Wedding goes on - by livestream - for St. Viator sweethearts
St. Viator High School sweethearts Matt Ptack and Paige Bonk had all the trappings of a traditional wedding planned: rehearsal dinner, hotel reservations for the wedding party, a Mass and ceremony, a limo to the hall, and a reception with cocktails, dinner, dancing and a live band.
Then the coronavirus struck.
And while much of their originally planned celebration is being put on hold until late fall, Ptack and Bonk were still determined to tie the knot last weekend.
So with their priest up on the altar and maid of honor and co-best men keeping their distance back in the pews, the Chicago couple exchanged vows Saturday at a nearly empty North Side church. But they had an audience of some 200 family and friends watching at home on a Periscope livestream.
"Paige and I have been together for over 10 years. We wanted nothing more than to get married," said Matt, who grew up in Arlington Heights. "We love each other and wanted to start our lives together as a married couple."
Back at their Ravenswood neighborhood apartment after the ceremony, the 29-year-old newlyweds exchanged texts and phone calls and did video conferences with many of those who watched the ceremony, including a big virtual toast with Paige's family. Her uncle shared a few words about how the Daily Herald's "Song to Make You Smile" that day on the Back Page, the 1970 Chicago hit "Make Me Smile," was so appropriate for their special day.
"Even in this time of uncertainty, the love we felt all day was truly special and brought us - and our livestream audience - so much joy," said Paige, who grew up in Des Plaines.
The couple say most of the businesses they've worked with - from the venue to the band, and food service to florist - have been accommodating and will allow them to reschedule their services later this year. They were also able to get refunds on airfare and lodging for what would have been a honeymoon to Banff, Canada.
The whole time, they've looked on the bright side.
"In retrospect of how well everything did work out, it felt like we were able to celebrate with our friends and family," Matt says. "The wedding was everything it possibly could have been."