Our COVID Wedding Part 1

Is it possible to have the weirdest day of your life also be the best day of your life? It’s hard to believe that we have been married 5 MONTHS already, and writing this blog post definitely brings back ALL. THE. FEELS.

I know you usually come here for all things nutrition and fitness, but I have gotten SO many questions about this special day. I hope a future ‘rona bride stumbles upon this blog post, feels hope, a breath of fresh air, and a sense of peace amongst the chaos we call wedding planning.

April 25th, 2020 - Mr. & Mrs. Steven Joseph Bogenschutz

I feel like it’s important for you to know some back story. It was March 9th, when Joey and I were both sent home from work indefinitely due to possible exposure of this ‘COVID thing’. It was the strangest feeling, almost like when they sent you home from school, and you felt like you were breaking the rules.

We ended up being allowed back, only to be sent home indefinitely again, along with everyone else (ps - we were not actually exposed, but NO ONE had a protocol for any of this early March).

We were also a week away from my bachelorette party, and I started to get this pit in my stomach. I thought, IDK what this COVID thing is, but if it’s serious enough to spark these talks of ‘lock down’ and ‘work from home’, I just feel ICK having my besties hop on flights and get together for a party. We cancelled.

While trying to process what a pandemic even meant, how it impacted every part of our lives, we panicked a bit like everyone else, and decided to postpone our wedding to August, because surely things would blow over by then…HA!

As everything started to feel more real, with the emotional roller coaster that came with each day, Joey and I agreed on one thing. [despite being locked in with each other 24/7 sharing an office] We knew for sure that we wanted to get married. To us, the pandemic has felt like the ultimate reminder that life is short, and no day is guaranteed. We have been in each other’s lives for over a decade, and didn’t want to wait any longer, because who really knew what the future would hold.

We didn’t know for sure if we would be able to move forward with the ceremony until about 2 weeks before. It was a scramble, but as His plan always does, everything fell into place the way it was meant to be.

Call me crazy, but this pandemic blessed us in the best way. It stripped away all the details, the decor, the drama. As the day drew near, all there really was to focus on was the marriage, our marriage, not a wedding.

The night before, my favorite gals surprised me via Zoom, making me cry with ALL the good vibes from the West Coast to the East Coast! I stayed up way too late doing at home mani/pedis with my mom and eating my dad’s special popcorn. I also prayed the dress I ordered fit because no such thing as try-on’s during a lock down yall!

Like all nerve-wracking days, my morning started with a garage gym sweat, and another sweet surprise from my long-time bestie Mal, who surprised me from Chicago on my driveway with Starbucks and champagne.

We were allowed 10 people total for our ceremony - our parents, a few of our siblings, and the camera man to live-stream our day to our family and friends.

FUN FACT: We were the first wedding of 2020 at St. Vincent de Paul Church (the church I grew up in) AND the first ever live-stream wedding….I mean seriously will our future kids ever believe a word we tell them about this day??

We picked up a bouquet from Kroger grocery store, and headed to the church about 15 til. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to describe the moments before walking down the aisle…waiting in silence, the church where my 5th-grade self sang choir in, relying on mirror pics and an iPhone timer, to try to capture this magical moment in time. All the feels hit me as I was waiting to walk down the aisle with my dad, to meet my brother (who is also the priest), and marry my best friend.

It was a mix of emotions - happiness that the day was here, sadness that some of our closest people couldn’t be there physically, and nerves trying not to trip on my dress that didn’t have time to get hemmed. Did I mention it was also my 28th birthday?

Our ceremony, the sacrament of marriage, was absolutely beautiful. There was little in the church to distract us, as I couldn’t process the hundreds of eyes that were watching us virtually. I felt I was truly able to be present, in the moment, as we became husband and wife.

Meanwhile across the country….

As if we weren’t already a ball of emotions, we walked out to the BIGGEST surprise from some of our dearest family and friends….and when my sister (who lives in Cali) heard our photographer couldn’t make it, she surprised us with Bambi Guthrie Photography to capture this covid-craziness.

Now here is what we saw….

I mean seriously?!

(PS masks were not a recommendation at this point in the game, hard to remember, right?!)

We passed out cookies in lieu of cake, and gave hugs and kisses with our eyes (another weird part, you have to remember you’re not supposed to touch each other, family and friends you haven’t seen in months!).

Then we hustled back into the church for quick ‘formal’ pics when we realized we had a photographer! BAMBI IS AMAZING!!!

MAKE UP: Me

HAIR: Me

DRESS: Nancy’s Bridal Boutique

FLOWERS: Kroger - speedy and affordable!

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bambi Guthrie Photography

CATERING: My Aunt Sandy, my mom, my in-laws, and awesome new family

DECOR: Our cute families

COOKIES: Cookie Cottage

covid wedding.jpg — We’re Married!

The New Mr. & Mrs.

We had my favorite lunch (chicken bundles fancified), along with jello cake (AND wedding cake) with my family, Zoom-ing in family members to join the socially-distanced fun. We then drove across town for more fancy brisket, salmon, and more cake with my new in-laws. ALL of our loved ones (both near and far) went above and BEYOND to make us feel loved.

and while it was nothing like we planned, it was even better <3