Items

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  2022-02-02

  Engaged Couple Decide To Require All Wedding Guests To Be Vaccinated — Now Family Is Refusing To Comply

  This is a news story from Your Tango by Dan O'Reilly. This is about a couple that required all family members attending their wedding to be vaccinated. The issue with this is that the family does not want to comply to those wishes. This story was originally found in r/wedding on Reddit. According to the bride, her fiancé's family was on board with imposing vaccines, but the bride's own family is 50% vaccinated, with the unvaccinated thinking this is a dumb idea. This has been part of a controversial issue on if vaccines should be imposed. Most of the Redditors had sympathies for the engaged couple and believe it is what was needed for a safe event.
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  2022-03-24

  Welcome to the Wedding Boom. How Couples are Handling the Busiest Season in 40 Years

  This is a news story about the rising amount of weddings happening in 2022 after some couples have had to put them off. This story by NPR details changing wedding trends along with it. Wedding dress retailers such as David's Bridal say the demand for maternity wedding dresses is at a 10% increase. Wedding site, The Knot, has had a 25% increase. Financial stress in planning these weddings has also increased. Mandy Connor, a wedding planner, notes that one of her clients was hit with a 30% increase in overall cost between the contracted estimate and the final bill. This article does a good job at showing changes in wedding trends based on how retailers are reacting.
• 
  2022-03-27

  Were masks and pandemic anxiety a useful distraction towards ideas that should not matter, but did (to many)?

  Like everything having to do with public interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and lockdowns significantly impacted "traditional weddings." Gone were the days of large weddings, dancing around mask free and hugging the happy couple. If you search the internet, you will find a large amount of information on happy couples who had to cancel or alter their plans. Many of the #COVID BRIDES stories on this archive illustrate the extreme panic of changing plans and constant change, such as wearing masks in their pictures. The pandemic altering, delaying, or even preventing weddings has impacted society's mental health and perhaps future cultural traditions in weddings. This archive has a collection on mental health, https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/page/mental-health, which demonstrates how hard this pandemic has been on many people. The effects on mental health shows how weddings are a popular and important tradition in American society. The ceremony is a way to share your love before others, blend families and friends, and move from a "single person" to a team. When I say wedding, I mean the customs and celebration within the ceremony, not the genders of the couple. Gay marriage has not been legal throughout America long, only since 2013. The anxiety and stress of two years of delayed/cancelled weddings during a pandemic pale in comparison to the longstanding social pressure for LGBTQ people not to marry, on top of previous legality issues. There is still a large group of Americans that have the opinion that it is "evil" or a sin. I have seen and heard in person, movies, or television disparaging remarks on the idea of two men or two women getting married and/or kissing. I wanted to highlight this picture from TIME magazine as I hope it demonstrates that masks made people freak out. The idea that the officiant and the people were so distracted and concerned about the two brides either not wearing masks or being the only two kissing while not wearing masks----rather than not being male/female made me smile. I hope some of the pain, anxiety, and discomfort of the pandemic was turned into positivity by distracting people from the meaningless idea of couple's gender and that some LGBTQ opponents realized there are bigger problems in the world.
• 
  2022-03-24

  Attending a COVID Wedding

  My sister got engaged in October of 2019. At the time, we believed everything would go smoothly. My sister and her then fiancé planned for a wedding on October 10, 2020. It was a good thing it was that far in advance, as some people I knew that were planning for weddings in March or April of 2020 had to either reschedule their weddings or have a much smaller one than anticipated. One element of the wedding that made it unique for me outside of it being during COVID was that I had to travel across the country to get there, as the wedding was in Ohio, and I live in Arizona. At least I wasn't a bridesmaid, so there were less things I needed to really worry about. One thing that did bother me a lot was the plane ride there. I am not a fan of masks, as they give me lots of sensory issues and make it harder for me to understand what people are saying. I had to wear a mask for over three hours in the airport traveling to and from there. It was very uncomfortable too, given that planes themselves don't typically give you enough room to really feel like you can stretch out or lay down. I absolutely dreaded the plane ride even more because of the masks, but luckily the airlines were not bothered if I wore a cloth mask that I felt like I could breathe easier in. At least that was one mercy I got from all of this. Getting to the airport itself in Michigan before having to use a rental car to drive to where the wedding was, it made me sad to see so many shops and restaurants in the airport that were closed. For how many were shut down, I thought it was the opposite of helping, as it made it so people would crowd in the few places that were open for business, in addition to keeping people out of work that could have really used the money. When I got to the rental home my family was staying at for the wedding, it started to feel a bit more normal again. People were talking with each other without masks and for a moment, it made me feel like I was human again. The wedding felt the same way. Masks and hand sanitizer were still abundant for those that wanted them, but overall, people were acting like it was before the virus even happened. I was happy that the cases were low enough in Ohio for my sister to have a (mostly) normal wedding given the circumstances. Others were not nearly as lucky. Overall, it was a great time seeing family I didn't get to see as often, in addition to enjoying lots of dancing and good food. Unlike my wedding that happened in 2019, my sister wasn't able to go to the honeymoon destination she wanted until nearly a year after the wedding happened. She was also busy in school, so she couldn't afford to take time off for that at the moment anyway. If you were to look at the picture I posted for the wedding of my sister, you would assume that it wasn't during COVID. I'm glad my sister and my brother-in-law didn't wear masks for the wedding pictures because it's more fun to see people's faces, especially for an event like that. I am mostly just grateful that despite less than optimal circumstances to have a wedding, my sister was able to have a celebration she could look back on fondly.
• 
  2021-03

  Pandemic Wedding: Rachel Nichols

  Walls: What things did you have to change for your wedding to happen? (i.e. limit the number of people, venue changes to outside venues, or making face masks required) Rachel: So originally I was planning on having a bigger wedding around 200 people. I wanted it to be a huge celebration but due to the pandemic My Husband and I made the decision to just have our family, bridal parties, and just a few of our closest friends. I requested that anyone that was attending the wedding get COVID tested. I also provided masks to everyone and had hand sanitizer stations throughout the whole venue. Walls: What was the biggest concern you had about having your wedding during a global pandemic? Rachel: My biggest concern having my wedding during a pandemic was the possible chance that my grandparents & any older family members could possibly come in contact with COVID. But they were my biggest supporters and assured me that all was well & that they were taking every precaution to stay safe. Walls: Did you have any reservations about having your wedding at all? Rachel: I definitely had reservations about having my wedding, for weeks I went back and forth on whether it was the right decision. It was honestly mentally wearing but I wouldn’t change a thing. My wedding was uniquely perfect and I had everyone there that I needed. Walls: Did you have to push back your wedding? Rachel: I definitely had push back from a few family members about having my wedding, it was a really hard decision to make. But eventually they came around. My wedding date was significant to me because I discovered that my Grandfather had gotten married on the same date I chose. It meant too much to me to change. Walls: What issues, if any, did you have with the vendors that you had scheduled for your wedding? Rachel: I actually had zero issues with the Vendors because all I needed was a bartender, the caterer was more than accommodating and I had a family friend be my photographer. Everything was smooth sailing. Walls: If you had to push your wedding back, were vendors really flexible on giving you a new date/ refund? Rachel: Everyone who helped make this wedding possible was very flexible, they understood the circumstances at hand. Walls: What does it feel like to have gotten married during a pandemic? Rachel: Getting married during a pandemic was interesting, before the wedding I was nervous. I didn’t want anybody to feel uncomfortable, that was my biggest worry. But as soon as the ball got rolling everything felt effortless and magical. It became a very carefree environment where everyone who was there was able to forget about what was happening in our world and just enjoy themselves. Like I said before I wouldn’t have changed a thing, it didn’t even feel like we were in a pandemic. Everyone was able to enjoy themselves and stay safe at the same time. I'm very blessed to have been able to get married during a pandemic. It’s unique and something I will be able to tell my children about one day. These memories I will hold dear to my heart forever. It was just the right people and it couldn’t have been better.
• 
  2021-03

  Pandemic Wedding: Victoria Beasley

  Walls: What things did you have to change for your wedding to happen? (i.e. limit the number of people, venue changes to outside venues, or making face masks required) Victoria: I was supposed to get married in New York City for a destination wedding but because of Covid we couldn’t risk everyone’s health so we had to move it back to Florida, keeping the guest list smaller. We had COVID signs everywhere stating what people should do (staying six feet apart, wearing a mask, and washing their hands). We had masks specially made with our names and date and we had personalized hand sanitizers for people to take. It definitely was very focused on and thought about. Walls: What was the biggest concern you had about having your wedding during a global pandemic? Victoria: The thought of anyone getting sick because of our wedding really worried us but we had to just swallow the pill and pray for the best outcome. We luckily didn’t have anyone get sick and it was really amazing to get to see everyone. Walls: Did you have any reservations about having your wedding at all? Did you have to push back your wedding? Victoria: We tossed around the idea of pushing it back but after really thinking about it we decided not to because we had no idea when Covid would be over so it just didn’t really make any sense. Walls: What issues, if any, did you have with the vendors that you had scheduled for your wedding? Victoria: We didn’t really have any issues with vendors. Walls: If you had to push your wedding back, were vendors really flexible on giving you a new date/ refund? Victoria: Our photographer specifically was super understanding, he was going to go to New York with us and was completely understanding and okay with us possibly changing the date when we were tossing around the idea of changing the date and he was okay with us staying in Florida no extra charge, I think he just wanted us to feel comfortable given the circumstances. Walls: What does it feel like to have gotten married during a pandemic? Victoria: If anything it gave us a sense of relief, nobody got sick and like a feeling of reassurance that just because there is a pandemic, while yes keeping it safe, we could continue to live our lives. It’s also cool to think that we can one day tell our grandkids how we got married during a pandemic.
• 
  2021-03

  Pandemic Wedding: Sara Hamilton

  Wolf: What things did you have to change for your wedding to happen? (i.e. limit the number of people, venue changes to outside venues, or making face masks required) Hamilton: My situation was very unique from a lot of COVID-19 weddings in that we were nine days away from our date when we decided to postpone the celebration. Everyone told us we were crazy and to just do it and Florida shut down less than a week before our original date. Because it was so close to the date and we already had our marriage license we decided to have a super small and intimate ceremony with 13 people including us and the officiant. Our original RSVP number was 152 people. Everything was shut down on March 22nd but we did our ceremony in my in-laws backyard. They built an arbor, put flowers everywhere, socially distanced all the seats and nobody was allowed inside the house except to use the bathroom. We did not wear face masks, but this was really before that became the responsible thing to do. Nobody got close to each other except my husband and I and we only had a champagne toast and cut a small cake before we all split off. It was so opposite of everything that we had planned that day but I am so glad we chose to do a small ceremony because we certainly did not know what the future held and we still don’t. Wolf: What was the biggest concern you had about having your wedding during a global pandemic? Hamiton: For us the biggest concern was travel and people not being able to get back home amidst the beginning of the pandemic panic. We also have a lot of older people attending and we could never forgive ourselves if anyone we loved became sick because of coming to our wedding. And as I so think we are allowed to be selfish about one thing, another concern was that it just wouldn’t be the dance party we envisioned. We are both relatively relaxed and wanted to have the “big party” without people worrying for their own safety. For these reasons, we still have not had our big wedding. Wolf: Did you have any reservations about having your wedding at all? Did you have to push back your wedding? Hamilton: We had so many reservations. How could we be selfish and have the wedding no matter what when there is a global pandemic going on? Millions of people have died, and we want to celebrate our love even if it means not having those that have supported us in our partnership throughout the years? It just did not feel right to either of us. Our dream wedding is not about all the expensive and luxurious things… it is about having the support system that has been there for us throughout the years. Without that, it is not the wedding that we want. It has been extremely devastating, but we try to remember WHY we have made these decisions. I am tearing up as I think about it. Yes, we have now pushed back our wedding three times. We had an original date of March 22nd, 2020 and on March 17th, 2020 we chose October 18th, 2020 to be our second date. In August of 2020, we decided to postpone our October date to March 21st, 2021. We were confident we could safely make it happen but come January with reservations from both of us and our families, we decided to indefinitely postpone the big celebration until the world feels safe enough. Come July 2021, we will sit down to discuss if we will move forward with a fall/winter date or if we will push back to 2022. Wolf: What issues, if any, did you have with the vendors that you had scheduled for your wedding? Hamilton: We are incredibly blessed and have had minimal issues with all our vendors. We chose to support local for all of our vendors and everyone that we picked is people that we personally know. Most people cannot say the same as us, especially after postponing three times. We only “lost” one deposit from our DJ but he is giving us a discount when we do rebook. We had to pay an extra couple of thousand for our venue (The Riverhouse) as our contract was only for 2020 and we had gotten a generous discount, but they were so gracious to us and all of the money we have put forward is being saved on an invoice for whatever date we end up choosing, regardless of if its in 2021 or 2022. So basically, all of vendors saved our money and will apply it to our new date when that time comes. This is very fortunate and we do not take that for granted, by any means. Our wedding was paid in full so with our vendors being so flexible with time and money, its taken a lot of stress of our shoulders and has made postponing multiple times a lot easier because we don’t feel pressured to move forth due to time and money. If it did not go this way for us, I’m not sure what we would’ve done…weddings are expensive. Wolf: If you had to push your wedding back, were vendors really flexible on giving you a new date/refund? Hamilton: The first time around everyone was incredibly flexible and actually gave us first dibs on a new date since we were only nine days away from the big day when we decided to postpone. Second postponement wasn’t as easy but everyone still stayed flexible. Upon our third postponement, we were worried we would get backlash at saving a date then cancelling which is why we decided to postpone indefinitely until we feel its safe so we aren’t taking a date away from another couple and not stopping our vendors from making money on that day, since we are fully paid. We aren’t sure what will happen when we do choose a new date as that will require signing new contracts but because everyone has been so flexible and generous to us, we have no problem paying extra money for every vendor we chose. We chose each vendor because we really liked their work but we will stay with all of them for how they have treated us. We will pick a date that works for them all because they have done so much to keep us comfortable and we couldn’t imagine our day without them being by our side. We have not asked for any refunds nor will we. Wolf: What does it feel like to have gotten married during a pandemic? Hamilton: I could come up with a lot of adjectives to describe how it has felt as we are closing in on almost a year since our “mini mony” as they now call it. It is overwhelming, devastating, beautiful, and happy. (Here I am crying again) On March 13th, as I stood in my wedding dress for my final dress fitting, I cried with my mother-in-law as we were receiving calls, emails, and texts left and right about people not being able to make it due to the arising concern. It was there that we both knew what was needed. We drove home and broke the news to my husband and asked him how he felt. He agreed but didn’t say much. His mother left and we cried. We cried hard; we were SO mad. How could this happen SO close to our dream wedding? It took a few days, but we accepted it and decided to do the small ceremony anyways and wear what we had planned to wear. It was the happiest day of our lives, regardless of what had happened prior to 5:00 pm on March 22nd, 2020. So, while its been one of the hardest and disappointing things we have had to go through, it has made our marriage strong, honest, loyal, and committed. If we can get through our first year of marriage during a global pandemic postponing our wedding three times, I think we can do most things. I got to marry my best friend and the love of my life and I would be so disappointed in myself now if we had let postponing the wedding stop us from getting married. The big party will happen one day and this has taught us one very important life lesson: patience. So while I don’t wish this circumstance on anyone and so many have gone through it, I don’t regret that I got married during a pandemic. What a story for the kids one day, eh?
• 
  2020-12-13

  Covid Wedding

  My daughter and son-in-law had a Covid wedding. Only days after the Solano County shelter in place was reinstated. They have waited so long to be married. Waiting for Covid to be over just seemed endless. The wedding was held at the grooms parents house and only a few very close family attended. Everyone else was sent invitations to attend via zoom. The photograph shows my daughters and her new husband thanking guests online. In all honesty it was a perfect day! This was shared with permission from the Bride and Groom. Covid Wedding!
• 
  2020-11-24

  Social Wedding: Instagram ad bridal party masks

  Pictured are pink and white bridal party masks, which include masks for the bride, bridesmaid, and made of honour. A white flower is also pictured in the top right hand corner.
• 
  2020-09-23

  Wedding During The Time of Corona

  This is a photo of my best friend and his bride during their wedding in Spartanburg, SC
• 
  2020-08-23

  Portfolio_Camby

  When I embarked on the journey that was the JOTPY internship, I was unsure of what it would entail. I knew there would be assignments centered around collecting information in regards to COVID-19, but I did not know the extent. I was very surprised to learnt that we would be in fact completing our own oral histories. At the beginning, it was easier to contribute items to the archive, and extremely fun. But, as the work got more in depth, things got tougher. I had dabbled in oral history before, but had only done it to the extent of transcribing myself. By being introduce to Otter AI, my job got a lot easier. However, I'm still not a fan of oral history transcription. This course/internship taught me a plethora of skills. These included working with a team, curating fro an archive, software skills and more which I hope to incorporate in my future classes and career. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the course and look froward to seeing it come full circle.
• 
  2020-06-06

  But What About Social Distancing?

  This is a photograph of the past weekend from my bridal shower. Everyone who came was more than willing to utilize hand sanitizer and brought mask if it made them feel comfortable. However, we did break the social distancing rule in order to snag a group picture. It was so nice to break out of the quarantine mind set and enjoy a day with friends celebrating my upcoming wedding!
• 
  2020-05-24

  Soap

  These soaps will serve as favors for my upcoming bridal shower. I wanted to give something that was useful, rather than something that would be thrown away as soon as they left. What could be more needed currently during a pandemic than soap? This birthed the idea to make individual soaps to give to all the attendees to take home and use after being out with people all day.
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  2020-03-15

  COVID-19 Wedding Delay

  Our wedding has been scheduled for over a year. Due to the virus we are having to delay our wedding and cancel our honeymoon.