Broadway star Amanda Jane Cooper and Andrew Bell made the best out of their canceled wedding.
Cooper, 31, and Bell, 30, were supposed to get married on April 25 in Pennsylvania but moved their nuptials up to April 4 in light of the coronavirus lockdown so they could start their lives together.
“My husband and I did not live together before we were married and were eager to get our life started and create a home,” Cooper told Page Six. “We made the commitment to wait until we were married.”
So the “Wicked” star, who plays Glinda, and Bell, who works as the chief of staff for the urban investment group at Goldman Sachs, said “I do” over Zoom.
“While the courthouse would’ve been sufficient, it was important to us that we exchange vows and have the spiritual blessing over our ceremony,” she explained, adding that Jon Tyson of the Church of the City New York officiated their ceremony.
“I loved singing a worship song to praise God as a seal of our commitment to one another. We are both so close to our families and it would have made us so sad to not have them witness it at all,” Cooper continued.
Having already said yes to the dress, the Broadway star was eager to wear her wedding gown, so her planner, Alice Issac of Alice Issac Productions, encouraged her to follow through with their original plan, just on a “new day, time and with some creativity!”
With the help of their photographer, the couple was able to figure out which angles would work best for the Zoom ceremony, which took place on their apartment building’s roof. On the day of, their photographer used her camera to snap photos through zoom from her home in Annapolis, Maryland. Despite everything appearing perfect, Cooper still felt like it wasn’t the day she had planned.
“Knowing this isn’t exactly what I’d dreamed of for the big day, in an effort to cheer us up, Alice reached out to my nine bridesmaids and Andrew’s 10 groomsmen to have them send us videos the morning of the ‘rehearsal dinner,'” Cooper shared.
“With each individual video came encouragement, silliness, and hilarious anecdotes. They mean so much to us so I’m so glad we have those memories now! We got to share toasts and well wishes with them all and our families as well that evening.”
On their wedding day, Cooper’s Brooklyn-based sister ordered a gorgeous bouquet and Bell’s boutonnière from a local florist. With all the plans set, the couple married in front of 100 of their closest family and friends, including some “Wicked” cast members: Jackie Burns, Emily Koch and Jessica Vosk.
Cooper FaceTimed her father and held her phone in her left hand so he could walk her down the aisle digitally.
The couple, who immortalized their special day with a Paintru painting, is still planning to celebrate their wedding in person but are waiting until next year.
“We are so looking forward to celebrating with our bridal party, family and guests in 2021 in Pennsylvania,” she said.
0 comments