Like many Santa Clara alums, I dreamed of getting married one day in the historic Mission. As a student overwhelmed by tests, class loads, and other college life woes, the Mission was always a place of refuge and clarity. When my partner, Francisco, proposed nearly three years ago, I knew I wanted to marry him in that sacred, magical place. The coronavirus pandemic upended those plans.
Francisco and I had set a wedding date in fall 2020 because we thought it would be a memorable year to marry. Twenty-twenty just had a ring to it, you know? It sounded lucky. Ha!
Three months into the year, the pandemic caused nationwide shutdowns. Big events were cancelled. So were small ones. We postponed our wedding and wondered, for months, if we would have one at all as we saw our plans shrink and change in a myriad of ways.
County regulations limiting social gatherings meant we had to cull the invite list—our 175-person winery reception ultimately became a backyard celebration for 30.