Written in the Stars: A Wedding Eclipse Story
How we planned around a crazy celestial event.
PIVOT!!! (I bet you read that in Ross’ voice, didn’t you?)
Our affectionate nicknames for each other ever since we became obsessed with the hit show Game of Thrones have been “Moon of My Life” and “My Sun and Stars” (I’m not kidding, check our phone contacts), so when we found out our wedding was planned for the day of an annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023, we knew it was a sign.
Photo by The Candid Studio Photography
The Initial Panic
It was roughly three weeks before the wedding and I got a text message from our officiant saying, “Good morning. Did you know there’s a solar eclipse on the night of your wedding?”
What are the odds?!
I immediately got onto NASA’s website to learn everything I could about solar eclipses. I learned in my research that the one we were going to experience was called an annular solar eclipse. That meant we would experience the classic “ring shape” of the moon blocking out the sun. Scientists called it the “ring of fire” but I don’t know how many of them thought that through…
Photo of an annular solar eclipse taken by the solar optical telescope Hinode as the Moon came between it and the Sun. Credit: JAXA/NASA
Anyways, it would travel across Texas around mid-day and where our venue was located would have an 85% visibility of the eclipse (meaning we’d see about 85% of the full ring). The original timeline we had, however, had the eclipse happening right in the middle of our first looks and photos.🙃
I had NO IDEA if we would have a full hour-long blackout of the sun in the middle of our photos. I didn’t know what the shadows would do. Were we going to adjust the timeline since you’re not supposed to be outside or looking directly at the sun? — NO. IDEA.
My internal freak out was short lived, however, because as soon as my fiance found out, his reaction was, “that’s so freaking cool!” and I was sold.
Read More Worth the Wait… Our Wedding Story
The Game Plan
I ended up doing what any good bride would do and I called my wedding coordinator. She also thought it was cool and immediately went into problem-solving mode. We decided to order some eclipse glasses for everyone who would be working or getting ready at the venue, and we determined that our timeline really didn’t need to be adjusted because the eclipse would be past the US by the time we needed to be outside.
Her commentary made me feel a lot better. Because we had some Star Wars elements planned for our reception, she informed me that the eclipse was probably the most Star Wars thing that could have happened on our wedding day.
Photo by The Candid Studio Photography
The Day Of
Once the day arrived I was nervous about what the sky would do. I still didn’t have a clear picture of how dark things would get or when, but I was ultimately excited to be somewhere so cool for the event!
Our coordinator ended up having a quick rehearsal with the wedding party at that time and I was still getting makeup done, so everyone threw on some glasses and made it work! No one realized how dark the glasses would be so they had to peak through the bottom to figure out where they were going. I got to go out to the courtyard with my mom to check it out.
It was truly a unique experience that I don’t think many brides will ever get.
Photo by The Candid Studio Photography
The Results
Now we have the coolest pictures of some genuine reactions, and both my wedding party and my coordinator have a hilarious story to tell. Even my makeup artist got to go out and she had the best reaction! Everyone thought it was cool and, while the shadows were harsh, the sky never got dark.
It was a team effort! I never could have gotten through it without the support of my now husband and the flexibility of my coordinator. I’m grateful to everyone for making the day so special. We even get to be cheesy with a poem we’re having put in a frame for our home:
We are each other’s Moon and Sun,
And the day the two lovers met in the sky,
Was the day we joined as one.– Alex Andrews-Melton, Amateur Poet
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