March 23, 2020 — I got married. On a Monday. In the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Without actually being engaged first. 

On a Monday afternoon, Zach and I got married by our pond with just the kids, a photographer, and an officiant. Only a handful of people actually knew it was happening beforehand. 

Initially, we were supposed to be married in Hawaii. We held tightly to those plans until the very last minute when we finally decided not to travel because of the pandemic. After cancelling that trip, we decided to still get married and do a small, low key thing here at home. Since there was no formal engagement, most people didn’t know anything was happening until after the fact. Our own kids didn’t know until we picked them up on Monday morning! We’d told them we would be getting married in Hawaii and they didn’t know plans had changed until that day.

Those who know me well, know this isn’t too surprising. I’ve never been the type to want a big affair. Eventually, we hoped to have a celebration of some sort here at Magnolia Ridge, and we’ve been waiting on the dust to settle with the pandemic. We’re now 6 months out, and it seems a little like old news.

Since we waited until the last minute to cancel our trip to Hawaii, I had very little time to prepare for this event. Not to mention, things were starting to close up shop for Covid and we were being urged to stay home. I had very limited resources for making this happen. Here’s a few of the specifics:

My dress — I’d ordered several white, flowy dresses for our elopement in Hawaii and when the plans changed, none seemed to really fit the new vibe. Two days before, my photographer friend told me about a dress she’d photographed at Vence and Co, a local operation I’d never heard of before! I reached out to Anahy and she let me pop by and try on all of her wedding-style options. She even offered me one of her own personal wedding outfit options! I fell in love with this dress and it fit my personality so much better than the flowy white options I had on hand. Stumbling upon this dress was a lifesaver for me. 

The ring — Since we weren’t already engaged, locating a ring was a part of the wedding planning too. I am especially drawn to estate jewelry and I loved the idea of finding something old instead of something mass-produced and new. I found two options at Hollis and Company and I couldn’t decide between the two. I let Zach choose and I didn’t actually know what he’d chosen until he slipped it on my finger during the ceremony. It was a beautiful gold option from 1880 and I simply love the history there. 

Flowers — I didn’t have time to order any professional flowers and I only needed two small bouquets for Olivia and I. I found two bouquets of pink/orange flowers at the Walmart Neighborhood Market and made bouquets myself from those Walmart flowers and greenery from Magnolia Ridge. I loved adding the magnolia leaves in there. The bouquets aren’t anything elaborate, but they were very special. 

Kids’ attire — Before finding the flowers, I’d stumbled upon the navy and orange outfit for Travis at Target. Originally, I purchased the outfit just because I needed the navy button up shirt. After finding the orange flowers, I decided to let him wear the whole set. We added orange flowers to Olivia’s hair to go with her navy striped dress and voila! Somewhat of a wedding theme was born. Purely accidental and with limited supplies — this is how so many things in my life come together, honestly.

Cake — I attempted to locate wedding cake cupcakes, just for a fun treat after the ceremony. I had zero luck because the cupcake places had all closed for the virus. Instead, there were two packages of Little Debbie Fancy Cakes in the pantry. We each had a square. This was an impromptu addition to the day and it’s one of my favorite parts. I laughed so hard! I ordered another box and put a set in the freezer for later. You better believe that we’ll be eating one year old Fancy Cakes on our first anniversary. I fully expect to laugh just as hard then.  

All in all, this was the most simple day. I woke up and clipped greenery/made bouquets and when Zach picked up the kids, Olivia and I went and got our hair done. My hairdresser friend was so nice to let us come to her house on a Monday for hair. She also gave me something borrowed and blue, a detail I’d not even thought about until that moment. Olivia loved getting her hair done and this was such a special moment for us. I’m glad we did it. 

It’s been six months now and some of the details of the day have already started to fade. There are a few areas where I might should have added some more planning. I could have made the whole thing more elaborate. We could have waited until more people could come. Instead, we got married, just the four of us, at the new place we’d all call home together. It was quick and simple and perfect. 

Honestly, getting married on the fly in the middle of a pandemic couldn’t be more on brand for me. Posting “hey, we’re married” when no one even knew it was on the table, is such a Pamela thing to do. Making it work with magnolia leaves from the yard, is much more like me than ordering beautiful bouquets would have been. I’ve never been able to justify the price of a true wedding cake. Little Debbie was just fine. I wore old shoes that had been in my closet for years and I walked to the pond in rubber boots first. We took the kids to their grandparents after and picked up Mexican food to go on our way home. All of this sounds just like me. Just like 2020. 

We got married on a Monday and just simply made it happen. 

Maybe we’ll get to reschedule that trip to Hawaii soon. Maybe we won’t. Either way, we’re married and building a life with our new family at the very place that we vowed to do this life together. There are two Fancy Cakes in the freezer for later, and I just wouldn’t want it any other way. 

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All but one of these photos are by Light + Free Folk.