Covid Cancelled Their Wedding but Not Their Wedding Photos!

​When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. When COVID-19 cancels your wedding, you elope and have your wedding photos taken later. That is exactly what Kaelin and Dylan decided to do in the middle of March when their wedding was cancelled. I introduced you to them in my March blog post.  Their original wedding date was scheduled for April 5, and was canceled due to the pandemic and shelter in place orders. They had a small window of time before the state “closed” so they decided to elope and figure out a reception once people were able to travel and gather in groups safely again.
 
Since the groom’s family lives in Texas and was unable to travel quickly to Washington for a micro-wedding before the shut-down, they decided an elopement was the best option.  They didn’t want to leave anyone out of their special day, so even though her family was in town they kept it to a quiet elopement.  The groom is in the military and had leave already scheduled, so they thought it would be best to get married while they had the time.  If you have ever served, married someone who served, or have known anyone who has served, then you understand how challenging it can be to schedule leave.  For the civilians out there, “leave” is vacation time and it is much harder to get the approval than a civilian job.  So, they eloped and their honeymoon was a shelter in place staycation to avoid the pandemic. 
 
They say rain on your wedding day will bring you good luck in your marriage…I can only imagine the incredible luck these two will have since they had a pandemic on their wedding day.

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How They Met

​Kaelin and Dylan met while she was managing an apartment complex and he was a renter.  They hit it off right away and that was the start of their love story.  She now works for a local dentist in their town.  She’s a local Washington girl and he’s from Texas.  They have the military to thank for helping them meet. They are a fun and energetic couple who loves the great outdoors and exploring the beautiful world we live in.

The Photo Shoot​

​We talked about rescheduling their wedding photo shoot for later in the summer when it was safer.  We had no idea what life would look like so we were patient as we waited for updates about closures and restrictions.  They wanted to do the photos at the original venue Island Lake Park in Poulsbo, Washington.  Once we finalized the shoot date, they again kept it to just the two of them since not all of the family or bridal party would be able to travel and attend.  It was a beautiful July day when we had our photo session.  Being the Pacific Northwest, I had umbrellas handy just in case it decided to rain.
 
You can see the love they share when they look at each other.  It just shines in these photos.  She kept her wedding dress hidden so we could do a traditional first look.  They may have already been married but the look in his face when he saw his bride all dressed up for the first time was priceless! While the family of the bride and groom were not there to share the day with them, they will always have these photos to look back on and share with their family.
 
This couple was so much fun!  They incorporated masks and a couple of bottles of Corona into the photo shoot. They were up for being silly and romantic so their gallery of images included some piggyback rides, twirling and dipping on the dock, and a mock runaway bride series.
 
Summer mornings at the dock on the lake–we should have known we wouldn’t be early enough to beat the rush.  It was occupied with a few fishermen when we arrived but they immediately offered to move their stuff so we could get some pictures.  They were all married men and wished them many years of happiness.  They occasionally shared some of their wisdom with the new groom.  Umm...that was very interesting and all in fun!
 
At the end of the day, these two missed out on a traditional wedding and making those memories with their family.  But they know they made the best decision for themselves and their families.  So, while they didn’t get to experience having the bride’s father walk her down the aisle or the groom having a mother-son dance, they are all healthy and looking forward to a time they can have the family all together for a celebration.
 
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Bullard!  Wishing you many years of happiness and adventures together.
 
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