Challenging would be an understatement when you’re planning a wedding during a pandemic and you’re halfway across the country, and yet, Elizabeth and Robert did it! These native Minnesotans moved to Portland for Elizabeth’s dental school and so once they got engaged, they knew they had their work cut out for them in planning a wedding day back in Minnesota. Then came the mandates and impending unknowns, so they chose to switch things up and enjoy an intimate wedding at Robert’s family home in Finlayson. As they said in their own words, it wasn’t about being black tie, but having fun and showing it.

I watched a message this past week where the pastor talked about life is how we frame it, and we have to be intentional about what we frame. He had a beautiful picture of a sunset taken from an airplane window. In the bottom right corner were dark thunderous clouds, and the rest of the photo was beautiful oranges, yellows, and pinks of the sunsetting below. The idea is that, while we can’t change the scene of life, we can choose what we focus on. We can take our small frame and frame the dark thunderous clouds, making everything seem dark and discouraging, or we can move the frame within the same scene and focus on the breathtaking beauty of sunset. This is exactly what couples like Luke and Anna are doing. While COVID has made life in general challenging , especially when planning a wedding, they chose to focus on what is beautiful instead of the dark and gloomy corner.

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl run off to get married. Wait a second, not the “typical” love story? Jenavae and Misha have anything but that! While COVID has thrown everyone for a loop in their wedding day planning, these two decided that enough was enough and they were ready to get married no matter what. They settled in on a date and reached out to us for their wedding day photography. There is something beautifully simple about an elopement – you get to take in the full moment, not be rushed, and watch each person’s reaction throughout the minimony. You can chase the sunset, go get dinner in your wedding dress, and drive off without anyone knowing what has happened – a secret you choose when and where to share with the world.

One of the things this COVID pandemic has shown us is the sweet spot of people being surrounded by their closest friends and family. Don’t get us wrong, we absolutely still love full on wedding days, but there’s just something unique during this time. Having a backyard wedding at Vicki’s parent’s house in Hastings was always one of William and Vicki’s plans, they just had to adapt it a bit – as all plans are being done to these days.