Love and Weddings in the time of COVID

High School Sweethearts, Whitney and Sam, pivot their wedding day in a pandemic

What do you do when a global pandemic looms over the wedding day you’ve been dreaming about since high school? You pivot. Whitney and Sam made the tough, yet right, choice to press pause on their hearty Coonamessett wedding celebration.

You know what they decided to do instead? Scale it down a few sizes.

Whitney and Sam held the most joyful and beautiful seaside intimate celebration in a relatives backyard nestled on the waters of Orleans, MA. The guests in attendance were their quarantined immediate families and their two best friends, Camille and Ryan. If you could imagine a backyard wedding on the Cape, this house was beyond any vision I personally had in my head from the photos Whitney and Sam sent me. Imagine: a secret garden, a quiet beach with calm waters, tall sea grass, boats sailing by, and a sprawling yard overlooking the cove. The perfect spot to tie the knot!

Can I tell you the best part of an intimate wedding? It’s not what it looks like. It what it feels like. It’s relaxed. Calm. Joyful. There’s no strict timeline. It’s just all groovy! Stress was simply not invited to this day and that’s the way we like it!

The inside of the stunning beach home was adorned with rooms upon rooms of magazine worthy coziness. An abundance of light filled every space awaiting for memories to be made by this Legacy milestone celebration. Whitney dressed in her dreamy Jenny Yoo wedding gown in private and walked into the master suite to the elation and joy of her mother, sisters and best friend, Camille! After putting the finishing touches on, Whitney’s Dad came in to share a moment with his daughter. This dress is the perfect twirling dress! It’s absolutely stunning.

Whitney’s parents walked her down the hydrangea lined walkway towards their sweet guests joyfully awaiting her arrival by their Adirondack chairs. A quintessential Cape Cod scene in the background was the perfect setting for the sweet moments to follow. We witnessed and enjoyed a tear-filled, and beautifully crafted personalized ceremony officiated by Camille. She has been the witness of their relationship from the very beginning. Of all the people in the world to marry these two, she was the perfect choice.

Promptly after Camille proudly pronounced Whitney and Sam as married (!!!!!!), the newlyweds excitedly danced down the aisle to Hall & Oates! In a movie like montage Sam spun his sweetheart around the makeshift dance floor while they sang every word! Everyone circled around them and the night truly kicked off from there. As the sun steadily fell into the horizon, their wedding night turned into deep laughter, the cutest ring bearer nephew EVER keeping us in stitches, joyful tears, heartfelt toasts/roasts, tearful parent dances, a feast of pizza, and cannolis! To make the night even more personal and unique of a story, Ryan’s brother was the Chef for the Pizza Barbone mobile wood fire truck! He was there making their catered wedding dreams come true with a truly incredible bespoke tailored experience. What more could you need?

Whitney and Sam’s wedding day had multiple nods to their legacy that started back in high school. A school field trip to Washington D.C started it all. Whitney’s best friend, maid of honor, officiant, florist, wedding decor extraordinaire, toast giver, resident crafter Camille, created something outrageously perfect for their day. See if you can find the nod to that moment in their photos below!

I hope you enjoy these photos as much as we all enjoyed this perfect August day together :) Masks and all!

Creative Team

Wedding Dress: Jenny Yoo by BHLDN in Chestnut Hill
Bridal Shoes: J. Crew
Catering: Pizza Barbone in Hyannis, MA
Hair: Sara Stanley from Salon in the Mills located in Marstons Mills, MA
Custom Heirloom Bridal Jewelry & Wedding Bands: Robert Guertin
Engagement Ring: James Allen
Invitations: Zola
Original Wedding Invite & Save the Date design: Meredith Shulman
Groom’s Attire: J. Crew
Hashtag: #bickersonstietheknot

Their first Legacy session took place around their historic downtown Charlestown neighborhood including the Naval Yard! Ending their session with the Boston skyline in the background was stellar.

Check it out if you’re like me and you can’t get enough of these two