Wedding Feature: Adrian + Elliot

On October 10th, 2020, Adrian & Elliot said “I do!” We were so honored to play at their gorgeous wedding reception in the Grand Ballroom at Mission Inn Resort Weddings. Their ceremony at the Plaza De La Fontana, which sits at the center of the resort, features stunning exotic architecture and luscious gardens. Like so many engaged couples during this pandemic, Adrian & Elliot did not have the wedding they originally planned. However, as plans changed, love always remained.

Tell us the story of how you two met.
Adrian: I used to say that in order for me to ever find a husband he would have to break into my house because I’m that introverted. It wasn’t until I adopted my very outgoing and extroverted dog, Skyler, that I started to break out of my comfort zone. I would take Skyler to the dog park everyday in my apartment complex to fulfill her need for interaction and let her say hello to all the neighbor’s dogs. After about a year a new person showed up and his dog did not enjoy my dog’s overly excited introduction and I then asked the owner, Elliot, if his dog was okay. He then went on to talk about how his dog, Amelia, is more introverted (like myself) and has a loud bark but is extremely gentle. Over a couple of weeks Amelia would sit next to me for never ending pets while Elliot would play with Skyler for what felt like hours. Skyler grew to truly adore Elliot and seeing how much she loved him made me realize how special this new person I had just met was. It then took weeks of talking every night at the park and getting to know one another for Elliot to ask me out and the rest is history!
Elliot: Adrian and I were introduced to each other by our dogs. I had just moved into a new apartment community, and that community had a little dog park. Every day after work I would take my dog, Amelia, to the dog park, and Adrian and her dog, Skyler, were always there. As the dogs became friends, so did we! The dog park became a pretty regular thing and we ended up spending an hour or so there everynight until I eventually asked Adrian out on a date. She said yes, and the rest is history!

What made you decide that this was the right person to be with for the rest of your life?
Adrian: Knowing that he is someone who will not only lend a helping hand but will also create a detailed and organized plan of action to help in a time of need for anyone and everyone is something that is hard to find and I knew that was someone I wanted in my life forever.
Elliot: I have never met a more kind and nurturing person than Adrian, and I believe that kindness is needed in this world more than anything. From the moment I realized she had a saint’s heart, I knew that’s with whom I wanted to start a family.

What do you enjoy most about each other’s company?
Adrian: We are truly comfortable with each other. We have just as much fun sitting on the couch watching Seinfeld reruns as we do traveling to new places. No matter what we are doing or where we are, when I’m with Elliot I feel at home- he is my safe place and comfort.
Elliot: I love how comfortable I feel around Adrian. If I want to talk in a silly voice to my dog, I can do it and not feel judged as a weirdo. If I want to dance around the house on the weekend, she’ll join me. We’re both able to really be who truly are without judgement around each other.

How was your experience with Bay Kings Band?
Adrian: They were amazing! Everyone who I talked to after the wedding just raved about the band; the band even had my 80+ year old grandparents out on the dance floor all night long!
Elliot: The band was professional and helpful, especially considering the COVID pandemic this year. We started working with them before the pandemic, and they stuck by our side throughout the rollercoaster of changes and delays we had to make to the wedding. Even when we we were not able to really pick out a song list for them, they put together a spectacular set that had us and our family/friends dancing all night long. 

What was your favorite song you danced to at your wedding?
Adrian: I don’t have a favorite I really loved them all!
Elliot: “I Feel Good” or “Play That Funky Music.” I told them we wanted some funk and they brought it! 

Share one special memory from your wedding with us.
Adrian: The whole day/night was perfect and we have so many amazing memories! My favorite is split betweening having our dogs meet us at the end of the aisle after the ceremony and in the middle of our ceremony the lovely and unpredictable Florida weather decided it would be a nice time for a surprise sprinkle of rain. It lasted 2 minutes (but felt much longer) and as soon as it was done everyone was dry but it certainly added an unexpected twist to the day that we will talk about forever- sometimes the unexpected turns out to be your favorite memory!
Elliot: The whole night is a special memory! I guess one of my favorite inside stories is that we had to “fake” the ring bearers. Our dogs that introduced us were the ring bearers and walked down the aisle during the ceremony, but an hour or so before the ceremony we figured it wasn’t the best idea to trust our crazy pups with those valuable rings. Instead, one of my best men had the rings in his pocket, and when the dogs came up the aisle he bent-down and “retrieved” the rings from the dogs. Movie magic!

What changes did you have to make to your plans due to the pandemic? Do you have any advice or great solutions you found that you would like to share for other couples?
Elliot: We fortunately had an outdoor ceremony planned from the start, so we were able to keep the original plans and not change much. We did change our reception venue from a medium-sized building to a large banquet hall so that we could have enough tables to only sit 6 people per table and allow everyone more room to spread out while dancing. We also put together some COVID bags with a face mask, hand sanitizer, and pen to sign the guestbook at the ceremony so that everyone was well equipped. We also certainly had some people not attend due to travel or other pandemic concerns, which is completely understandable. If I had to give another couple advice on getting married during this time, I would tell them to have grace with everyone during this time. You will have someone important to you not come to your wedding because of the pandemic, and it will cause you some pain. Make a plan to celebrate with them from afar during your wedding or plan to have a big follow-up party at your first-year anniversary, and focus on how incredible the day will be regardless. It will be okay. 
Adrian: My advice is to embrace the changes that COVID-19 has put in place. There is something special about having a smaller, intimate wedding and no matter what the day will be lovely and full of good memories.