COVID pandemic canceled her wedding reception, so she wore her dress to get vaccinated

A woman whose wedding reception was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately found a momentous occasion to wear her bridal dress.

Sarah Studley, of Baltimore, got married in November, but the pandemic ruined any chance of her having a reception to celebrate her marriage. Instead of letting her dress sit in the closet and collect dust, she wore it to get her COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday.

“Things have been dark during the pandemic, and I wanted to celebrate getting my vaccine. So I broke out the dress,” Studley told McClatchy News.

Pictures posted by the University of Maryland Medical System show Studley pulling up the short sleeve of her dress, which features polka dots from top to bottom, to get the shot at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

She was going to wear the dress for the November reception, which was later moved to this June. But in January, when Studley said the pace of vaccine rollout did not look promising, the reception was canceled again.

Studley said she did not anticipate staff at the vaccine site to be as happy with her wedding attire as they were.

“I was just wearing it to seize some joy for myself. I had no idea that it might also bring some joy to others, too.”