Two daughters, two weddings, one month apart!

By Donna Prados Reuter
Contributing writer

As a mother of the brides – yes, two COVID brides – spring and summer of 2020 was one consumed by planning, postponing, reimagining and uninviting guests to not one, but two weddings and receptions. 

My husband Bryan and I were so excited when both of our daughters, Caroline and Stephanie, were engaged last summer to two wonderful Catholic men. But when they both wanted summer 2020 weddings, we knew it would be a challenge. 

To complicate matters further, both of our girls lived out of town. Caroline was teaching in Indianapolis, and Stephanie was finishing her master’s degree at the University of Notre Dame. Both of the grooms and their families lived out of town as well. 

The pandemic two-step
But the biggest complication we never imagined was having to contend with a pandemic.

Caroline and Greg (Barry) selected June 13 for their wedding date. Caroline chose to wear the 66-year-old wedding dress of her grandmother, June Prados. That meant turning our dining room into a sewing room since the dress had to be carefully taken apart and put back together. (But, that is another story.)

We quickly realized this spring that this virus was not going away any time soon. Caroline and Greg always said – COVID or not – they were getting married at St. Patrick Church on June 13.

In May, they decided that the wedding would be witnessed by the immediate family and wedding party only. They also decided on a very small reception at our home, and the originally planned reception would be postponed until September.  

By June, things were looking better. It turned out we could have had a larger wedding and reception for Caroline and Greg, but it was too late to make any more changes. On June 13, Caroline and Greg become husband and wife in a beautiful ceremony.

Determined as always

July 18 was the agreed-upon date for the wedding of Stephanie and Simon (Brake).  They also decided – COVID or not – they were getting married at Our Lady of the Rosary Church on July 18.

For most of the summer, Stephanie’s date looked promising. The invitations were mailed, and all the plans were in place. But one week before the wedding, COVID restrictions again reared up. Receptions were limited to 50 guests. That wouldn’t even allow us to invite our own siblings! 

We came up with the idea to have two back-to-back, 50-person receptions with the bridal party and immediate families staying for both. Most upsetting was that we had to uninvite most of our guests.

Another complication arose, causing more stress, anxiety and tears. The rehearsal dinner venue had shut down abruptly due to a COVID infection. Fortunately, the groom’s parents quickly made alternate plans. 

And on July 18, Stephanie and Simon became husband and wife, and it was a wonderful day! 

Caroline and Greg finally got to have their altered reception on Sept. 26. Once again, it was not quite as planned because of COVID, but we all had a fabulous time. 

COVID made us refocus on what is important. Weddings are not about reception venues, bands and the number of guests; weddings are about family. Having our parents, Audrey, 92; June, 86; and Wil, 90, witness it all brought us great joy.

Finally, weddings are foremost about the sacrament of marriage; and even COVID could not alter that.