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It has been pleasant seeing the number of individuals, couples, and families who have not let the novel coronavirus demoralise them from observing life's milestones indoors. From birthdays to graduations to weddings, cyber celebrations have become standard in a world where social media followers share in the joy of others vicariously with double-taps and emojis.
As a result, the term 'virtual wedding' is hardly as jarring as it might have been just six months ago. A wedding with no guests? Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? But not for the newlyweds who've celebrated their nuptials via Zoom or Facebook live stream, in their lounges or backyards, with dogs as best men and ring bearers.
New York Times bestselling author of 'More Than Enough' and former Teen Vogue Editor-in-Chief Elaine Welteroth, now joins this list of couples, as she had her wedding on her Brooklyn stoop last week. Elaine tied the knot with long-term partner Jonathan Singletary, on 10 May 2020 and later released the remarkable images taken by Micaiah Carter on Friday.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Elaine Welteroth (@elainewelteroth) on
While a handful of our readers (28, to be exact) indicated in a poll that the lockdown has forced them to postpone their weddings indefinitely, Elaine, on the other hand, is a bride who felt strongly about still "saving the date". In a Vogue exclusive about her #LockdownLove wedding, she shares that for her and now-husband Jonathan, "the priority became saving our date. From there, we could move forward to sort out the how.”
READ MORE: 5 ways to continue your wedding planning during the Covid-19 lockdown
“In my mind, I saw the faces of people we love from afar surrounding us on iPhone screens and a small group of our local friends in white lining the sidewalk with gloves and masks on. I envisioned transforming our stoop into an altar glowing with pretty lighting and gorgeous florals. I had no idea if any of this was even possible in the middle of a pandemic, but I was excited about having a new wedding vision to work towards," the Project Runway judge explains.
Elaine wore a white dress from her wardrobe that she hadn't worn in years (something old), and paired it with the veil her mom had worn on her wedding day (something borrowed). She did her own makeup and hair with live instructions from the hairdresser who would've been doing her hair for her initially planned wedding anyway (verification ticks are blue, so something blue?). And a close friend of Elaine's, Aurora James of Brother Vellies, made her a custom pair of shoes to wear on the day (something new).
Image via Vogue - Annabel of Belathee
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Elaine Welteroth (@elainewelteroth) on
The reason the stoop was such an important central focus for the wedding, Elaine explains, is that "whenever [the couple] need to clear [their] heads and get out of the house, [they] sit — or dance — on the stoop together," and therefore they wanted to mirror this feeling "all while maintaining the necessary socially responsible distance," as the bride reveals that she even created a social distancing standing chart and provided gloves and masks.
It's further shared in the Vogue article that the virtual wedding was the delightful outcome of a communal effort. “Whether it was jumping in to DJ or donating a piece from their own closet to help us pull our wedding looks together, everyone in our tribe contributed something special to the celebration,” Elaine says. “It was humbling to see how our community showed up for us in big and small ways at every step in this process.”
Guests (both Zoom and real-life) were requested to wear white - a visual reminiscent of Solange's 2014 wedding. Real-life guests included Karlie Kloss, Lupita Nyong'o and Brother Velllies founder Aurora James.
The day's memorable imagery was marked by a flower arch created by Lewis Miller Design, that was "beyond dreamy and elevated the entire visual experience.”
In place of a wedding reception, the couple hosted a virtual block party. "We sent our wedding party playlist to everyone in advance and asked them to join us for our dance party," Elaine tells Vogue.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Elaine Welteroth (@elainewelteroth) on
You can watch the wedding video made by Sacred Pact below:
Images sourced from Vogue. Read the full article here.
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