Ryan and Elizabeth Lang
Tell us a bit about your love story: I feel like I could write a novel on this one. I’ll keep it short and sweet! We’ve had a long journey together, like all couples. We’re best friends. Since the beginning of our relationship we’ve allowed each other to grow exponentially as individuals, which in turn has allowed our relationship to grow in ways we couldn’t have ever imagined.
What were your original plans for your wedding day? Something bigger? Our original plan was to fly to Palm Springs with our immediate families to get married on April 4th, 2020.
When you had to change your plans, how did you feel? I, along with so many others, began 2020 with an abundance of expectations. A lot of those expectations centred around our wedding scheduled in Palm Springs in April. But on March 12th (which happens to be my now-husband’s birthday), the world changed. COVID-19 was all over the news – and the Canadian government was hinting at the upcoming border closure. I remember us both crying when we realized this wedding wasn’t going to happen for us and we called our family to officially let them know (happy birthday, Ryan). It felt pretty dark – the world shut down and the harsh reality of being isolated from our loved ones set in. As our wedding day passed us by, we realized that we didn’t care what the wedding looked like anymore – we just wanted to marry each other.
The new plan began to unfold really quickly. First things first: picking a date. I firmly wanted Sofia to be our photographer and since we were planning on getting married in Ryan’s parent’s backyard in Edmonton, we weren’t tied to a traditional weekend wedding. I contacted Sofia and she gave us her availability – Friday, July 31st, 2020 officially became our wedding day. The day itself took us through a myriad of emotions: tranquility, happiness, tears, pride, gratitude. You name it, we felt it. Who knew we’d be getting married in the middle of a global pandemic?
What was your favorite part of the day? I’ll never forget coming around the corner with my Dad and seeing Ryan standing there waiting for me. Every tear, every sad day in this pandemic was worth it for that single, perfect moment. We were right where we were supposed to be. There were 26 of us in the backyard that day, but it felt like the world was cheering us on. It’s almost like being apart from each other for so long made us all appreciate every moment that day so much more – it was truly an incredible display of resilience. The only way to really describe our wedding day is… pure joy.
Will you be having a larger celebration next year? We had originally planned on having a reception in November 2020. We’re sick of Covid but Covid isn’t sick of us, so we decided to cancel and officially close this chapter. We are going to celebrate with people in smaller groups as we can (safely).
What advice can you give to couples planning their wedding? My advice to any couple that finds themselves having to pick up the pieces and start planning again: Allow yourself to mourn the wedding day you lost. Until you truly do that, you can’t be fully invested in planning your 2.0. Try to see that silver lining – less guests means more meaningful interactions on your special day and a much more intimate setting. Remember it’s OK to let some of that need to control go – it’s when you let the day happen organically that it’s going to bring all the magic you and your person deserve. Hold each other close and be excited about your marriage and whatever your wedding day looks like will be perfect because you have each other.
Ceremony/reception location: Ryan’s parent’s backyard in the Westbrook Drive area in Edmonton, Alberta
Photographer: Sofia Katherine Photography
Gown designer: Dress #1 (full front): Mikaella, Dress #2 (v-neck): Maggie Sottero
Suit designer: Custom
Décor: Vision by the bride with rentals from Special Event Rentals
Flowers: Callingwood Flowers
Cake: Wild Rose Cakes
Catering: Whisk Catering
Musician: Martin Kerr
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Thank you so much for featuring this amazing backyard wedding. Liz and Ryan totally deserve this online love! They are the most in love couple and just wanted to get married this year. Such an incredible wedding day to be a part of. Thanks again Today’s Bride Team, you all are the best.