Carpentersville bride planned around the pandemic for the wedding she always imagined
The bride wore white, and all her guests wore masks and sat in their cars.
Proving that you can't stop love even in a pandemic, Leslie Perez of Carpentersville planned around the strict COVID-19 protocols and married her sweetheart Dakota Sineni of Round Lake in front of their friends and families in a drive-in style outdoor ceremony that was simulcast online Monday from Randall Oaks Park in West Dundee.
“The days we are living in currently has made me realize it's truly so important to be with the person you love,” Perez explained in an email to the Daily Herald. “Just seeing other statistics of the virus has reinforced in my mind that we are making the right decision.”
About 40 cars full of loved ones watched from their spot in a semicircle of vehicles around the couple at the edge of a parking lot while a live broadcast of the ceremony was available to anyone else who couldn't make the drive to West Dundee.
“We didn't want to encourage anyone to travel, in order to keep everyone safe,” Leslie said of out-of-town relatives. “We are absolutely heartbroken that our grandmas won't be able to attend the ceremony.”
Both the bride and groom have a grandmother living in the southern United States.
“It's very upsetting how we always imagined our family being here for such a special moment in our lives and they simply can't be here. Thankfully we found a reliable app called Lovecast that will help us share this special moment with them.”
The couple started dating shortly before the pandemic caused a shutdown of everything social and a stay-at-home order went into effect on March 21. They obediently followed the order to protect themselves and their families from the possibility of contracting or spreading COVID-19. When the order was lifted more than two months later and they again found themselves in each other's arms, Dakota confessed he couldn't imagine being without Leslie if another lockdown took effect.
She agreed and immediately started planning a socially-distanced and safe wedding.
After the ceremony, horns honked and the bride cried, and those in attendance took home a single serving-sized, individually wrapped piece of cake.
“At the end of the day we have enjoyed planning this wedding in such a way so that our friends can feel comfortable,” said the bride.