Carol and Erron are one of countless couples who had to change their original wedding plans due to the coronavirus pandemic. They went through the awful process of postponement. When they day FINALLY came, they stayed true to their vision with keeping the celebration in Carol’s hometown of Salem, Virginia - everything was just on a much, much smaller scale. They were married at the Salem Presbyterian Church and then celebrated afterwards at the Salem Museum. Even with a tiny guest count including a few family and friends along with all of the masking, glove-ing, and Zoom streaming, it still felt very much as it should have: a happy wedding day.
Carol is herself a Presbyterian Reverend and Erron works in adult education. Both of them together have an amazing synergy of kindness, generosity, and patience. It’s easy to feel so comfortable around because you can just sense the goodness in them. They’re the kind of people who give others the benefit of the doubt and wish the best for everyone. Put them together and…wow. It was just pure love, all day.
For her bridal look, Carol had some thoughtful details included. For example, her mask included lace from her grandmother’s wedding dress. She even recreated a photo with her grandfather from her mother’s wedding day. He stood proudly by her side in his front doorway as she beamed in her dress.
During the first look, Carol read a letter she’d written to Erron and he inevitably shed some very sweet tears. I kept my distance as she shared her words and heart with him. We had enough time to take some photos on her grandparents’ property, which included so many little beautiful hideaways - a greenhouse, a pond, lush moss, brick walls. It was the perfect pre-wedding couples photoshoot.
We captured family photos at the church on the side lawn. Carol had to get involved with the Zoom streaming set-up (see photo below). It’s not a covid wedding without Zoom, is it? Once everything was a “go,” the ceremony finally started. Carol’s dear friend and former seminary school peer presided over their wedding in the church.
The final location for the day was the Salem Museum. We inhabited their upstairs event space and had free reign over the rooftop, as well. After dinner and cake cutting, everyone took to their devices to interact with the rest of the guests who were attending virtually. At the very end of the night, I stole Carol and Erron away so we could take some rooftop sunset photos. The mountain ridges framed the background as the sun glowed through the trees and this darling pair of people sealed the day with a kiss.
