CATASAUQUA, Pa. (WLVT) - When their wedding had to be canceled, a Lehigh County couple found a way to wed with a little help from technology.
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In order to follow CDC guidelines, Brian and Lori Sabo completely revamped their April 4th wedding.
''We had this big beautiful venue booked, a country club, and then, reality hit,'' said Brian, a program director for Northampton County Drug and Alcohol's recovery centers in Easton and Northampton.
PBS39 interviewed Sabo last month about the work he's doing to provide recovery services during the coronavirus pandemic. Click here for the story.
The couple decided to have the ceremony in a backyard with only 10 people in attendance. They turned to technology to help their guests join in.
''I was like how cool would it be if we set up a Zoom meeting and everyone could watch virtually,'' said Lori.
WEDDING WATCH PARTY
Days before the wedding, the couple sent their guests an invite to watch the ceremony through Zoom. Then, they set up a laptop with a camera and a microphone in the backyard. Brian took the added step of marking spaces six feet a part for each guest.
''We were all about six to 10 feet apart, I even got a tape measure out and we marked things on the grass to maintain social distancing,'' said Brian.
Lori's aunt, Nancy O'Keefe, acted as officiant. She recently became an ordained minister through Universal Life Church Ministries online program.
''For a bride and groom, this is a very special day for them,'' said O'Keefe. ''I think they made the best of this situation. You could see their love, in their face and their eyes. Yes, you want the 130 some people there, but ultimately it's about them and their commitment in front of god.''
Some wedding guests drove by the backyard wedding and honked their horns and cheered to congratulate the Sabo's.
''They were cheering, yelling, blowing us kisses, and we were blowing kisses into the laptop. There were about 10 or 15 cars of our family members that drove by, blowing their horns and congratulating us,'' said Brian.
HOMETOWN HONEYMOON
As for their honeymoon, the Sabo's approached a local hotel for help.
''We stayed at the Hotel Bethlehem in one of their suites, we had the entire hotel to ourselves, best room in the house, and a beautiful view of Bethlehem’s south mountain,'' said Brian.
They say they spent some of the time watching the Zoom video from their special day.
''He’s got such a good heart, he’s so loving. We just really, really click,'' said Lori.
''God puts people in our lives for a reason,'' said Brian, ''I met the love of my life a little over a year ago. She’s my everything, she’s my one.''