While COVID-19 delayed weddings the world over, for Jessica and John Homburger, who got engaged in November 2020, the pandemic only sped up their impending nuptials. “We were pregnant with our daughter at the time, so we thought in our relationship it was really important for us to get married despite COVID,” says Jessica. “We decided to have a winter wedding.”
On February 13, the couple packed up a table, cake, shrimp cocktail and some champagne and trekked into Woods Hollow Nature Preserve in Milton, their immediate families in tow. When they emerged from the forest, they were newlyweds. “It was better than I even dreamt of,” Jessica says of the small ceremony and reception her mom planned. “John and I will be forever grateful that we really got to focus on our marriage and what the day was all about.”
But despite all the benefits of a micro-wedding in the woods, as COVID cases decreased last summer, the Homburgers’ urge to share their union with a larger group of friends and family only grew. They didn’t want to later regret missing out on all the hoopla involved in traditional nuptials. And so, in keeping with their bucking-the-wedding-trend policy, the couple began planning another wedding.
After they re-celebrated at bachelor/bachelorette parties (in Lake Placid and Saratoga, respectively), re–gussied up at The Adelphi (new wedding, new looks!), and re-took photos (downtown, where they first met), John and Jessica re-tied the knot at The Barn at Power’s in Clifton Park on November 27, 2021. “To have everyone we love there to witness us ‘re-commit’ was something very special,” says Jessica. “So was having my father walk me down the aisle and hearing our best man and maid of honor speeches.” And the best part? “We knew we were lucky to have our daughter be a part of our day,” Jessica continues. “It wasn’t until everything started that we both realized how truly lucky we were to have her there. It was a great day.”