ZEELAND — A couple enjoyed the wedding of their dreams during the pandemic, thanks to the creativity of a local restaurant-owner.
"The pandemic pretty much changed our wedding in a pretty major way," recalled Wyatt Dotson, who sounded like a lot of other couples who hoped to keep their wedding plans during the COVID 19 outbreak. Having been with his fiance, Maddie, for several years, postponing their nuptials wasn't an option.
When restaurants were forced to shut down amid the pandemic, Kim De Young started looking for a way to reinvent her Zeeland-based French-style bistro called La Creme.
"When life gives you lemons you make lemonade. Right?" De Young said.
With it's warm, upscale vibe combined with beautiful historic architecture, De Young knew it could be perfect for intimate occasions limited to 10 people or less.
"We had been thinking about doing in a venue space prior to this pandemic, but this really pushed us in that direction more quickly than we had anticipated, which was great. Sometimes you need that push."
"We got to, you know, have just our immediate family there which was really nice," bride Maddie Dotson explained.
"We are agreed that everyone would wear masks and we would only have 10 people," De Young added.
The Dotson's praised De Young for working so quickly to bring their dream wedding to life.
"It's exactly what our style is and what we envisioned," Dotson said.
This pandemic proved to be a blessing in disguise for La Creme, as well as the newlyweds.
"At the end of the day, we did what we really wanted to do which was married to each other. I got to marry my best."
