This Corona Couple Eloped in the Mountains of Shenandoah National Park

The phrase “Virginia is for lovers” is all we can think about while looking through this corona elopement that took place in the mountains of Virginia! With COVID-19 quickly making an appearance in wedding plans, Lauren and Michael decided to cancel their Austin wedding only five days before their scheduled date. But that didn’t get them down! Instead, the couple found a local officiant and received their marriage license for Charlottesville, Virginia, and ran with the idea of eloping in Shenandoah National Park. We absolutely love that Lauren was still able to have her original bridal bouquet, expertly curated by Flora Fetish in perfect springy colors of peachy pink and blush. While it wasn’t the spring wedding day they had in mind (it was 38 degrees on the mountainside!), it ended up being everything Lauren and Michael could have ever wanted and more. Scroll to see this beautiful mountainside corona elopement and all of the pretty spring colors in Lauren’s gorgeous bouquet! Cheers to Mr. and Mrs. Berman!

Photo // Annette Dusenbury

From the bride: “I grew up in Austin, and with most all of my family living in Texas, I thought I knew that it would be where I would eventually get married. As news of the pandemic started to gather momentum, suddenly our guest list began to dwindle. Due to age and comorbidities, all of Michael’s extended family had canceled. We got to thinking about the remainder of the guest list and the risks that we would pose to these loved ones as we, living in Charlottesville, Virginia, would inevitably have to pass through a major airport in order to reach Austin. Less than five days prior to our wedding date, we made the tough decision to call off our Austin wedding. I was absolutely devastated. Later that afternoon, Michael and I threw around the idea of finding a local officiant to marry us on the day we originally planned. My dad is a private pilot, so fortunately he was able to fly himself, my mother, and my original bridal bouquet up to Virginia without massing through any major airports. It was a short ceremony, but it was beautiful and very ‘us.'”

Planning an elopement? Read our Elopement 101 Guide to be up-to-date on all things elopement!