When Unae and David began planning their wedding they came to the conclusion that, since their families were spread out all along the east coast and were going to have to travel to attend the wedding anyway, a destination wedding just made sense!

The couple started looking at locations in October of 2019, and fell in love with the idea of saying “I do” amongst the rolling hills of the Virginia wineries.

“We just started looking for wineries with large open views of scenic mountain ranges and found King Family Vineyards fairly early on in our search,” Unae says.

With their wedding venue chosen early in the planning process, the couple saw nothing but smooth sailing ahead, especially since they’d also recruited the help of wedding planner Melanie Scott of Details and Lace. But, of course, we all know what took place in March of 2020. COVID came to rain on their wedding parade, and the world was in lockdown.

“We were worried about whether we would need to push the wedding, but our contacts at the venue were very communicative and transparent about the actions they were taking to ensure the safety of our guests and the staff that would be present,” the couple says.

It wasn’t until around mid-2020 when it looked like travel would be restricted for the near future that Unae and David had to have some tough conversations with their family members living in New York, Florida and Texas. 

“There were a lot of video chats and phone calls, will-they’s and won’t-they’s,” the groom says, “Ultimately, we were all just making sure that everyone was as safe as possible and didn’t feel pressured into making a decision one way or the other.”

Luckily, with vendors that were so understanding and flexible, the couple was able to adjust their guest count several times.

“That took a lot of stress out of the planning,” the couple says.

With the major stressors off their plate, the couple focused on putting extra safety precautions in place for their special day.

“We had to add a few more table rentals from our caterers to ensure everyone could be a safe distance from one another,” the bride says.

In the end, everything came together beautifully, and Unae and David were finally named man and wife amongst their family, friends and gorgeous surroundings! When asked if hosting a destination wedding was worth it, the couple told us, “we wanted something that was special and unique; something that we could look back on and cherish. As lovely as our local area is, I just don’t think it would have been as memorable. Even with all the challenges we faced, I don’t think I would have made any changes.”

Their advice to couples looking to have a destination wedding: “plan as best as you can but understand that things will change and just be flexible. Regardless of how the day itself plays out, you’ve chosen to start sharing your life with someone you love, and just start holding on to those memories that you’ll be making.”

Vendors: Photography: Hunter and Sarah Photography; Venue: King Family Vineyards; Wedding Planner: Details and Lace; Hair & Makeup: FBJ Weddings; Videography: Shutter and Sound; DJ: DJ Tobler; Cake: Cakes by Rachel; Caterer: L’etoile Restaurant; Stationery: Minted; Floral Designer: Willow Branch; Ring Designer: James Allen; Groomsman Attire: The Black Tux; Dress Store: David’s Bridal; Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka