Hey there!
We are back with story number 2 of the quarantine chronicles of wedding replanning!
For those of you who haven’t, make sure you check out our first story.
Many couples are faced with a difficult situation with their 2020 wedding plans not turning out they way they planned them (at all!).
We are doing these interviews to provide some guidance and hope to those couples.
We are talking to our couples who were supposed to get married this spring. We asked the brides if they’d like to share what they were going through. Also, we asked them about the different ways they were handling the situation and if they’d offer some helpful tips.
They all said YES!
Story 2: Viviana and Olivier
She is from Italy, he is from Canada, but Punta Cana is their home.
Due to some unexpected circumstances, Viviana had to travel back to Rome in mid-March and Olivier stayed in Punta Cana.
She arrived in Italy just 2 days before the borders closed and the entire country was put in quarantine due to the Coronavirus.
She is still there and has not seen Olivier for over 2 months.
We’re currently in the process of planning their wedding for August 21st, 2020.
Viviana agreed to do a Q & A session with us as it may help other couples going through replanning.
Here it is:
Q: First of all we’d love to know how you and Olivier met?
Viviana: Olivier and I have known each other for 10 years.
At first we were only friends, going out and partying with the same group of people. Then, 2 years ago, we spent one special night just the two of us, talking and laughing and we exchanged phone numbers. That same night we started texting each other and talking over the phone until the early morning hours and well, the rest is history. 🙂
Q: How did you end up choosing Punta Cana and the Dominican Republic for your destination wedding?
Viviana: Originally, our wedding was supposed to be in my home town Rome in Italy, on May 23rd, 2020. I had to fly to Italy for medical reasons and we both knew it was going to be a long process. So Olivier, who is in love with Italy and Rome, suggested we get married at a Church in Rome.
I flew to Rome on March 7th and on March 9th they closed the borders until further notice. That’s when we realized that a wedding in Italy is probably not going to happen.
But we had the best second option ever: our home , Punta Cana.
Q: When did it become obvious that you will definitely need to replan? What was going through your head? What helped you remain positive?
Viviana: Personally, I had a lot of ups and downs (especially downs) because I am still stuck here in Rome. But i’m hoping that soon this will all be over and I will be able to be reunited with Olivier. He is my biggest support! He is the one who’s always coming up with new ideas for the wedding because he knows it will definitely happen on August 21st, 2020.
Q: Are your new wedding plans different from the original one? If yes, how so?
Viviana: We think that Punta Cana turned out to be an event better option because by doing the wedding there all of our friends can celebrate with us.
Q: What was something that you as a couple have learnt from this experience?
Viviana: Despite being 7,978Km or 4963 miles apart, our relationship is stronger than ever. I am truly more excited to marry the love of my life than I have ever been.
We also learned to never take anything for granted.
I’m reminding myself that this truly isn’t the end of the world, but the beginning of our story. And one day it will be a heck of a story to tell!
Q: If you could say 3 things to encourage other couples affected by the Coronavirus and in the process of replanning their weddings, what would you say?
Viviana: Mourn your date and move on! I was completely married to the idea of being married at the end of May but the date is really the least important thing!
Once you’re done mourning, start looking at the positives: You have a few extra months to save up and plan the details.
Not to mention, you’ll have quite a story to tell in 10 years. 😊
We hope you find Viviana and Olivier’s story inspiring.
We can’t wait for their (new) wedding day!
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