I love love. I love weddings. Maybe that’s why I’ve been looking forward to working on this issue of the bridal magazine for the whole of 2020. It’s probably my favorite of the year.  

Getting the chance to read the love stories of newlyweds in Hartselle and Morgan County just puts a big cheesy grin on my face without fail. And the photos! “All things white, bright and beautiful” pretty much sums up this issue of Hartselle Living.  

This one means a little more to me this year because I also got married in 2020, so I have a special connection with all of our COVID-19 brides. Planning a wedding is stressful even when there’s not a pandemic changing every aspect of our lives, so when you combine keeping track of the ever-changing coronavirus guidelines and restrictions with the rules for at what point you’re supposed to send the grandmothers down the aisle plus the search for the perfect dress – it can get a little crazy. The brides and grooms in this issue didn’t let COVID-19 get in the way of their big days, even if it meant celebrating on a smaller scale, wearing masks or even getting married twice to allow for social distancing. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, right?  

One thing they all seem to have in common is they are all perfectly and incandescently happy to be celebrating their love. Take that, COVID. Sure, weddings in 2020 looked a little different – many people chose to delay their weddings a few months until more information was available about the virus, while some chose to mask up and limit the number people who were in attendance – but no matter what you have to go through, your wedding day is something you never forget.  

I know I’ll never forget mine. My dad married us on my family farm in Shelby County, and even though the crowd was small and the June heat was making us sweat a bit, it could not have been a more perfect day. I get the idea the brides and grooms featured in this issue of Hartselle Living feel the same way about their wedding days, and I hope you enjoy reading their love stories.