A Washington, D.C. couple followed through with their long-planned wedding, even in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Rather than postponing their event because of the capital’s lockdown, Sara and Marco Sylvester got creative so that they could still celebrate their special day and share it with their loved ones.
“Prepared for marriage, ready for marriage,” Sara told CBS News’ Christina Ruffini.
Her new husband Marco said the couple had decided “under no circumstances would [they] postpone,” and so they said their vows on Tuesday, March 31 before a mostly-empty church, while streaming the ceremony on Instagram Live. D.C.’s stay-at-home order went into effect less than 24 hours later, just after midnight on April 1.
Just 48 hours before the entire city was put on lockdown, Sara called trombone player Travis Gardner, who was supposed to play at their reception. She asked him if he could perform at the church on their new wedding date, as a surprise for Marco.
“They called me like, hey, we’re going to elope,” Gardner said.
She asked him to play the 1961 Elvis Presley song “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” which Gardner had not known how to play at the time.
“I learned the song that night,” he said.
Soon after, he was playing the song on his trombone from a street corner while a procession of cars sent well wishes to the couple, who were standing outside the church in the rain.
“I felt like I was in a movie, and then I looked at her and she was just sobbing. So then I made sure to grab her and start dancing with her,” Marco said.
Sara called the wedding “the most beautiful, special experience,” and said she would not have had it any other way.
“Right now, the world just needs love. If everybody loves and comes together, we can beat anything,” Gardner said.
