To the Covid Bride-to-Be:

The uncertainty of the past year has been arduous, but I know your heart is especially weary. 

Not only are you faced with the stresses of hosting one of the biggest celebrations of your life, but the responsibility of keeping loved ones safe, protecting them against an invisible force, is a heaviness that nobody ought to bear. 

I want this to be a gentle reminder to give yourself the space and grace to feel the weight of it all.

Give yourself the moments you need to grieve.

Even though the pandemic has loomed over our lives for the past year, I know that the wound feels fresh, like salt has been thrown on, when you’d hoped that things would begin to feel normal again.

I know that grappling with the unknowns isn’t easy as you make the decision between logic and heart.

You ask questions that nobody should have to ask, mourning the loss and expectations of this beautiful day while grappling with the implications of the unknown.

Just know, that we’re here for you, your vendors.

We hear you, we mourn along with you.

We stand by you amidst the uncertainties and the fears and in the decisions you need to make.

We’re here for you through it all.

While you may feel pressed in at every side, know that you aren’t navigating this alone.

We’re here to lend our ear and anxiously await to celebrate alongside you. We miss the full tables and the endless dancing.

We miss the hugs, the toasts, and that sweet sense of ‘home’ you get when you’re surrounded by all those that matter most.

We miss serving and celebrating in ways that bring joy.

Sweet Bride-to-Be, remember that it’s through the rain and the aches and being pressed in at every side, that flowers bloom and the birds learn to sing.

I promise that there will be days that feel normal again and that your celebration will be the most sentimental and heartfelt day worth waiting for.

This season and chapter of life that you’re writing together will be the most beautiful chapter in your legacy and it will all be worth it in the end. I promise you.

I’m cheering you on. We all are.

Love,
Your fellow COVID-bride

(I originally wrote this piece for my friend, Whitewood Events, but am re-sharing it here.)