Surprise "Forest" Elopement for two Essential Workers


"We had dreams of being the first in our families to host a wedding. Both sides of our families were going to fly in from out of the country to attend this special day, including Alex’s 98-year old grandfather from Mexico. Four of April’s closest friends, part of her bridal party, were going to fly in from different parts of Europe. We knew that as much as we wanted our loved ones to attend it would be unreasonable and unsafe. At the same time, with the pandemic affecting many individuals and families, the mental health of many began to decline. As mental health providers, our jobs became much more essential during the pandemic. Alex has not stopped working within his mental health residential treatment facility employment during this time, and April continued to work with children and families in low-income communities at the non-profit level. We found ourselves without the mental capacity to plan a wedding. As heartbreaking as it was for both of us to make the decision to not have our wedding as planned, we knew that it would allow us to focus on the work that we do, allow us a mental break, and the opportunity to preserve all of our loved ones and would be guests’ health."

 Concept, Design and Production: Yvonne Wolf Events | Location: Franklin Canyon Mountains, Recreation and Conservation Authority | Florals: Little Hill Floral Designs Specialty Rentals: Archive Rentals | Photography: Karina Pires Photography | Videography: Custom Made Productions | Petite Wedding Cake: Sweet E’s Bakeshop | Catering: Made by Meg Catering | Music: Mike Gerbrandt | Personalized Masks and Sanitizers: Studio 90212 | Officiant: Reverend Marlon Martinez