High School Sweethearts Tie Knot in Socially Distant Brooklyn Park Wedding

The COVID-19 pandemic closed schools and businesses, but it couldn’t stop the power of love.

Al and Joanna Baker of Brooklyn Park dreamed up having a wedding on April 25. It’s a date that holds a lot of meaning to them.

They were high school sweethearts. But over the years, they lost contact with one another. They reconnected through Facebook 20 years later. Al and Joanna lived in separate cities and finally met up in person April 25, 2017. Nine months later, Al popped the question.

“I told her she was an angel, God’s favorite angel that got sent to me,” said Al Baker.

Joanna and Al held wedding during pandemic.

The couple thought their wedding date wasn’t going to happen because of the pandemic. However, the two were able to get a marriage license online and their plans were back on.

“We wanted to make sure we still had this day that meant so much to us,” said Joanna Baker.

Al and Joanna decided to have fun with their situation. So, the two went with a COVID-19 themed wedding. Toilet paper, bleach and plastic gloves replaced traditional wedding decor. They also said their vows while wearing masks.

Al and Joanna held their wedding April 25, the date they reconnected after 23 years.

Family and friends practiced social distancing as they watched the ceremony. The newly wedded couple said they didn’t need the fanfare of a big wedding. They said they just needed to be surrounded by people who love and care for them.

“This was a very special day to us, and we can look back, and we’ll have this memory,” said Joanna Baker.

Al and Joanna plan to have another ceremony in June.

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