JODI + JAMES

At the co-ed softball game James didn’t know who Jodi was – but James knows everyone at softball, so he needed to find out who she was ASAP.  First impression? She thought he was annoying.  He thought she seemed athletic, outgoing, and into sports so he definitely wanted to get to know her. For Jodi, it took a bit more convincing but James was persistent, so she decided to see what he was like outside of softball and said yes to a date.
Jodi had only seen James in softball attire, so she requested he didn’t wear a hat or jersey of any kind for their date. Unprepared for such a request, James told his sister, Jeni, and without hesitation she went and bought James his shirt for the date. She wanted the date to go well and wanted to help her brother secure a second date so help was essential.  The date went smoothly, so they continued to get to know one another. James loved how patient Jodi is with him. He once told his mom that Jodi is the perfect person for him because she never gets mad or irritated when he changes his mind or gets worked up over something. Jodi’s loves that James always thinks of her first before anything else. He always looks out for her best interest, supports and encourages her, and wants to make sure she’s safe and protected.
Two years later, the two went on their first trip non-sports related, just the two of them alone together.  They decided to go to Colorado since James had never been and Jodi raved about how beautiful it was there. Jodi was hoping James would propose on this trip but she didn’t want to assume.  The two did a lot of tourist-y things the first couple of days, all of which, had a beautiful backdrop for a proposal but, alas, nothing. Finally, day 3 of the trip, they were relaxing at the house they were staying at when out of nowhere, James said to Jodi, “Ok stand up.” Jodi questioned him but agreed. Then James got down on one knee and asked her to marry him and she, of course, said yes!
Jodi had her bridal shower on March 14, 2020 and the following week schools and businesses closed due to the pandemic in an effort to “flatten the curve for 2 weeks.” “We realized the Coronavirus was turning into a bigger issue than everyone had anticipated and decided to postpone the big celebration. Feeling sad about postponing our big day and uncertain of the pandemic, we decided to go ahead and get married on our original date, May 16, 2020, at a park near our home with our immediate family in attendance. We have absolutely no regrets in getting married on our original date – it actually made the process of planning the postponed celebration way less stressful since we were already married. We rescheduled the celebration to September 5, 2020 and cut the guestlist from over 400 people to around 200. We mailed out the invitations only for those to be worthless because the Coronavirus had gotten even worse in August 2020.”
Jodi and James situation – while like so many others – was heartbreaking to watch.  To get your hopes up twice, only to be let down was a terrible situation.  How could anyone have know what was in store for the 2020 brides and grooms?
Jodi understandably struggled with waiting. Waiting to wear her dress, waiting for wedding pictures, waiting to celebrate with family and friends, nervous not knowing what restrictions would still be in place. “We did debate on having another wedding ceremony but realized we didn’t need to since our micro wedding was perfect as is. Cutting our guestlist was probably the most difficult part. Both of us wanted a huge party with all of our friends and family but we were really disappointed when we had to make cuts to accommodate for the COVID restrictions.”
We held our breath every day leading up to that final week of the wedding because each time in the past when you thought everything was fine something would change last minute.  But FINALLY the day they’d been dreaming of and yearning for finally was happening!!!  It took a long time to get here, but we are so excited to share the celebration of Jodi + James wedding!! Both Jodi and James favorite part of the day was this moment right here – their first look. James knew how much Jodi longed to wear her wedding dress and to finally show him. It truly made the moment that much more special.James didn’t want anything too formal for the wedding, but Jodi wanted a little bit of sparkle so they agreed on a rustic-glam route. Jodi wanted James to be comfortable and said he could wear jeans and boots even though James offered to wear a suit. in the end, they were both very happy with the guys’ attire.Jodi was absolutely radiant in her dress.  She had been so looking forwar to this day that she couldn’t been seen without a smile.  We got to go to the place that Jodi and James had their micro ceremony in 2020.  It was such a full cicrle moment for them to be there a year later – finally having the wedding of their dreams.The feeling of finally wearing your wedding dress…James – the one on the left is for you. 😉James’s sisters toast was definitely unforgetable. After a brief introduction, they recited a poem (roast) they co-wrote and everyone lost their minds with how hilarious and accurate it was.SONGS:
Entrance – Thunderstruck by ACDC
First Dance – Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
Father/Daughter Dance – I Loved Her First by Heartland
Mother/Son Dance – My Wish by Rascal Flatts
Bouquet Toss – Man! I Feel Like a Woman by Shania Twain
Garter Toss – You Shook Me All Night Long by ACDCThe moment the two looked most forward to – “Celebrating with everyone. We tried to make a point to at least say hi to everyone who attended. Jodi tried but James succeeded in doing so. It’s definitely true how quickly time passed by on that day but everything really turned out so perfect.” 

So, what is one of the most beautiful things to come out of all of the COVID postponements??
“We’re expecting a baby in November! The timing could not have worked out any better with Jodi’s dress still being able to fit and the nausea subsiding just in time for the wedding celebration.”
It’s always good to listen to the advice of newlyweds regarding your wedding planning, but the advice of 2020 couples who had to reschedule twice has special value!  “Do what makes YOU happy. Don’t stress over the small stuff. Keep it simple and practical while still getting what you want. In the end, it’s about the happy couple.”

The happy couple took a honeymoon in Branson MO, and call Roxana IL home.

“We can’t thank everyone enough for working with our constant changing of dates! 2020 was a crazy year to navigate for everyone, especially for the COVID couples. In the end, everything worked out the way it was meant to.”