They had plans to get married in Key West, the place they fell in love in, but COVID changed that. Instead, they had a small backyard wedding at Emily’s sisters house with just immediate family and a few close friends. And, while they had originally planned on postponing Key West, after their intimate wedding they just felt so fulfilled. It was just so beautiful. quaint, and really reminded them of what marriage is about.
Who are Emily & Kandyce?
Emily works in Human Resources, and Kandyce works as an Emergency Department Registered Nurse. We are obsessed with our fur baby, Sullivan “Sully.” We rescued him from a local shelter, and he comes everywhere with us. We love to go camping, and when we realized COVID was going to change wedding and honeymoon plans, we purchased a travel trailer. It has been our home on wheels this summer and have gotten to spend a lot of quality time together and seen some really cool places!
We have been together since May 2018 and met at an all-women’s gym. We met initially at a road race during Christmas-time but didn’t really start talking or dating a few months later. Kandyce always tells Emily that she’s always felt at peace since being with her. Everything just felt so comfortable and so right.
Tell us about the proposal.
E: I planned the whole thing, and Kandyce had no idea. I told Kandyce that I’d planned a date with two parts of something we both would like. Kandyce joked that we were going to get our nails done and then drink beer. We pulled up to Bully Boy Distillery, which is a craft distillery in Boston. I am really into whiskey, so Kandyce thought we were going to learn about the distillery process.
We walked in, and Kandyce first heard the singing of a local country artist, Annie Brobst. We then walked into a private room with a neon sign that said “Prom?” with whiskey barrels along all the walls with just the chandelier’s dim lighting. Emily knew that I had never gone to prom, and we started dancing while Annie serenaded us.
During the song “Pushin’ Time” by Miranda Lambert, I got on one knee and proposed. Of course, Kandyce said yes! We then had a couple of cocktails with the few friends that were there to document the moment. It was really sweet, intimate, and in retrospect, my hands were pretty sweaty on the drive into Boston.
COVID hit, and wedding plans suddenly changed, how was that?
The wedding planning initially was very easy. We agreed on everything and had fun planning the event. When COVID started, we weren’t sure what our wedding would look like. We live in Massachusetts and Emily’s family is here in Massachusetts, but Kandyce’s family is in California and Texas. Originally we had picked Key West for our destination wedding, but we weren’t too sure what travel would look like in light of COVID.
We delayed changing any plans until a month before our wedding date, June 27. We made the hard decision to postpone and have an intimate wedding on our original date. All of this was quite stressful and actually full of a lot of tears. BUT, Emily was excellent about keeping Kandyce calm and would remind her that being married was the most significant part.
…and that left you with one month to plan your wedding, right?!
We already had a ton of deposits and money spent on our Key West wedding, so we really went budget friendly on our backyard wedding. Kandyce went to work on Pinterest, finding budget-friendly ways to save money, and still have a beautiful wedding. We decided on whites, navy, and eucalyptus with wood elements.
Emily’s mom and aunt repurposed our centerpieces that we were supposed to use for our wedding shower. They added lights to the centerpieces and were just so elegant and beautiful on our tables. We also built the arch out of a birch wood kit we had gotten, and Kandyce decorated that with a DIY fake flower and fabric kit.
Talk to us about the big day!
We weren’t sure if it would rain, so we were really thankful we had rented a tent, having the tent us a back-up plan for the ceremony and reception – we had learned to be flexible with everything!
We decided to get ready separately and did not see each other until walking down the aisle. There were only forty people at our wedding, just family and a few close friends and it didn’t rain!
It was a really special day, just so intimate, and it was just about us getting married. There were no speeches, no father/daughter dances, and no formal dancing. However, we did do a first dance song and cut the cake. Dinner was catered, and Emily’s niece’s friend was our bartender. It turned out so perfect that we ended up just canceling our Key West wedding. We really felt fulfilled with our intimate backyard wedding.
What were some of your favorite moments?
We were able to have Annie Brobst sing at our wedding, which was so special to us. We watched Annie sing at a local bar when we were first dating, and then she was there for our engagement, and now at our wedding.
Another favorite moment was that we both wrote letters to each other. Coincidentally, not knowing that each other had done that. We loved reading these before walking out to one another.
We also loved sitting at our sweetheart table and just looking out and being able to see EVERYONE and feel their love and happiness for us.
Are you glad you planned a wedding in the middle of a pandemic?
Yes, we are glad that we still stuck to our wedding date in the middle of a pandemic. We made it safe and affordable. Kandyce wishes she could have worn her original wedding dress, but otherwise, everything was perfect!
Weddings can become very expensive and extravagant. The one good thing that the pandemic brought during this time was that it really made us focus on what was important for our wedding.
We were surrounded by those we loved, committed to one another, and it was still beautiful. We didn’t spend a ton of money, and we still had the most perfect day.
Photography by Katie Kiely
Cake SweetHicks
Cake Topper The Duo Studio
Catering Eastern Harvest Catering
Entertainment Annie Brobst
Florist Something Borrowed Blooms
Gown Boutique David’s Bridal
H&MU Laschi Hair, Katana Salon & Spa- Alana Ricca
Prop or Furniture Hire Bay State Tent & Party
Robes Lucky Maiden
Signage Timeless Accessory Inc
Stationery Minted
Suit Designer Kenneth Cole
Wedding Favors ThatWedShop
Wedding Rings Long’s Jewelry, Rustic & Main
