ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Janssen Lemley and his fiancee Carol had plans for a wedding with more than 100 people, but coronavirus (COVID-19) halted that.
Instead of waiting for the pandemic to pass to tie the knot, they made do with what they could. The couple applied for a marriage license, and one of their friends quickly became an ordained minister online.
They went to a park in Royal Oak for a simple wedding with the woods in the background.
“We set it up where the sun was setting, and it was just a great backdrop,” Carol Lemley said. “Couldn’t ask for a better wedding venue.”
The ceremony included vows, a first kiss, a serenade by their friend and a champagne toast in the woods.
The couple then went home to celebrate with one of the last cakes a local bakery had.
“Just knowing we will never forget this moment,” Carol Lemley said. “I got to marry this man in the weirdest circumstances. It was beautiful and simple, and I truly could not have asked for anything more.”
They said they plan on taking a tour of the National Parks for their honeymoon once the COVID-19 outbreak settles down.