As a longtime fan and Instagram follower of Elaine Welteroth, I’ve loved catching snippets of the beautifully unconventional wedding that she and her now-husband, musician Jonathan Singletary, celebrated on their Brooklyn stoop while New York City was under quarantine. Welteroth (New York Times best-selling author, Project Runway judge, and former editor in chief of Teen Vogue) has posted a bit about that day in May when she and Singletary tied the knot – and as the fight for racial justice intensifies in our country weeks later, their celebration of love takes on new layers of meaning and inspiration for all of us.
When our friends from Belathée photography sent me the beautiful photos they took at the wedding, I jumped at the chance to share this literal sunshine with you guys – along with a bit more of the wedding story. One particularly meaningful moment shared by Elaine on Instagram:
“During our quarantine wedding, just as our pastor announced via Zoom, ‘You may kiss the bride!’ a NYPD police van approached our home with lights flashing and blow-horns blaring. All the worst possible scenarios I’ve seen play out between Black people and the police flashed before my eyes.
But then I saw @jonathansingletary’s smile and our whole community holding us in their love, with happy tears dripping into their masks. And we decided we weren’t letting anything or anyone rob us of our joy in that moment. We held hands and in the face of very real anxiety, fear, and uncertainty, we danced into the street — into the unknown.”
Scroll on for my favorite joy-filled photos from their wedding, and hop over to Vogue for Elaine and Jonathan’s incredible love story.
This perfect dress is one that had been hanging in Elaine’s closet for years — and it just felt right for this wedding. She paired it with her mother’s veil.
Lewis Miller created the jaw-dropping floral arch around the doorframe.
Originally, the couple had planned to get married at the home of a family friend in Napa (their families both live in Northern California, where they met.) Then, COVID-19 put a halt to those plans. But they were determined to move forward with their original wedding date of 5-10-20.
“I woke up one morning with this whole vision of how we could do it—and the excitement of planning began,” Elaine told Vogue. “In my mind, I saw the faces of people we love from afar surrounding us on iPhone screens and a small group of our local friends in white lining the sidewalk with gloves and masks on.
I envisioned transforming our stoop into an altar glowing with pretty lighting and gorgeous florals. I had no idea if any of this was even possible in the middle of a pandemic, but I was excited about having a new wedding vision to work towards.”
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Congrats, Elaine and Jonathan! Thank you for sharing this day so full of love for one another and for your community. Biggest heart eyes for your day — I’ll be bookmarking this one to revisit when I need an instant jolt of positivity.
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Thank you for sharing the wedding of this stunning couple!
Such a beautiful wedding, so strange that the masks seem normal. Congratulations to the coule.
This is insanely cool.
Right?? I am obsessed.
They are so friggin’ cool. ? We don’t deserve them!
So INCREDIBLY aweome! Best Wishes!
Amazing! Congratulations to them. Looks like such incredible memories were made and everything is so gorgeous!
Abby
EverydayFromA.com
What a beautiful wedding!! So happy for this couple to manage super gorgeous wedding during the pandemic. Simply beautiful. Congratulations to them!!
I don’t usually cry at wedding pictures, but this one is SO gorgeous I am literally teary-eyed!!! It’s been a damn tough few months here in NYC… they deserve all the joy that is clearly bursting from every photograph here. Wishing them a long and happy life together.
Stunningly beautiful! In many ways this is so much more romantic than a large scale wedding filled with all the “stuff”. I love the idea that love triumphs as these two committed to each other in such difficult times. Oh, and those flowers!! Congratulations to the happy couple!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen wedding photos that left me feeling so happy! Without the entire production of a larger wedding, this was simplicity at its most beautiful. A dress that was at home, the stoop was floral goals, the neighbors dancing in the streets…what a visual story of joy and love.
I could not agree more. Thank you for such a sweet and beautiful comment!
Simply Priceless. Such a beautiful moment during these uncertain times. Thank you for sharing. This made my heart smile.