Weddingsin the Northland continue, despite pandemic

We have all been affected, in one way or another, by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have transitioned to working from home, while many have begun home-schooling their kids. We’ve all had to socially distance from our loved ones. No matter who you are, everyone has encountered life’s disappointments.

One demographic unusually hard-hit with the unknowns of this time are couples planning their wedding. Many brides and grooms are frantically asking themselves, “Should we, or shouldn’t we?” as the pandemic marches on.

Today we introduce you to three local brides who got married during the pandemic. All three had to dramatically alter their expectations, and their weddings ended up vastly different than expected. However, all three agree: they are glad they did it.

Jackie and Cary

Jackie and Cary Cardinal were married Aug. 7, 2020, at Duluth’s Glensheen Mansion. They had been planning their wedding for months.

“We got engaged Nov. 3, 2019, and hit the ground running with wedding planning,” Jackie Cardinal said. “Cary and I had been together for six years, so we were more than ready to be married.”

When the couple first started planning their wedding, there had not been a COVID-19 outbreak yet.

“We had originally planned a 120-person wedding at Glensheen Mansion for May 30, 2020,” Cardinal said.

“Through conversations with our venue, we decided to take as many precautions as we could to make our wedding day happen safely,” Cardinal said. “The biggest change we made was moving our entire wedding and reception outdoors. We seated our guests by household and each table was spread at least 6 feet apart. Hand sanitizer was stationed throughout, and we even had personalized hand sanitizer wedding favors for our guests.”

The Cardinals encouraged guests to wear masks. And as for their wedding meal, “We had a plated meal delivered to each guest, which minimized people moving around and touching food,” Cardinal explained. “Our venue did everything possible to be sure our event met social distancing guidelines — and they did an amazing job!”

“I was super-surprised by how understanding, supportive and flexible everyone was — from our friends and family to our vendors,” Cardinal added. “I was sure we would lose money, through needing to postpone our wedding, but we were incredibly lucky, and no one charged us anything extra.”

Summer and Kayla

Summer Winkler and her wife, Kayla (Fuller), were married Sept. 26, 2020, at the River Inn Bar and Grille in Cloquet. The couple had started planning their wedding after COVID-19 hit, both their ceremony and reception at Duluth’s Clyde Iron Works.

“We had already sent out our ‘save the dates’ by the time COVID hit,” Warfield said. “A few tears and many conversations later, and we decided to alter our plans.”

Extra safety precautions included keeping everyone but the bride out of the house. Additional chairs were added to incorporate social distancing. And the entire event — including the ceremony and reception — were all held outdoors.

The absence of many of their loved ones was this couple’s biggest struggle. Their guest list was whittled down from 250 to 30.

“It was the presence of the people that we missed,” Warfield said, “such as my grandma, who I’m really close to.”

Blackwell’s family, many of whom are from New Zealand, were also unable to attend.

“But we definitely felt the love from near and far, even if they weren’t there,” Warfield added.

Advice

not thinking the pandemic wasn’t going to last very long.

The couple incorporated many extra safety protocols into their special day to keep their loved ones safe.

“We used social distancing (unless it was family) and set out hand sanitizer and masks for everyone to use,” Winkler said.

But their biggest disappointment came to the attendees.

“One thing we wanted was to have more people at our wedding,” Winkler noted, “especially my older sister, who lives in another state. Not having everyone there that we wanted was a bit heartbreaking.”

The couple were pleasantly surprised with how their venue handled the logistics, however.

“It surprised us how flexible our venue was,” Winkler said. “We expected things to be a little more uptight. Our venue was super accommodating, which made things less stressful.”

Baihly and Andy

Baihly Warfield and Andy Blackwell were married Sept. 18, 2020, in a friend’s backyard. Their original plan was to have

These three brides have some hard-won advice to impart.

“My advice to anyone planning a wedding during this pandemic is to stay calm (as difficult as that can be) and be OK with multiple backup plans,” Cardinal said.

“Also remember, you have to do what is right for you,” she continued. “One person’s choice about what to do might not be the same as another person’s choice. I would also highly suggest people read their contracts word-for-word, and ask questions about clauses that may be put in place with COVID. Many vendors are understanding and flexible, but they also have businesses to run, too, so make sure you are clear about their expectations and yours.”

“It really depends on the couple and what they want their wedding to look like,” Winkler said, of deciding whether to proceed. “If they are OK with a short guest list of close family members and friends, we say go for it! Just take proper measures — and don’t forget to sanitize!”

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“I would say go for it,” Warfield said. “But every couple has to make that decision for themselves. It’s hard to let go of the idea of what your wedding would have looked like. I would also say to check with all your vendors on their policies.”

What really matters

At the end of the day, these couples were all married, which is the main thing.

“It all boils down to celebrating with the one you love! That and having the people there that truly matter,” Winkler said.

“For us, it didn’t matter what day or month we got married; we just knew we were ready to be married, and we were OK with postponing the larger celebration for another time if we needed to,” said Cardinal. “We made the decision that, no matter what, we were going to get married Aug. 7, even if it was just us, our officiant and witnesses.”

“Ultimately, we’re married, and that’s the most important thing — starting our life together,” Warfield said. “Our small wedding actually allowed us to be more present and intentional about our day. In fact, my new sister-in-law said: “Nothing about this feels like a ‘Plan B.’” D