Find The Silver Lining
Ariel and Zackary had given up on the idea of having Kitty Purry present at their wedding. The large crowd expected at their original ceremony would have caused the cat too much stress. However, a five-person elopement presented the purrr-fect opportunity for Kitty Purry to be present! Durham wedding photographer, Fancy This Photography (also a cat mom) captured this friendly feline as a member of the bride and groom’s wedding party.
The groom would also like to mention,
“Our postponed date gives us more time to practice and perfect our first dance (a fun quarantine activity)!”
Q: How did you feel when the Coronavirus outbreak happened?
A: We were nervous when we first heard about the initial outbreak, Zackary’s interest for science had him following the outbreak and reporting news projections for weeks leading up to the wedding (which stressed me [Ariel] out). When we learned it was getting closer to home (in the U.S.) I cried, and had to leave work early. We had been in close contact with our wedding coordinator, Chelsy Ferguson of The Gathering Co. I think we had daily calls, where she kept us updated and helped keep us as calm as we could be.
Q: What was your solution to having your wedding canceled by COVID-19?
A: It was pretty much a mutual decision. Since over half of our guests were traveling from out of state, we contacted them. They were all supportive of keeping the wedding on our original date, but you could almost feel their apprehension over the phone. After these conversations, we decided we could not ask our friends and family to choose this celebration over their family’s health and made the decision to postpone. Chelsy was unbelievably helpful, she contacted and rescheduled us with all our original vendors (who were so flexible and supportive) and got us re-booked immediately.
Q: What was the experience of livestreaming your wedding like?
A: Holding a cyber ceremony, felt very, ‘millennial’ of us, ha. But, March 20, 2020 was our six-year dating anniversary and we decided we wanted to keep this special date. We were able to get our parents, siblings and a small group of friends to attend virtually. We were unfortunately unable to get our grandparents and other friends and family to attend. Our friend, Sarah Pharr, is the one who put this entire ceremony together, she surprised us by hiring Durham wedding photographer, Fancy This Photography – and we are so grateful she did! Nikki beautifully, and artfully placed the florals for our ceremony, she used to be a florist, lucky us!
Q: What advice would you give another NC couple who is facing the same challenges with COVID-19?
A: Take it one day at a time. Remember you’re in this together. It felt devastating at first, but it was also such a relief not to worry about our guests health and safety. And, at the end of the day, I got to marry my best friend (and cried a lot of happy tears) and that’s all that matters!
