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a30 feature
Monday 11 May 2020

Lawns are the new wedding venue in the age of coronavirus

By LEANNE ITALIE said. “Sometimes when you
NEW YORK (AP) — Love put goodness out into the
in the age of coronavirus world it kind of comes back
sometimes requires a lawn. to you.”
Couples with dashed wed- In Muskego, Wiscon-
ding plans due to lockdown sin, Kalee and Tim Gbur
restrictions have been ty- weren’t in need of a bor-
ing the knot on those tidy rowed lawn. They used
green spreads instead, in- their own for their wedding
cluding at least one loaner. on April 18.
Danielle Cartaxo and They had originally hoped
Ryan Cignarella were sup- to marry last October, but
posed to get married in Kalee’s paternal grand-
West Orange, New Jersey, mother fell ill and died
on April 11 at a venue with in December at 101. Her
sweeping views of the New grandparents’ wedding
York City skyline. Rather anniversary was April 18,
than abandon their Easter and her chosen venue, a
Weekend nuptials, they grand hotel nearby, was
headed outdoors. free on that date.
The tricky part was finding a Then the pandemic struck
lawn. The two live in Wayne, and the couple’s plans
Pennsylvania, about 100 were scuttled once again.
miles away, but they had What was once supposed
a marriage license issued in In this April 11, 2020, photo provided by Michael Wargo, newlyweds Danielle Cartaxo and Ryan to be a big affair with more
West Orange, where Car- Cignarella kiss while wearing masks after getting married in West Orange, N.J. than 250 guests was moved
taxo lived until she was 5. Associated Press to their lawn.
“We still felt like at the end That’s where a stranger, `Wedding March’ for them taxo’s parents. The bride, “We went through weeks of
of the day making that Janice Berman, comes in. on a speaker,” Berman in a short white dress, held trying to decide. Should we
commitment to each oth- A friend contacted Ber- said. “We watched from a bouquet. A small, hand- move our date altogether?
er was important and we man, and she offered her the porch. It was really fun. written “Just Married” sign Should we keep it April 18?
didn’t want to wait,” Car- front lawn, with a few yel- They were so sweet.” marked the occasion. I said, `You know what, I
taxo said. low spring blooms on one The couple’s maid of honor They’ll have a party later. don’t want to give up our
But they were barred from of her bushes as backdrop. and best man attended at “You have to be grateful date. I want to honor my
marrying in a public space. “My husband played the a safe distance, as did Car- in times like this,” Cignarella grandma,’” Kalee said.
They were going to keep it
small and simple. Then her
mother and sister stepped
in with balloons and a huge
“Just Married” sign with their
names in their wedding
colors, purple and gray.
Loved ones decorated
their cars and stood in the
street, honking their horns
in celebration. A neighbor
built a wooden backdrop
adorned with tea candles
and flowers.
Somebody else provided a
white plastic aisle runner.
“When we were doing this
we were like, this is just not
going to be what we want-
ed, but it actually end-
ed up being better than
what we wanted. It really
touched our hearts seeing
everybody there, just com-
ing together,” Tim said.
“I wouldn’t change a
thing.”
With social distancing in
place, and high wind blow-
ing, Kalee’s not sure ex-
actly what their impromptu
guests actually heard dur-
ing the ceremony.
In this April 11, 2020, photo provided by Michael Wargo, newlyweds Danielle Cartaxo and Ryan Cignarella pose after getting “They were pretty far,” she
married in West Orange, N.J. laughed.q
Associated Press