Sweet words of marriage vow sound like “I promise to love and to hold you in good times and in bad, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health”. Generally, we hear these words at each wedding. But once we were shooting a couple that had to get over difficulties long before taking oaths in front of the altar and ended up getting married at home.
Usually couples hold the rehearsal dinner. During the wedding planning, our new friends Chat and Andrea went through rehearsal of married life, which, by the way, is not always smooth and blessed. However, due to their true, sincere love, they made it. We would like to share their wedding story with you.
LOVE STORY
Chat and Andrea met each other in Seattle. She was a nurse. He was a military veteran. It seems like a common story but, actually, it’s not. Chat was born on another continent – in Thailand. He moved to America with his parents at the age of six. That time they had no idea that their decision to move on would turn out to be life changing. Chat will meet his future wife in the US.
Chat proposed to Andrea in February 2019 in Olympic National Park. They planned to have a wedding on June 13, 2020. Our characters wanted this year to be the happiest in their whole life. Who could expect that actually it will turn out to be so hard not only for the U.S. but for the whole world.
WEDDING PLANNING DURING COVID-19
Andrea took care of all wedding vendors and booked us as her wedding videographers one year before the wedding. Our first meeting with Andrea was in May 2019. We were flying to Seattle on a wedding shoot for another couple when we decided to meet with fiancee to get acquainted and to discuss the way they imagine their future Wedding Film.
Andrea was very sweet, happy and excited. She told us how they were planning their big day that was supposed to be for more than 100 people, how they were dreaming of getting all the relatives together to introduce them and their families to each other and to hold this celebration in a beautiful Lodge in woods not far from Seattle. Alas, coronavirus has ruined all the plans. The government has closed all the borders and airports. People had to stay at home in quarantine, and Andrea had a lot of work in hospital. In such an alarming and uncertain environment it was difficult to think about the wedding, but our couple wasn’t going to give up.
GETTING MARRIED AT HOME
It became obvious that the wedding won’t have happened by April. Major part of engaged couples cancelled their 2020 weddings but Chat and Andrea decided that they will definitely get married. They decided to have a small wedding for 30 people, the closest friends and relatives, instead of a huge traditional wedding. Their plan was to travel to an Orcas Island by ferry and to celebrate the biggest day staying away from other people. But they failed again: in March authorities have announced that due to the quarantine people on the mainland can’t enter the island area and our couple had to cancel the booking in waterfront home, too.
Maybe someone could put his hands down and decide that it is a sign that it is not an appropriate year. But it is not the path Andrea and Chat decided to follow. “Well,” – they told themselves and the world around, “we have nothing to hold the ceremony in the woods, we don’t have a villa on islands but we still have our own house and we have each other. So, we can celebrate our big day at home and no one will prohibit it.” Our lovely couple decided to elope and celebrate their intimate ceremony at home in the backyard. Getting married at home was not only brilliant, but also challenging decision. It led them and their guests to a really unique wedding experience.
WEDDING DAY
PREPARATION OF GETTING MARRIED AT HOME
Finally, the wedding day has come. The weather during that morning was rainy. Besides Chat and Andrea having a house deep in the woods, there is a deck that served as a reception area, and also the forest, that became a place of their wedding. Clear path led all the guests to the thick forest. Two days before the wedding, future newlyweds spent 18 hours outside working on the ceremony to make it a place where they were going to become husband and wife.
On June 13th, as they hoped, in spite of the coronavirus, quarantine, cancellation of flights and reservation of wedding venues, they got married at home in front of 30 closest friends and relatives. Unfortunately, Chat’s parents failed to turn up on the wedding due to the quarantine but they were looking at the ceremony online. But the bottom line is that our couple came off. This proves one very important thing: true love is above all the obstacles and everything is possible. Even the wedding during the quarantine.
How ironic life can be: you are searching for the best venue somewhere far away from the home but it leads you to your own house. Eventually, you understand that everything works out the way it is supposed to. Getting married at home! No problem.
It was one of the coziest, warmest and truly family weddings we have ever been to. Everyone knew one other, they all were very close to each other. Newlyweds had dogs with beautiful names Penny and MR. Honey. By the way, they also participated in the ceremony. Guys made wedding suits for them and dogs almost outshined the actual husband and wife.
WEDDING CEREMONY AT HOME
We were watching Chat with a special interest. He, being a military veteran, was very strong and brave. At the same time he was nervous and seemed so touching while walking on the deck repeating the words of the wedding vow. During the ceremony feelings took over and he couldn’t hold back his tears. Andrea, in turn, by the end of her wedding vow said several words in the Thai language – mother tongue of her husband and it was very heartwarming.
So much love, pleasure and warmth filled every minute of this day. Even the weather that was going to ruin the celebration of the big day, eventually gave up. Right in the middle of the ceremony there was a real hail! Huge hailstones lashed against the roof, guests in their light attires, goblets and our gear. Chat and Andrea didn’t care at all. They had to cope with so many challenges during the preparation for the wedding, so hail didn’t matter. Seems like the weather could sense this and in 5 minutes the hail stopped and a clear sky appeared. We tend to think that it was a symbol of a wonderful family life together.
By the way, about symbols. That day, during the ceremony, Andrea and Chat planted a tree in the backyard. Time goes fast and one day their children, hanging out in the shade of this tree, will be able to say that their parents planted this tree on the day of their wedding. Later, maybe, these children will swing thеir own children on the swing set, hanging on the branch of this tree.
BREATHTAKING WEDDING VIDEO OF GETTING MARRIED AT HOME COUPLE
When we’ve started editing their wedding video, we had so much footage and inspiration, so we couldn’t wait to see the result. This wedding film was going to be truly touching and unique. And yes! It came out really GREAT!
ARVE Error: Mode: lazyload not available (ARVE Pro not active?), switching to normal modeDuring the wedding planning we hit it off with these guys, so we continue to communicate even now. We really love our work also for an opportunity to meet new people. They can be very different but all are interesting: affectionate, open-minded, emotional, smiling, beautiful, handsome and always happy. You inspire us. You energize us. We, in turn, share this energy through our lenses next to other couples. And all together we spread love all over the world!
Photo by Colton McCoy