Socially Distanced Micro-Wedding in Washington: Jessica + Kevin

As COVID has swept the world, weddings have taken on a new look. We are getting TONS of submissions about backyard weddings and micro-weddings. As much as we love them, most of them are happening because COVID changed their original plans. So while we want to share what’s happening in the world, we are also strong believers that elopements and micro-weddings should be Plan A, not Plan B!

But until we’ve converted every couple in the world to that thinking (a girl can dream right?!) , we do want to share some of what we are seeing happening in the world of weddings right now! And backyard weddings are all the rage, but they are not all created equal. (**Makes note to self to find more friends with awesome backyards**)

This backyard waterfront wedding in particular caught my eye because no matter what in the world was happening these two were all smiles. They took safety into consideration for their guests and still had a fantastic day. While it may not be what they planned originally they were still surrounded by love…. just love from a slightly great distance!

Check out their day and some Q&A from couple about how they decided to go this route!

Photography: Lavender Bouquet Photography

Bridal Gown : Blue Sky Bridal

Groom’s Suit: Men’s Warehouse

Florist: Diamond Custom Floral

Location: AirBnb in Kingston, WA

Pizza : Westside Pizza

Bakery: Sluys Bakery

How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

Kevin decided to give internet dating a shot.  He was browsing OKCupid for about an hour and then noticed he was a 0% match with a woman who seemed like a catch (and he was used to being at least 20% match with people).  He dug around her profile and it seemed like they should at least have a little in common.  He decided to message her, his first message on the site, and asked “Why are we a 0% match?” They chatted and a few years later they are now married.

Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? 

We had a much bigger wedding planned for the same day (Summer Solstice) and decided to keep our original date even though we knew it would look different because of COVID-19. We had already been engaged for and year and a half and didn’t want to wait any longer.  We decided to have immediate family still join us, so we rented an Airbnb with a large yard to help with social distancing.  Other than that we just used what we had already purchased for our other wedding and simplified our vendor approach.

Tell us about the wedding decor!

The bride’s mother made the beautiful back drop out of handmade doilies from great-grandmothers. Wedding bands from the bride’s grandparents are also dangling from one of the yarn strands.  Other than that we didn’t do much decorating as the new plan became much simpler and ad-hoc.

For florals we requested something bright, fun, whimsical and wanted it to feel a bit like a field of wildflowers in the summer.

 Let’s talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? 

Kevin picked a brighter suit for a his summer wedding and then had to order the rest of the outfit online thanks to COVID.Jess’s dress was a sample she picked up from Blue Sky Bridal in Ravenna. The designer is Justin Alexander. It was the only dress she tried on that felt comfortable and beautiful, and fitting for a summer wedding. The Art Deco design is a combination of embroidery and beadwork and is a great compliment to her engagement ring. The engagement ring is a family heirloom and was originally given to Kevin’s grandmother by his grandfather.  They were married for 69 years, so Jess feels like the ring brings good luck and heritage into their relationship.

Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?

A: We ordered West Side pizza and had each household order their own pizza to avoid people sharing or touching food.  We got cake and cookies from a local bakery to also just keep the day simple.  We really loved how well the day turned out for basically being tossed together in the end.

What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

For Kevin it was the first look at Jessica in her wedding dress.  She was radiant and more beautiful than he expected.For Jess, it was sharing their vows to each other. She knew it would be short but wanted to savor it and try to immerse herself in it as much as possible.

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?

After having to roll with a million punches and unknowns planning a wedding in 2020 we would say that all the things that people tell you are “important”…aren’t.  Go with the flow, have what you want, but in the end having a small wedding with family, delivered pizza, social distancing, face coverings and a Spotify playlist is still an amazing day.