My Wedding Story: Corona Edition

Hi guys! It’s been a while. I hope everyone is safe and doing well during this pandemic. Today I’ll be sharing my wedding story with you and how Corona impacted it. I’m also thinking to share more details of the planning experience in jamaica. If you’re interested in seeing that leave me a comment below.

My Wedding Story

This is strange. I don’t usually divulge much about my relationship or intimate life on here but with all that happened and still happening a girl has had a change of heart. Plus I’ve gotten several requests previously for a post on wedding planning and the like. Today I’ll be sharing my wedding story and how it was affected by the current pandemic.

As I write this I chuckle a bit to myself because it’s funny how my dread of doing that such a post has dwindled into no fear or anxiety at all. The wedding has happened the deed is done and I’m happy that it essentially took very little planning in the end.

But let’s start at the beginning.

The Engagement

My husband popped the question last August on his birthday in an intimate birthday trip I planned for the two of us and it was just the most perfect day. We decided then to stave off planning for a few weeks to enjoy our engagement. 

Let The Planning Begin

I started planning my wedding as soon as September rolled around and I was excited. Soon thereafter, all the critical decisions were made. We’d have 50 guests, and we’d have it at the UWI Chapel. Struggled a bit to decide on a reception venue but we eventually decided the Mona Visitor’s Lodge wedding package made the most sense for us. As each month passed progress was made and by the end of December, our honeymoon was booked.

The Home Stretch

Fast forward to 2020 and many reception site visits later. I was putting the final touches on everything.

I bought my wedding favors and other cutesy wedding decor pieces I wanted from Amazon. Enlisted the help of my co-worker and friend to design our invitations then sent them out. Got a coordinator, got a decorator, master of ceremonies and a deejay. Did our food tasting for our reception which doubled as a great date night. Went shopping with my decorator for draping fabric. It’s safe to say I was well on my way to having a successful wedding when Corona hit Jamaica.

Then Corona Happened

Jamaica has its first case, of course, I’m sad, upset even. We were just a month away from things going according to plan but God had other plans.

Even though Corona was here I was hopeful. Hopeful I’d still have some semblance of my wedding plan. But then the news of the public gathering limits was shared and I was forced to adjust to a new normal. At this point, I wasn’t happy. I felt like all my work was for nothing.

First there was the 20 people limit. I think that limit lasted less than a week before it dropped to 10.

20 people was perfect. I’d have been able to have my both my brothers, my niece, my parents and my sister in law and the photographer and videographer to share the memories with those who wouldn’t be able to make it.

The limit dropped to 10 and I was ready to call it quits on the wedding and just head down to RGD to get hitched. No fanfare, full-on elope style but my partner talked me off the edge.

I Had A Change Of Heart

Somewhere in all the changes, I came to terms with my new reality. I decided to shift my focus. My partner was still very happy that we’d be getting married he didn’t care about the other things. He told me repeatedly that’s what mattered most to him. That spoke volumes to me. I had to reassess my emphasis. Was I so invested in having a wedding that I would allow it to steal the joy of our relationship becoming a marriage? It dawned on me that I control my own happiness. I can still make my wedding day the happiest day of my life if I wanted to. When I made that decision I experienced a level of peace that to this day I cannot explain.

From that day forward I decided to modify the life out of the wedding and my expectations. Originally, I had two wonderful bridesmaids but I could only have one to conform to the 10 person quota and that broke my heart but it had to be done. I switched out my extravagant dress for something a little more cost effective.

The Week Of..

Even after making all those changes and deciding to be content. The week of my wedding was pretty interesting.

  1. A week before my wedding day I was being informed by the chapel that I had to organize security for my event.
  2. 5 days before my wedding day my Pastor was unsure he’d make it out of St Catherine for the wedding. St Catherine was under strict stay at home orders and persons were not allowed to leave the parish so he was unsure he could still perform the ceremony in Kingston.
  3. 3 days before my wedding I go to pick up my dress and the owner accidentally locked herself out of the store and was unable to get back in. Thank God the security agency had a dispatched team already in the area and I exercised patience. (PS I loved my experience shopping with them for my dress, the owner is great this is just to show how crazy things got the week of the wedding.)
  4. 2 days before my wedding I learnt there would be another wedding that day and my plans to decorate my own wedding were thwarted.
  5. On that same day, the nail appointment I made weeks ago was cancelled because all the nail technicians for the salon lived in St Catherine.
  6. The day before my wedding the company I ordered my bouquets from ran out of the flowers I ordered but threw in some roses for free.

In the end, each “problem” worked out perfectly with a little faith. My pastor made it. I made the security arrangements without paying the fee, Mr Brown was the kindest. My family decorated the chapel for me. I found another open nail salon and got the nails I hoped for. My bouquets looked great with the addition of the roses. It was all fine.

All’s well that ends well

At the end of it all, we had an amazing wedding ceremony with a close-knit group of family and two friends. We were both happy to have our parents be a part of this momentous occasion and just as happy our counsellor and pastor made it across the border and married us.

Related: What I Learnt from Planning A Wedding In Jamaica

And there you have it, my wedding story. Of course, I skipped a few of the planing details but if you want to read more about that I’ll happily make another post just for that. Let me know if you do in the comment section below.

Wedding Story Instagram Q&A

Over on Instagram I asked you guys if you had any questions and here’s what you asked along with my answers.

Do you feel any different?

Yep, it feels like I have renewed purpose and it kind of feels like the relationship started over. There’s a newness that’s hard to explain.

Do you look at Covid as a blessing in disguise in relation to your wedding planning?

Now I sure do. Earlier I mentioned I struggled with it because I had put in a lot of work into this wedding before Corona came to Jamaica. But now I’m happy with everything as it turned out. This proved to me that God truly knows what’s best.

What was the best part of your day?

All of it. It was such a day full of love. He was the first person I spoke with that morning and we laughed, hard. Every part of my day went well so it’s incredibly hard to choose.

Will you honeymoon after Covid?

Oh Yes. Yes. Yes. The hotel cancelled our honeymoon because of the pandemic. We plan to reschedule as soon as we can.

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