‘It couldn’t have been a more perfect day’: A local couple turned to Zoom after the coronavirus cancelled their wedding
Dozens of family members and friends were able to witness the couple's special day.
Zoom has become a popular way to connect during the coronavirus pandemic. For a Middleton couple, the video conferencing platform gave family and friends from around the world a front-row seat to their backyard wedding ceremony this past Saturday.
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“It couldn’t have been a more perfect day,” said Kevin Angelli, 38, who works for an e-mail security software company and owns a DJ company. “I would say love trumped all.”
He and Emily Maloney were supposed to marry at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem on April 24, an event 15 months in the making. They chose Salem because of their love of the city, which they’ve visited frequently since meeting on a blind date in 2017. Emily told her best friend after that date, which took place at a bowling alley, that she just met the man she would marry. She was right: Kevin proposed to her on Christmas day in 2018.
“Everything was super smooth,” said Emily, 34, an admin at a CPA firm, about planning the Salem affair. “No stress whatsoever planning this thing. And then March hit.”
As the month wore on, it became obvious that, because of the public health crisis and subsequent social distancing measures, they couldn’t host a wedding in Salem with 160 guests. They notified their guests on March 30 that the wedding was cancelled.
“Then we had the talk: ‘Do you still want to get married that day? Or do you want to just postpone it?” Emily said.
After discussing it, they both agreed to forge ahead.
Emily and Kevin Angelli on their wedding day.
“We wanted to honor our wedding date, and we still wanted to get married,” Emily said. “So we decided it was in my mom’s backyard in Wilmington. There was really no planning.”
The new plan involved about a dozen people: their parents and siblings, the officiant, and local members of the wedding party who were able to attend. Then Kevin had an idea.
“I was like, I’ll just pay for Zoom and Zoom it,” Kevin said. “I tested it with some of the older family members in advance to make sure they’d be able to do it, and that went fine. Then the night before, from midnight to 2 a.m., I’m sending out invites to everyone.”
With the help of Zoom, 84 family members and friends from around the world — hailing from as far away as Florida, California, Hungary, and the United Kingdom, as well as from across New England — were able to witness the couple’s vows.
“It was awesome,” Kevin said.
Bridesmaid Jessica Kretzenger, who happens to be a wedding photographer, worked double duty, snapping photos from six feet away while covering her face.
“Everyone wore masks, everyone stood six feet apart,” Emily said.
Emily said her flowers came from Trader Joe’s and she was able to order a wedding cake from J Cakes in Peabody. She offered a doughnut platter to guests as well.
“We served some appetizers,” Emily said. “We made them with masks and gloves on.”
Kevin set the mood with music, working as a DJ at his own wedding.
“He surprised me with music,” Emily said. “I didn’t think we were going to do music. Then we had our first dance. That was really special.”
The couple danced to “Beautiful Crazy” by Luke Combs as their masked wedding party looked on.
But that wasn’t the only surprise. The couple was then led to the front yard, where a parade of family members and friends in decorated cars wished the newlyweds well.
“It was awesome,” Kevin said. “I didn’t even expect it.”
Instead of flying to Hawaii, which was the original plan, the couple took off for a short honeymoon in North Conway, N.H. at Kevin’s family vacation home. Emily said it was a great way to relax after the ceremony before returning home to continue working remotely. The couple was refunded for their wedding and will plan a reception at a later date, she said.
“The reception can wait,” Emily said. “It’s just a party. We’re happy it happened this way. It was a perfect day.”
The wedding cake and doughnut platter.
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