The pandemic was not able to stop Project Runway’s Elaine Welteroth jumping the broom.

Welteroth and her longtime love Jonathan Singletary were supposed to have their dream wedding on May 10, but the Rona had other plans. The couple was in denial until the virus affected Singletary’s bachelor party travel plans.


“Almost every day in the lead-up, another member of his crew, in order of personal paranoia, dropped out,” she recalled to Vogue. “Once it was clear that postponing the bachelor party weekend was the only decision to be made, our eyes turned reluctantly toward our wedding date.”

The couple had to remix their plans, but Welteroth was determined to keep their wedding date.

“There was so much symbolism in this sequence of numbers [5-10-20] that only come together once in a lifetime,” Welteroth explained. The date was also sentimental since it fell on a Sunday and the couple first met in church.

Welteroth added, “also, it fell on a Sunday—the day we met as kids and saw each other every week growing up. But it wasn’t just any Sunday, it would be Mother’s Day!”

The couple could have waited, but the former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief believes they waited long enough.

“But as the reality set in, both of us realized that we actually felt more ‘married’ to our date and to each other than we did to our big, exciting plans,” Welteroth said. “There was so much meaning wrapped up into the date we picked. Plus, we had a long engagement — 3.5 years! — so the idea of waiting any longer felt painful. More painful than losing out on celebrating our wedding the way we had initially envisioned.”

Intent on maintaining their date, the couple began a new planning process. Welteroth’s wedding gown came from her closet, and Singletary wore a blazer he borrowed from a friend. The bride did her own makeup in the backseat of a car, and her hairstylist walked her through styling her hair via Zoom. The couple’s stoop became the centerpiece of their nuptials and was adorned with a display of fresh flowers. Guests near and far were asked to wear white.

Dr. Stanley Long, pastor of the couple’s childhood church, officiated the wedding.

“He has known both of us and our families for most of our lives, so it was very special to have him marry us,” Welteroth said.

The couple took care to ensure their shindig adhered to social distancing guidelines.

The couple encouraged their neighbors to partake from their respective stoops and rooftops. Long-distance wedding guests were able to boogie through Zoom. Local friends, like actress Lupita Nyong'o, visited, but they had to party six feet apart.

Thankfully, the rules did not stop the vibe. Welteroth hired a musician friend to DJ the wedding, and she played the Black wedding classics, ultimately turning the festivity into a block party.

“She played everything from Stevie Wonder classics to the Wobble, a cookout hit,” Welteroth said. “Everyone let loose and had a blast.”

When a police cruiser whizzed by without incident, it was confirmed the couple made the right decision.

“I think we all felt a collective sigh of relief. Then the DJ started our first dance song over, 'Find Someone Like You' by Snoh Aalegra, and we got to do it over, the way we planned — this time with all the love and energy of our whole community cheering us on,” the bride said. “It was nothing short of magical.”

Welteroth’s wedding wasn’t the only plan affected by the pandemic. She was supposed to move to Los Angeles, do a speaking tour and celebrate the paperback release of her memoir More Than Enough. Although she’s stuck in New York, she developed a new appreciation for the city.

“All the things you took for granted before, now [you’re looking at them through] a different lens,” she told Parade. “We’re finding new reasons to fall in love all over again with New York. Now, we’re like, ‘This is very sweet. This is charming. I love it. Have you seen this bodega?’”