pandemic wedding in vail colorado with fall foliage

The Bright Side of a Pandemic Wedding

Olivia and Brett were originally planning to get married on top of Vail mountain in August. But the coronavirus and restrictions in Eagle County made their original plans no longer feasible. Luckily, these two pivoted and figured out an even better pandemic wedding plan that highlights the silver lining of having a wedding in these strange times.

Smaller guest list

The first and most obvious benefit of having a pandemic wedding is the fact that you’ll have a smaller guest list due to restrictions on gathering sizes. On the surface, this sounds like a potential detriment, but it can actually be a positive thing. Pointing to the local authorities who could shut down your wedding provides the perfect excuse to not invite your second cousin twice removed without ruffling too many feathers. Now it’s a lot easier to limit your party to just your closest friends and family, which gives you more quality time with the people you love most.

pandemic wedding in lincoln nebraska groom first look with mother

bride crying during first look with her father during pandemic wedding

bride and groom doing first look during pandemic wedding

Having a pandemic wedding saves money.

Fewer guests means less money spent on one of the biggest costs of a wedding:  food and beverages. Instead of offering just beer and wine at the bar, you can use these savings to upgrade to top shelf liquor. Or a margarita machine to pair with your taco truck! Another one of the biggest expenses for a wedding is the venue. But with more and more pandemic weddings taking place in backyards, like Olivia and Brett’s, the day becomes more memorable and meaningful…and cost effective.

While you could squirrel away the money you’re saving for an epic honeymoon (once Americans are allowed to travel again), you could also splurge on things that are really important to you. Like photography (cough, cough). Or a party bus to drive your friends around your hometown while we take epic portraits at the Nebraska State Capitol building before your ceremony.

bride and groom in nebraska state capital building

bride and groom in nebraska state capital building

pandemic wedding in lincoln nebraska

bride hugging her grandmother before wedding ceremony

father of the bride crying during wedding ceremony

bride hugging her sister during pandemic wedding

funny kids at weddings

groom hugging best man during pandemic wedding

Your photographers get to try something new.

Ok, this one is completely selfish. While we were sad to hear that Olivia and Brett could no longer get married in Vail, once we learned we’d be roadtripping to Nebraska for their pandemic wedding, an idea started forming. There are some photos we just can’t do in Colorado, mostly because we don’t want to be responsible for setting the entire state on fire. But in Nebraska, it was super humid and had rained recently. Plus, we had buckets of water and three fire extinguishers at hand, so we got to check off one of the many photos ideas we’ve had on our bucket list for years: flaming steel wool!

steel wool wedding portrait of bride and groom

You can have your cake and eat it too at a pandemic wedding.

Since your college buddy, Donk, didn’t get to drink away your net worth at your wedding, you can spend some of that money on a post-wedding photoshoot at your original location! Olivia and Brett still wanted photos in the Rocky Mountains, so we found a weekend that worked for a quick getaway and an epic portrait session.

Bonus: without the time constraints of the wedding day, we were able to visit more locations, take our time in each spot, and partake in some delicious Octoberfest brews!

pandemic wedding in colorado

bride and groom kissing by lakeside in vail

fall wedding near vail bride and groom with aspen trees

bride hiking around lake at officer's gulch

fall foliage wedding in summit county colorado

bride drinking beer during pandemic wedding

bride and groom hiking at shrine pass during pandemic wedding

bride and groom photo at sunset during pandemic wedding

sunset wedding photo of bride and groom in colorado

bride and groom silhouette photo in vail colorado

Olivia and Brett, even though your wedding didn’t turn out the way we had all been envisioning it at the beginning of this year, I couldn’t dream up a more perfect celebration! We’re so grateful to have been part of your wedding day, but also for the continued fun out here in Colorado. Can’t wait to grab some beers with you two this winter!

Interested in getting some cool photos of your own?
Reach out and we’ll brainstorm ideas together.

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