The coronavirus has impacted more than just our everyday lives; it has impacted major life events, births, anniversaries, and, unfortunately for many couples around the country, it's caused them to or reschedule or cancel their weddings. That is, except for one Galveston, Texas, bride and groom who were determined to have their special day — even if it wasn't quite how they imagined.
The couple celebrated their nuptials with a COVID-19 photo series to mark the surprise curveball they were thrown on the route to marriage. But some people think that the photos make light of recent events.
Kingsley and Cameron Ross had been planning their New Orleans wedding for months.
Like so many people who had sent out save the dates for a spring wedding, the couple quickly realized that their plans would have to change once it became clear that the world was facing a pandemic.
Their wedding photographer, Julia Arceri of Julia Arceri Photography, spoke to CafeMom and tells us that the couple planned a big wedding in New Orleans to take place March 28.
"They had 24 people in their bridal party!" she says.
But the spread of the novel coronavirus changed everything.
Arceri says that they "knew they had to postpone the wedding, but they still wanted to get married."
So, instead of postponing their plans, the couple decided to throw together a "mini wedding with just family" on the beach. A friend got ordained to marry them, and they reached out to Arceri at the last minute. She already the couple because she took their engagement photos, and she didn't hesitate to say yes.
Although it rained March 21, the day they got married, the couple found a few ways to make the day memorable.
Their wedding photos included cases of Corona beer and face masks — an effort to embrace the chaos that changed the start of their marriage.
Once the photographer shared the photos online, she was shocked to learn that not everyone appreciated their tone.
Aceri published the photos to her Instagram page, where more than 5,000 people liked them. "Most of the reactions have been very positive," she says.
But some people online worried that Aceri's photos were insensitive to the very real risks that coronavirus poses. In fact, when the photographer's pictures were republished to the wedding Instagram Loverly, the comments section was downright furious.
"Wow. People are dying," one person commented. "What’s next? Cancer weddings where people shave their heads and pretend to be getting chemotherapy to be featured on a wedding blog? This is so insensitive and distasteful."
"Delete this," a second commenter chimed in. "The disrespect and disregard is insurmountable. You realize this is a real condition that people are suffering from right? People have and will lose loved ones. Use your head. Be better."
"I’m very disappointed in this post," a third commenter wrote. "Please stop promoting face masks as props. This is not ok."
Other people thought the couple had made lemonade out of lemons.
"God Bless you!" one commenter wrote. "Tough choices! Look how beautifully you made the best of this rough moment!"
One bride was willing to stand by the couple's side:
"P—ing me off how angry people are, I’m not canceling my wedding and my heart is with other brides during this time, whether they cancel their wedding or not," she wrote.
"Love these ," wrote a third person.
Aceri doesn't want anyone to get things twisted: The couple understands how series the virus is and doesn't take it lightly.
The photographer clarified that the couple's family already had the masks, and the photos were taken "before a mask shortage was announced." Also, people should know that it was meant to be "lighthearted and [taken] in fun."
"It wasn't making light of a situation, but it truly was a 'corona wedding,' because their wedding was impacted by the virus," she tells CafeMom.
The photographer hopes that people can take the pictures in this spirit. "Let people live!" she concludes.
