Janessa and Leo had planned a big wedding but the pandemic put a halt to their plans. Instead, they decided to elope now and celebrate later! Their original plan was to get married in July at the Pinery in Colorado Springs with all their friends and family. Leo’s family all live in Brazil. As it got closer to their wedding date, the US embassy closed so his family wasn’t able to get their travel visas. Then, there was a travel ban in order to keep the pandemic contained. It became clear that they weren’t getting to the US anytime soon.
Instead of waiting until they could have the wedding they originally planned, Janessa and Leo decided they didn’t want to put off getting married. They planned a small elopement on Janessa’s grandparent’s ranch, Shamrock Ranch in Colorado Springs. They are still going to have a big party at the Pinery in June for all their family and friends. This is actually one of my favorite solutions pandemic wedding complications because you really get the best of both worlds.
Elope Now, Party Later! – Leo and Janessa
Their elopement was so beautiful! Shamrock Ranch is surrounded by gorgeous trees and a lovely pond. It was so pretty and the mid-afternoon light worked out beautifully for us. I love how they incorporated their faith into the ceremony. They had a beautiful communion ceremony and lit a unity candle. Their wedding cross was absolutely gorgeous too! They also hired a videographer, Jordan of J Carter Weddings to capture the day as well as Livestream the ceremony so everyone back home could be there with them, virtually.
Janessa’s family was able to come out for the elopement so I made masks for everyone as wedding favors. I love that they wanted a family portrait with masks on too! Of course, as soon as we started doing family photos, it started pouring! We were able to get a couple of newlywed portraits and then we broke out the umbrellas for a few more rainy portraits!