The last few years have been a whirlwind of uncertainty for many couples. If you were planning a wedding celebration during the peak of Coronavirus, you have learned the importance of adaptation and patience. From limiting your number of guests, last-minute vendor changes, and staying up-to-date with safety regulations, many couples did not end up with the ceremony that they had originally envisioned. Today, we will be talking about the perseverance of Kelleen and Max. This couple endured the long journey from having an intimate elopement, to a full wedding ceremony, two years later.

Want to read the full backstory?

POST-ELOPEMENT BLUES.

Let’s rewind to 2020. When you are a couple that is prepared to tie the knot, you want to do it on your own timeline. Kelleen and Max were certain in becoming a married couple, no matter the circumstances. They did not want to postpone their commitment to one another. In light of the omnipresent pandemic, Kelleen and Max settled on having a private elopement, accompanied by two close friends and their photographer. Their day was full of happiness, love and laughter. However, the emotions were not as simple. 

Kelleen spoke of a certain “grief” that overcame her and her husband following the elopement. Although they enjoyed their day, many parts of the experience felt as if they were missing. They had never planned for such a small ceremony and grieved the loss of their dream wedding. They felt like they had lost the opportunity to create the memories they had always imagined would come from their special day. 

This sadness is familiar to many couples in the past couple years, but with patience, support and determination, you can still make your vision come to life.

HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO.

Kellen and Max are now a happily married couple and they wanted to share that with everyone they love. The two started planning for a larger celebration that would take place in 2022. As humans, we are constantly evolving. There’s a silver-lining in having the ability to tailor your wedding to who you are in the present, rather than staying attached to previous visions and versions that may no longer be relevant. 

Both Kelleen and Max reflected on their past wedding plans, and some of its aspects did not serve them anymore. For example, the original idea was to have a DIY backyard wedding, but this approach now seemed like too much weight on their shoulders. Instead, they carefully looked into vendors that would help execute their desires. Each person that they decided to work with was chosen with clear intention, and their now-wedding became more values-based than before. Rather than having the family be responsible for wedding duties, it would now fall onto their amazing wedding team. Kelleen and Max took their evolved preferences and matched them with two more years of knowledge about the diversity available in hosting a wedding. The results, for both the couple and their guests, were well worth the wait.

THE LONG-AWAITED CELEBRATION.

This celebration would take the form of a vow renewal ceremony, complete with all the bells and whistles that they missed out on in their elopement. The couple still wanted to preserve the peaceful feeling of their elopement, and kept with a simple timeline of events. 

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, as Kelleen and Max renewed their same vows from two years prior, plus the evolution of their thoughts and feelings as they have now shared time together as a married couple. They had a wonderful friend in Alex who used our Ceremony Writing Guide to develop their vow renewal.

Like the vendors, each guest was chosen with direct intention. Kelleen added brown paper wrapped books with descriptions on who they would be most suitable for. They had treated the vendors like family with their very own dining table among guests and thanked them in a toast for their contributions on helping their dream day come to fruition. Everyone invited was relishing in the unique and loving environment that the couple had created for their guests.

THE SILVER-LINING.

There’s a certain comforting prospect when it comes to the element of additional time. Kelleen and Max were able to have more meaningful conversations about how they wanted their day to feel. In addition, more opportunities revealed themselves about how they could rework their team and event timeline to best fit their family values. The hardest part to overcome was channeling their initial disappointment into fortuity.

Fun fact: If you forgot, Kelleen actually works here at Tapestry! This example just goes to show how unpredictable life can be and how it can affect your plans, even for wedding planners themselves. 

If this sounds like you, know that you’re not alone. Our best advice is that it’s completely normal to feel a sense of sadness, and we encourage you to proactively work through those emotions. This can be a challenging time for many couples, but there is a positive path you can take to better your experience for both yourself and your guests. Being flexible will allow you to create the perfect circumstance so you are able to celebrate in collective joy in a way that is more authentic to you and your partner.

-Sarah, Tapestry Blogger

THE VENDOR TEAM.

Planner: Kate // Tapestry Event Co. // @tapestryeventco // Seattle, WA + Beyond

Officiant: Alec // Seattle

Photographer: Liz // Liz Allen Photography // @rabbit_rabbit888 // Oregon

Videographer: Emma // Emma K Films // @emmak_films // Oregon

Dessert: Seth // Fifty Licks // @fiftylicks // Oregon

Hair + Makeup Artist: Kelli // Kelli Thomsen Beauty // @kellithomsen // Oregon

Stationary: Stacey // Oh Hey face // @ohheyface // Seattle, WA + Beyond

Rentals: Aja // BBJ + La Tavola Linen // Washington + Beyond

Katrina // Love Blooms Wedding and Event Design // Washington + Beyond

Florist: Chas // Wildflower Portland // @wildflower_portland // Portland, OR

DJ/MC: Chuck // Chuck Gay Music // Washington

Venue: Leah // Coopers Hall NE // @coopershallpdx // Portland, OR