Time Capsules for a Bride|NotForgotten
Now more than ever brides deserve the perfect gift, why not get them one that they will never forget…which lasts forever. Time Capsules have a way of preserving moments so they never lose their momentum.
Every little girl has a wedding fantasy that lives rent free in their minds until they find that perfect someone. I know I did/do. It is some sort of unsaid precedent that every teenage girl is to make a wedding Pinterest board. I found this out the hard way. Every time I came across a sheer lace white dress, I pinned it to my board…as if I would have the same taste getting married as my 13-year-old self. There I was, thinking I was being unique and different, having it all planned out. That was until of course I showed up to school one day and all the girls in my grade started comparing décor and lighting. I think we were a little naïve to think the dream-like wedding image in our heads would last forever. Sometimes planning ahead of time is not always the best solution. Times change and so do we.
Out of boredom and spiked interest from this blog, I decided to revisit my old Pinterest board and see what I believed would have been my ideal wedding. Boy was I off. In this fantasy I created, I would have been 22, had pink themed décor and a plain white dress with a singular grey ribbon. I am currently 21, single, despise the color pink and most importantly think the dress I chose is beyond boring. Our lives never turn out the way we anticipate…which includes unprecedented times.
I think most of you would agree with me when I say Corona has completely changed the way we behave as a society (see my previous blog). If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that life goes on. Despite the chaos in the world, weddings are whimsical occasions made to remind people just how powerful love can be. In some ways, Covid acts as another challenge couples face to make them stronger. Engagements and weddings shed a little light in these dark times.
My sister, Shayna Garber, was set to get married in April 2020. It was pretty much all she could talk about. After a 4 year long relationship and 1 year long engagement, her big day was finally approaching. Everything was perfect. We all cried the day she picked her dress, the engagement party was elegant and classy and importantly her bachelorette party was a night she would never forget. I think we fulfilled every wedding cliché there was. The suspense of the wedding had everyone on their toes, eager to see the beautiful couple finally seal the deal. Then the unthinkable happened.
I think she was more shocked than devastated. All of this build up for what? Quarantine? The day they were suppose to start the rest of their lives together had just been indefinitely postponed. Shayna and her fiancé faced three options:
- Cancel the wedding all together
- Elope in a court room and postpone the reception for a later date
- Reschedule
Option 1 was not in the cards. They were getting married regardless. It was 2 and 3 they really struggled with choosing. Ultimately Shayna and her fiancé, Daniel, settled for option 3. Their love was not going anywhere, so why should their wedding? They rescheduled the wedding for December 13, 2020 in hopes of Corona being under control.
Now if you are reading this, you know that is just a week and a half away…and Covid is worse now than ever. The only thing different between now and April is that we have adapted. We have officially accepted our new normal and with that have made new traditions to keep times like this special. While it took lots of compromise and patience, the wedding will go on. Shayna actually found her new Covid arrangement more likable than the original wedding plans.
Instead of having a room of filled with 200 guests she had not seen in years and had to fake excitement with, the list was cut down to just immediate family and close friends. Everyone will be tested a week before the wedding and quarantine during that time. Not only is this wedding a symbol of love between the happy couple, but for everyone else who cares about them. It is a very comforting thought to know the lengths the people who love you will go.
I think this wedding needed to happen now more than ever. It is easy to lose sight of the big picture, but memorable occasions like these are made to bring everyone together and serve as a reminder that we are not alone.
I can definitely say this process has not been easy. Ever heard of bridezilla? Imagine preparing for your wedding in the midst of a pandemic (Shayna that is a joke if you are reading this). That being said, I wanted to get my sister something she would really cherish. Being the youngest sibling, I can guiltily say I usually get away with giving pretty bad gifts. I did not want to pull my usual stunt and write a handwritten card that “came from my heart.” This day is such a monumental day for all of us and she deserved more than that.
In my quest to find the perfect gift, I was given this blog to write about. Then it hit me…why don’t I get her the very thing I am writing about? What better unforgettable gift to get her than her very own time capsule? Thus began my journey to creating something so special even her kids (and grandkids) will enjoy.
I began by going to NotForgotten and registering a time capsule with them. Shayna is not really the nature type so I decided with going virtual. What NotForgotten offers that the soil does not is the ability to actually avoid data rot. I also wanted to make a virtual capsule because it seemed much more fitting. In our generation, everything we do it on our phones. I know Shayna has about a million selfies she would love to put in a time capsule. This way, when her kids look at her wedding capsule it will almost be like they got to experience it themselves. We finally have the technology that gives us the opportunity to view our past like never before. I wanted to get creative with what was going into the capsule. I had already told her the idea because she would eventually need to choose the items that went inside, but I decided to keep one element a surprise.
I took a 3 minute video of every bridesmaid saying their favorite memory of Shayna and Daniel along with a message from my mom and dad explaining how proud they were of her. This way when she opens the capsule, however many years from now, the memory of the wedding will be fresh and relevant. Capsules have a way of preserving moments like this so they never lose their momentum. Here are a few other items I felt would go well in her capsule.
- Their vows
- Engagement photos
- Proposal video
- Guest List
Even the present day wedding film can be stored in the capsule, making future viewers feel how surreal it was the day it was filmed. My favorite idea I plan on using is filming Shayna and Daniel separately on their actual wedding day. I will ask each of them to tell me how they are feeling without the other knowing and how much they love each other. It is one thing to put literal things into a time-capsule, but it is rare to capture raw emotion like that. Hopefully when they view these videos year from now they will look at each other the same way they did on their wedding day.
I know my sister was just one among thousands of brides faced with a Covid wedding. If anything we can agree after getting married during a pandemic we take the vow “in sickness and in health” very seriously. Brides provide a positive outlook for those who see getting married during this time as a bad omen,
“many couples are choosing to focus on what they can guarantee themselves: It may not have been the wedding they originally planned, yet 36 percent still said ‘I do’ during the pandemic, with many now-newlyweds hoping to host a larger celebration once restrictions are lifted.
The article goes on to explain that, “Wedding planner Fallon Carter of Fallon Carter Events says she’s been busy planning small-scale ceremonies and uniquely intimate events in couples’ backyards and close-to-home destinations, in lieu of the big blow-out bashes she’s used to orchestrating.”
For many brides, much like my sister, micro weddings are enough…
“It’s not as much pressure, and they don’t have to wrap their mind around what the world will look like in the future…It doesn’t matter the place or how many guests you have. It’s the love you share that day.”
Sometimes when it comes to a wedding less is more. There is a lot of beauty that comes with simplicity. Weddings are all about being surrounded by those who love and support you without all the superficial nonsense. If anything has come out of getting married during this time, it is that we can be sure these weddings will be pure and real.
