“Is having a wedding after postponing worth it?” Was the question I found myself asking for months, leading up to the week before our postponed wedding celebration.

You see, my husband and I were supposed to originally wed in the most beautiful spring ceremony at Meadowlark 1939 (the most beautiful boutique wedding venue) in Atlanta with dogwoods and spring blossoms in March 2020. We had paid our invoices in full and were ready to tie the knot – but little did we know that just a week later, our plans would be turned upside down, our original plans would be canceled, and what was in store for us (and the world!) would begin our most wild adventure together. 

I’ll be honest: my heart ached saying farewell to the day we had always envisioned. The changes and decision to postponed happened the same week the world shut down. I felt crushed and helpless as the closures continued pouring in and the mandates persisted. I felt defeated and soul-crushed. I found myself fighting to find joy and trust that there was a reason behind it all.

I found myself on my knees, praying that our postponed celebration could still take place in the autumn and that the beauty and celebration of this chapter of our story wouldn’t feel tainted by the heaviness of our world.

I felt sick and anxious for our loved ones, who were faced with making the choice about whether or not to attend, grappling between sharing such a sweet experience together and fighting against an invisible enemy. I wanted them to be there with us, but I also wanted just as much for them to feel like they could be at ease and fully celebratory in spirit.

Our original wedding date arrived and it felt like something was missing. The day was quiet, and the world was still. It felt surreal waking up and knowing that we weren’t going to have the celebration we thought we would. The stillness of the world was deafening yet unsettling all at once; the flowering foliage and the birds sang their songs without a care in the world. But sometimes, it’s in those situations where you’ve just got to make your own sunshine and make your own joy. It’s those days where you get to wake up and choose love and be reminded that it can never be canceled.

Oh sweet bride-to-be, if I was sitting with you over coffee, I would say with all my heart and my entire being that our autumn celebration was everything that I could have dreamed of and so much more. That a postponed wedding didn’t make it any less of a wedding. It didn’t make it any less of a celebration of love.

Our postponed wedding was perfect, far better, far sweeter than anything I could’ve hoped or asked for. It made that day mean so much more because not only did it celebrate our vows to one another but it showed that love can overcome even the hardest and most trying of days.

When we woke up that autumn morning, it felt like all the anxiousness melted away and that the looming thoughts of COVID vanished, just for a moment. It felt like the sincerest form of joy. Also – I never could have done this without Whitney of Whitewood Events, truly! She was the encouragement to my heart throughout this entire process and the rock that helped hold things in place.

Sweet bride to be, COVID did, yes, cancel our original wedding plans, but it never cancels love. It never cancels hope. It only makes it stronger. It only makes your tenderness fonder and love that much deeper. There’s something so beautiful about the human ability and gift to be able to adapt and remain standing on the other side of any difficult thing.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that: though we were forced to our knees, begging and hoping and praying that COVID wouldn’t change our original plans, in the end, it was all so incredibly worth it.

The difficult conversations, the late nights, the tears, re-sending all of our invitations, and navigating postponing a wedding…it was so worth it and I’m so grateful we didn’t end up canceling. I’m grateful we went through with it and had the day that we had always envisioned.

Was it hard, seeing our guest count dwindle by more than 50%? Yes. Was it hard, knowing that certain loved ones wouldn’t be able to be there with us? Yes. Was it hard, not knowing what the future would hold? Yes.

At some point, you just have to ask yourself: “With life being so short, and the time with loved ones being something we ought not take for granted, how long should we delay this next chapter of our lives together?”

If navigating this season has taught me anything:

It’s that 2020 was the year that grounded us, and taught us how to hope. 

It’s that having a marriage is far more beautiful than any wedding you could dream of. 

It’s that, being with the love of your life and even just a few of those who make your cup overflow is such a gift.

It’s shown me that, sometimes, you just gotta create your own sunshine and believe that there’s beauty in the moments that feel the most broken.

It’s that you can never postpone joy or the beauty of commitment. 

And truly, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
What you’re going through will be worth it in the end, I promise.

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This piece was originally written for Whitewood Events, but sharing here as well.