Rustic Sacramento Sunflower Micro-Wedding
Grace and Jester are two fun people full of joy and laughter. They met through their love of CrossFit, Jester is a CrossFit coach and Grace a competitive power lifter, now in the process of getting her Physicians Assistant degree. They invited me to be a part of their wedding planning process in November 2019 as we had dinner at the local Irish Pub. When we started the planning process, we could never have expected that their wedding date would land smack in the middle of a global pandemic and require a complete planning pivot.
One of the things that I love about Grace and Jester, is that they take everything in stride. When the COVID-19 pandemic became a very real issue to navigate, Grace and Jester, like many other couples planning summer 2020 weddings, were concerned about what to do next. As a planner, I am used to needing to get creative and accustomed to needing to make drastic changes, but I have to say, this was a new level-up, not just for me, but for everyone in the industry. And, I was so lucky to be working with a couple like Grace and Jester. As I mentioned before, they take everything in stride. After a couple of packed consultation calls, we came up with a plan that would allow them to moved forward with their date, have an in-person component, and follow social distancing State, County, and CDC guidelines.
On June 28th, 2020 in the grand, rustic great hall of The Lincoln Avenue building in Woodland, CA, Grace and Jester made it official in front of 20 close friends and family (in-person) and 50 more who watched the beautiful and emotional ceremony via Zoom. Rainbow Weddings & Events designed and crafted two beautiful Eucalyptus garlands to line the aisle and a gorgeous Sunflower bouquet with materials from the amazing Strelitzia Flower Company in Davis, CA. Floating candles were placed in bowls along the garlands which led to an open circle of glowing candles that held the couple, their witnesses, and the officiant, in the warmth of its light. The ceremony was followed by an informal reception with individual meals for each guest, from Grace and Jester’s favorite Mexican restaurant, Maria’s Cantina. Sweet Romeo’s By Antonia J created a beautiful red velvet cake and two different flavors of cupcakes to satisfy those cravings following dinner.
In the end, what we were all able to takeaway from this was: love is far from cancelled, weddings are still possible. They may need to be smaller and some guests may need to be respectfully told that they are no longer invited to join in person, but micro-weddings are still possible. There are so many ways to be creative, whether that is doing decorations DIY, ordering individual meals to be packaged for each guest separately, and having your loved ones join via Zoom. We can still plan and move forward towards that special day and we can do this while making sure that everyone is safe through understanding the guidelines, practicing social distancing, wearing masks, providing cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer in bathrooms and to guests, and making sure that things happen in spaces that are outdoors or where there is more than enough air flow from open windows and doors.
Do not get discouraged, micro-weddings can be everything that has been dreamed about and more. And let’s not forget about elopements; did I hear someone say romantic “I do’s” in the middle of a beautiful lavender field or with the waves kissing toes in the sand of a peaceful beach? Sounds like a plan to me! Let me know when and I’ll see you both there, with everything you need to make magical memories that will last a lifetime.
