It has been a while since I have written… anything. I have this entire plan to re-launch The 901 Connection: a new look, new tagline, new content, new everything. But that is a story for another day.

This story is one that I want to tell now. This is a story of hope in times of uncertainty. This is a story about a young man, a young woman and a love that transcends anything… even COVID-19.

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Addison had the dress.

Reggie had the tux.

The bridesmaids, groomsmen (including myself), family members and friends made reservations and were eagerly anticipating the day they were to travel to Atlanta, Georgia to celebrate the wedding of Addison Renee Combs and Reginald Lowery Williams.

My job was to get Reggie to Atlanta. I was looking forward to the drive. I knew we would talk about anything and everything while Reggie took control of the aux cord. I was especially looking forward to seeing Reggie’s excitement as we arrived in “The ATL” because he was there to marry his love. Welcome to Atlanta by Jermaine Dupri would probably have been blaring out of my speakers as we rolled through Downtown.

I was at Railgarten, a trendy establishment in Memphis, when Reggie told me he wanted me to meet this girl and she was on her way. “This girl” was Addison. That night when he introduced us, he looked at her the same way he looks at her now. I knew Reggie was smitten and this was real.

Spoiler alert: it was.

Reggie eventually proposed, she said yes, and the wedding planning started. The Church, rehearsal dinner and reception venues were reserved. Flowers were picked out and cakes were tasted to find the right morsel of sweetness to cap off their big day. And of course, they both made sure the wine would be flowing.

As the day inched nearer, so did COVID-19. At first it was a murmur. Cases were being reported up north, but the south was still in the clear. Addison and many of her bridesmaids are in the education field, so they were gearing up for Spring Break followed by wedding week. Then the murmur turned into a rumble. Schools in the 901 and other areas, including Atlanta, were being closed for an extended Spring Break. Okay, this is just a precaution. Get in the schools, get some deep cleaning done and monitor the situation. The wedding can still proceed and then most everyone will be back at work the next week.

Finally, the rumble turned into an outright roar. Schools closed indefinitely. People got sent home to work remotely. Gatherings of no more than 50 people were recommended anywhere. The next day, that number was no more than 10. Cases of COVID-19 started popping up in Tennessee, Georgia and surrounding states. Then the dam broke and the pandemic swept across the US.

Reggie and Addison tried to make it work. They went over every scenario in their heads. But they finally had to face the reality of this crazy time and sent out the text and e-mail no one in their position ever wants to send:

“The wedding is postponed.”

Addison always told Reggie she wanted a marriage more than a wedding. A wedding is a day. A marriage is a lifetime. They would remain engaged and find a time later this year to get married. Reggie agreed they would have the ceremony later this year, but remained adamant:

“I’m marrying you March 21!”

There is an exchange between Dr. Strange, Peter Quill and Tony Stark in Avengers: Infinity War that goes something like this:

Dr. Strange: “I went forward in time to view alternate futures. To see all the possible outcomes…”

Peter Quill: “How many did you see?”

Dr. Strange: “Fourteen million, six hundred and five.”

Tony Stark: “How many did we win?”

Dr. Strange: “One.”

Reggie and Addison found the one outcome. It was not the ideal dream wedding they desired, but it was the outcome that would let them proceed with a ceremony so they could move on to the marriage. Addison hung up her dress and Reggie returned his tux. Addison chose a white, short-sleeved, knee-length dress with a scoop neck and Reggie a black tailored suit. They met their immediate family at the church in Marietta, Georgia where the ceremony was originally going to take place. The total number of people in the sanctuary (family, bride, groom, photographer and pastor) roughly equated to 10. There was no fancy dress, no tuxedo, no bridesmaids, no groomsmen, no extended family and no friends physically present on March 21. But there was God. There was unconditional love. There was a laptop.

Many people during this time of social distancing are using Zoom Video Conferencing to work from home. Most are using it for team meetings. Educators are using it for remote learning. We used it for a wedding. On Saturday, March 21, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (4:00 p.m. Central Time), roughly 50 computers logged on to Zoom to witness Reggie and Addison get married. With a beer in hand to toast the happy couple, I logged on and donned a blue windowpane blazer over my “work remotely from home attire” of a t-shirt and sweatpants. 20 minutes up the road in Lakeland, Tennessee, Reggie’s best man, Freddy, poured himself a vodka soda and settled in front of his laptop to watch and toast the happy couple as well. We watched Reggie and Addison, surrounded by their families (at a safe distance) vow to love each other for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health until death do them part. Due to the pandemic, every word of those vows seemed to mean more that day. When it came time to pronounce the newlyweds husband and wife, instead of turning to the congregation, they positioned themselves in front of the laptop where Reggie and Addison kissed for the first time as husband and wife.

Reggie and Addison made the one outcome happen, and they pulled it off flawlessly. They pulled it off because like Addison said, they were excited for the marriage, not just the wedding. They were excited for their lifetime together, not just for that one day.

On March 21, 2020, Reggie and Addison showed the world (and the 50 computers logged on to Zoom) that love and hope can transcend uncertainty. We may not know what is going to happen in the next few days, weeks and months, but if we can find some kind of hope that Reggie and Addison found in each other, then maybe we too can find our one outcome that can transcend COVID-19 and other obstacles in our lives.

As for Reggie’s tux and Addison’s dress… do not worry about it. When the time comes and we no longer have to socially distance ourselves from one other, he will put on his tux, she will slip on her wedding dress, and we will all stand beside them as they celebrate not just their wedding, but also their marriage to one another.