SAMANTHA HOPP + PETER FABIAN

Photographer: Ashley Taylor Photography Wedding Planner: Vision Events Wedding & Event Planning

Sam and Petey met at Wake Forest University, and, after Petey proposed, the couple planned to marry in Denver, Colorado. But, when the COVID-19 pandemic shelved their plans, they pivoted to a backyard wedding in Pinewild — Petey’s parents live in the area. The ceremony overlooked the lake from a neighbor’s backyard, and the reception took place in Petey’s parents’ backyard.

“Obviously, our wedding turned out dramatically different than originally planned, but it was still perfect for us, and we would not change anything in hindsight,” Sam says. The couple replanned their wedding in less than six weeks, and the bride credits her husband and mom for the remarkable pivot. Sam says the theme was timeless and classic, but Petey jokes that it was “marriage and COVID.”