it to me with the couples gallery. It was really special! Sometimes, things fall into place without being part of the plan. After we completed the first look, there was some extra time before the guests arrived and the festivities began. We decided in those moments that the bride would hang in my vehicle before the Ceremony (air conditioning and a sweet playlist). As guests were arriving they had no idea she was in the car. She got to watch them all arrive!
Everything about this day was magical. From Casey’s gorgeous dress, to the tiny touches like stickers of their pup on the cupcake boxes. They truly showed their love for one another through these gestures and also through their looks across the room.
Sometimes you just ‘know’ that a couple is perfect for one another. The smile on Casey’s face during the Ceremony–a full smile, with giggles of excitement throughout. She truly couldn’t wait for her soon-to-be Father-in-Law to pronounce them MAN AND WIFE. Tom waiting patiently (but also anxiously) for the first look. They were like two little kids ringing the bell and the completion of the Ceremony was a sign of relief because throughout the planning, they really didn’t know if they’d be able to pull it off due to the Covid restrictions.
In so many ways, it became better than having a massive party. It was intimate and sweet, with just the right amount of guests to celebrate with. Each one of them held a special place in the couples hearts, and this was definitely one of our favorite weddings to date! They were able to really focus on what was most important–their love for one another and the marriage.