Now that it’s crystal clear that hosting a big wedding at this time is just not possible due to the spread of COVID-19, we’re sharing the experiences of real couples navigating the re-scheduling, cancellation, and civil and commemorative wedding processes in an attempt to help others make informed decisions and to spread our support to all during this time.
Ashley Rucker called off her May 14th wedding at Frankies 457 in Brooklyn because of the spread of COVID-19. Here, she’s sharing how she and her husband, Vicente Iborra Fornaris, made the final call and decided to have a micro-wedding on Love Lane.
The founder of non-profit TherapART, who also works for YSL Beauty, and her chef fiancé dated for a year-and-a-half before he proposed sweetly with a straw ring and decided he was going to move from Berlin to New York to start their life together.
However, as soon as New York City started shutting down, the two knew they had to postpone their wedding. “We truly had no choice,” Ashley says. “We couldn’t even get our marriage license in person, but thanks to Project Cupid, we were able to receive it via Zoom.”
They plan to possibly reschedule a celebration in Mallorca, where Vince is from, for next year, but in the meantime, Ashley knew she wanted to have a micro-wedding. At first, she thought they’d host it at their home outside or in Central Park, but she passed Love Lane on her way to her boss’s home and knew that was her venue.
The night after scouted the locale one last time, the bride-to-be jumped on Zara.com and added the perfect dress and shoes to her cart. “I did already purchase a weeding dress but really wanted to save that for when all of our friends and family could be there and we could celebrate the right way!” she says. Vince found a linen suit and shirt from Mango—the shirt only arrived on the morning of the wedding!
The night before the celebration, Ashley picked up wines from Wine Therapy, which Vince had carefully chosen. He also made the wedding cake and acted as the florist for his bride and all of her friends. They bought a cooler and crafted a “Just Married” sign to fix to it, and on the day-of, they decided to meet each other separately on Love Lane.
After a short but sweet ceremony with heartfelt vows, the newlyweds went to Dumbo Park and met up with their friends, who had a little set-up going on with their song, “Like Sugar” by Chaka Khan, playing as they arrived. Pizza was ordered and shared, and everyone chatted and danced for the following eight hours.
“Around 10:00 p.m., we saw some fireworks, and the moment was beautiful; it seemed that the city was even cheering our love celebration,” Ashley says. The new Mr. and Mrs. headed home to continue soaking in the exciting day, and looking back, they agree “it couldn’t have been more perfect.”
