With COVID hitting the United States just months before my wedding, all of the traditional events leading up to my wedding were cancelled. My bridesmaids had planned a fun staycation in a gorgeous hotel in Downtown Richmond, but we were forced to cancel due to COVID. My bridal shower was supposed to be a sweet time of showering blessings, and it was cancelled just days before it was scheduled to happen. COVID has definitely changed so much about this season, but it hasn’t gotten in the way of the joy and love that should be experienced.

Once my in-person bridal shower was cancelled, we worked really hard to come up with a virtual option that was still meaningful and celebratory. After a lot of thought, we came up with the idea to have my friends and family hop onto Zoom for my bridal shower. My guests dropped off gifts in the weeks leading up and prepared such kind words and prayers to speak over me on our Zoom shower. Over 50 women in my life joined this Zoom call to shower me with blessings, and it was so much more special than anything I could’ve ever imagined. I felt so loved, and I’m so thankful for how things turned out.

My bachelorette party was cancelled in the early days of COVID, and I honestly had given up on the idea that anything would happen. Two nights before our first wedding, my bridesmaids walked into my house and surprised me with gifts, cupcakes, pizza, and Dr. Pepper – what more could you need to celebrate?! It was such a fun night and really made everything feel so real!

If you’re a COVID Bride, don’t let the anxiety surrounding this virus impact the joy that’s intended to be felt in this season. Don’t let COVID overtake everything that you’re supposed to experience. Pivot and experience joy – God’s got this.