We're having a blessing of marriage service over Zoom on April 25th, 2020 (see below)

Dear Family and Friends, We’ve been so moved by seeing couples work around the difficulty of these times, adapting their plans for this moment based on what works best for them and for their loved ones. We’ve decided that since we would still like to have an in-person wedding ceremony with all who are able at a future date, this Saturday (when we had scheduled our wedding) we would like to do what we're calling a “blessing of marriage.” These are unprecedented times, and so the ways we’re adapting are inherently unusual as well. After this blessing and exchange of vows, we will consider ourselves married, even though this is not our “wedding ceremony.” We hope, however, to have the blessing of our church and our communities as we move into our married life together. We invite you to celebrate with us in the blessing of our marriage! In place of a reception, we invite you to cook your favorite meal or make your favorite drink with friends or family (in person or over video chat) in order to celebrate the beginning of our married life. Also, if you do this, please send us pictures so we can see how you celebrated! We hope to be digitally present with all of you then! Eric and Emily Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/98660652657?pwd=UExzZ0RPMlU4RWNXUjRNd1pzbFRHQT09 Meeting ID: 986 6065 2657 Password: 803490 April 25th is still the perfect date, "because it's not too hot, not too cold..." all you need is to stay inside. #ThePerfectDate

One month ago, our greatest concern was whether it would rain at our outdoor venue. Now, we have to consider that we are putting our loved one’s health at risk by asking them to travel to New Jersey, one of regions of the country most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We have decided, therefore, to postpone our wedding celebration. As there is no guarantee that the coast will clear anytime soon, our new date is yet to be determined. From the time we got engaged and began thinking about what our wedding day would look like, we agreed that we did not want our wedding to be a celebration of the two of us. We wanted the day to be a celebration of all of you. We hoped for this day to be an expression of our gratitude to the communities who have loved us, nurtured us, and encouraged us through many of the most difficult moments of our lives. We’ve struggled with the decision, knowing that celebrations of joy are even more important in times of destabilization and uncertainty. In considering whether we wanted to proceed with a smaller ceremony, we came to realize that even this would not be the joyful celebration we had hoped it would be. We want no one to be left out. We want no one to feel pressured into attending. We want this to be a day of joy, not of anxiety. Of all the unexpected challenges we thought planning a wedding may bring, we never accounted for what we might do in case of a pandemic. We’re all in unprecedented territory here. We ask that you follow the CDC’s precautions and practice social distancing to keep yourself and your neighbor safe. Though we ask for social distance, we also ask for emotional closeness. Please reach out - to us, to your own loved ones, to anyone who is vulnerable or isolated. Let’s take care of each other. We hope to be in touch with you all soon. In love and gratitude, Emily and Eric