Scott and Salina Stanton thought they would tie the knot Saturday with just two guests and an officiant, but their friends had another plan.
The couple had to uninvite their guests to a planned engagement party on Saturday — which they intended to turn into a surprise legal ceremony — because of COVID-19, but they decided to go ahead and make the marriage official anyway.
“And out of nowhere all of our friends started driving by and honking their horns,” said Scott, who is also a singer-guitarist in local indie rock band Current Swell.
Friends showed up in cars and on bikes to watch from outside — keeping their distance from one other — while the two signed their marriage certificate inside a house on Dallas Road.
“I’ve never been so touched in my entire life. We didn’t plan this,” Scott said. “It made the day so extremely special.”
Scott grabbed his phone — he had left it in the car so he wouldn’t be distracted — and hopped on Instagram to share the moment inside with their friends. They moved to the balcony to finish the ceremony.
“It was so genuine, compared to a wedding that is so orchestrated,” Salina said.
Like those outside, the five inside — the newly married couple, the friends who own the house and the officiant — kept their distance from one another, even using different pens to sign the marriage certificate.
A few hours after the event, the couple still didn’t know who got everyone to show up.
Even though they hadn’t intended on an audience, Scott and Salina got dressed up for the day. Salina bought an affordable dress that “looks like a million dollars.”
“And I put on the best clothes I had,” Scott said.
They had originally planned a May 2 ceremony with about 100 guests. That’s postponed for now, but they still plan to hold a future wedding.
“When it’s safe and appropriate, we will have a party and celebration and exchange vows that everyone can hear,” Scott said. “We just didn’t want to wait. We were excited to get married.”
Scott and Salina said the ceremony was about making the best of a difficult time right now.
“Life is good.”
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