Love in the Time of Coronavirus

Guest writer: Nicole Fronda

Elopement vs. Wedding

Rachel and I had been thinking of getting married for a while, but every time we would sit down to start planning a wedding, we’d get overwhelmed with thoughts of spending thousands of dollars, figuring out who to invite, who to please, etc. Finally we got it in our heads that eloping was the right move for us. And when 2020 rolled around, it seemed like the right time. Rachel was slotted to receive her private pilot’s license in the first quarter. I would finish my Master’s degree in the second quarter and (likely) start a PhD program in the third quarter. It was going to be a big year for us (the impending global pandemic notwithstanding).

After ringing in the New Year we settled on a few key items:

Location: Santa Barbara Courthouse
- A gorgeous venue in a fun city
Date: End of February
- Because my midterms would have completed by then and Rachel would have passed her pilot check ride
Guests: Almost no one
- This was the best part. We asked our friend, Christine, and her boyfriend, Scott (also our photographer) to be our witnesses
Attire: We winged it
- The photos turned out well!
After ceremony activities: Also winged it
- Rachel booked a couple restaurants. We went wine tasting. Got ice cream. Hung out on the pier and the beach. Super chill.