A Wedding During Covid-19

This blog is super special. Kyle and Jack got married! Thank you Kyle for sharing how to have a beautiful, intimate, and safe wedding during Covid-19 (and so many pictures!) with the Real Life Style community. I’m sure no one who knows Kyle will be surprised at what a cool bride she made. If you like dogs and weddings, you will love this blog.

Enjoy!

Kyle’s Wedding Story

We did it! Jack and I got married on September 20th, 2020 in Annapolis, MD in my parent’s backyard. We hosted 23 friends and family members for a ceremony followed by drinks, dinner, and dessert.

You may remember my post from June. I look back on that and it feels like three years ago! I wrote about my original wedding plans and how everything was about to change. I did postpone the original party at Rockwood Manor until Labor Day weekend 2021, which according to Dr. Fauci, may or may not be safe. If it is not back to “normal” by then, we will probably hold off another year. However, we do plan on eventually having the vow renewal party for all the friends and family with whom we could not celebrate this year!

All that being said, we are so happy we went forward with this year’s Covid-friendly event. Despite the social distance between us and our guests, we felt so much love. The day was absolutely beautiful. We received many remarks that it felt like a completely “normal” wedding, which is hysterical since I had to plan so many small details that I would never have thought of a year ago.

Yes, planning was difficult. I didn’t want caterers or bartenders at the event to limit the number of people, especially inside the house. We had to plan for room-temperature food served in individually portioned boxes (which the caterer dropped off right beforehand and absolutely nailed!). They were beautiful. The bartender set up multiple drink stations for self-serving. The rental company dropped off my order and my sister and I assembled all the tables, chairs, and linens. The only vendor who stuck around was the photographer. Jack and I and most of our guests were Covid-tested before the event, but still held the entire event outside wearing masks and socially distancing. I divided the 23 people into 8 tables so everyone sat by household. Despite all of these new 2020 norms, we and our guests had an amazing time.

Now! Onto the pictures, which I know is why you’re really here!

The Wedding Outfits

My dress was Wtoo by Watter Britton in blush. I don’t keep a scale in my house but I definitely gained the Quarantine 15, so it was kind of a miracle that my dress fit perfectly. I only had the straps taken up and the bustle made, so alterations were quick and easy! I found my dress during the Watters trunk show at Betsy Robinson’s Bridal Collection.

I DIY’d all of my decorations to keep costs low and to save for the bigger celebration. I made the macramé altar, accompanied with faux and dried florals from Afloral, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby.

Of course, Daisy was our flower girl. Her daisy flower collar was made by Poppy Flowers, along with my bouquet and Jack’s boutonniere.

Jack looked soooo good. His suit was semi-custom from Suit Supply in the Washington cut. We also got his belt, shoes, and tie from Suit Supply. The pocket square was from Tie Bar.

We did a “first look” in the neighborhood so that we could see each other before the ceremony and have a moment to ourselves. I don’t think we could have done it any other way, considering I was coordinating the ceremony and telling people when to walk!

A close up of the bouquet! It was so beautiful. I’ve since sent it to Soil and Soul to have it preserved in resin!

I also had Jack do a first look with Daisy. 🙂 She is wearing a satin leash and collar to match my dress from an Etsy shop.

One of my favorite details was my custom dip-dyed ombre cathedral length veil from Crown and Glory. I ordered it in February, but since I didn’t pick up my dress until July, I couldn’t choose my swatch until the summer while the creator was on maternity leave! Thankfully everything worked out perfectly, with the veil arriving about two weeks before the event. My earrings were from Sorrelli.

I did my own hair and makeup. I had any beauty appointments done about a week before the wedding so I could quarantine as long as possible before the big day. I got my hair cut and colored and my lashes lifted and tinted about 10 days in advance at Vaughan Diann. A week before, I went to Nothing in Between and I had my nails painted with white gel polish and chrome powder with pearl accents. I practiced my makeup about a dozen times leading up to the event. My favorite makeup products are the Hourglass foundation stick, concealer, and powder, which I used with the Anastasia Soft Glam eyeshadow palette and the Danessa Myricks’ matte pigments on the lips. Lots of Urban Decay setting spray made sure my makeup lasted all night with no touch ups!

My other favorite outfit detail was the boots. I don’t have great pictures of them on, but I wore the Cady boot from Betsey Johnson. They are so incredibly sparkly that no picture can do them justice.

The Wedding Venue

Our venue! My parents moved into this house over a year ago. It was the perfect spot for the number of wedding guests.

The Wedding Dogs

Of course, besides Daisy, we had to include my sister and Maid of Honor’s dog Sadie and my mom’s dog Ricky! Lani is completely obsessed with Sadie and was thrilled she made it into the pictures.

The Ceremony

In classic 2020 fashion, we recorded the ceremony on my Iphone so that we could send it to people afterwards. I did not livestream it, because I could only handle so much. Trying to figure out how to configure the WiFi to reach the backyard was not something I felt like doing on top of the other planning.

Our best man Clay was ordained online and officiated the ceremony. We were so happy that he was able to come down from New York and marry us. We are both non-religious, so I wrote the whole ceremony with different scripts from the internet, making it unique to us (and with more equal language in regards to gender stereotypes!).

Cocktail Hour

During the cocktail hour, we took the path across the street from the house to take our more “moody” couple portraits. I’m so happy with how these turned out! I also had my dress bustled, took off my veil, and changed into sneakers (which of course I had also bedazzled).

Again, in 2020 fashion, I ordered us wedding masks from Claire and Clara.

Cake and More

Our funfetti cake was from Buttercream Bakeshop and the custom Daisy cake topper from Etsy! I also got engraved Kate Spade cake knives from Etsy.

The weather was perfect, with low 70s during the day and 60s at night. I bought the BlankNYC pink leather jacket last year and it was totally perfect for my outfit!

Thanks for following along! We had a little honeymoon after the wedding on the bay in Maryland where we hung out in the sun, fished, and ate and drank a ton. While the wedding and honeymoon were nothing like what I had imagined, Jack and I both thought they were both perfect.

Real Life Style is a style consulting firm that teaches busy women to wear their power so they can live their lives fully and confidently. Lani Inlander and Kyle Dunphy are based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and serve clients across the country. We offer personal styling services, an on-demand e-course, corporate services, and training to become a personal stylist.

Once in a while, you can find Lani Inlander and Real Life Style on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Mostly, they are happily busy serving their fabulous clients, not hanging out online!