Against all odds! Biggest Loser trainer Erica Lugo and her fiancé, Danny, planned to postpone their wedding until after the coronavirus pandemic but the couple decided to still tie the knot — while obeying social distancing guidelines.
“We made the decision the day the governor put a ban on gatherings of 100 plus,” the Ohio native, 33, exclusively told Us Weekly on Saturday, April 4. “It was a quick decision. I understood the importance of #FlattenTheCurve. Didn’t mean making the decision didn’t hurt. I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life and this man is the man of my dreams.”
Lugo and Danny, 41, had planned to marry on Saturday, but the coronavirus quarantine forced the couple to reschedule their nuptials. Lugo explained that April 4 is a special date for the duo and they couldn’t let the opportunity pass them by.
“We were laying down one night and my fiancé said ‘Let’s still get married,’” Lugo said. “4/4 was an important date for us.”
The twosome decided that they had to replan their wedding — which originally included a “huge party with a live band, ” a donut wall and a 150-person guest list — under the new social distancing guidelines.
“I called our florist who arranged porch delivery, ordered a wedding cake on a gourmet cake site for contactless delivery and we supported a favorite local restaurant for our dinner,” Lugo dished.
Next, they had to pull together a guest list for their impromptu celebration, which was streamed over Zoom and Instagram Live. Their 25 Zoom guests included their immediate family, best friends and cast members from The Biggest Loser. Contestant Kristi McCart, who is ordained, officiated the ceremony.
“We surprised everyone who thought they were coming on for our kids ‘Zoom play’ for a class project,” Lugo said. “The ‘Biggest Loser’ cast thought we were coming together for a toast in honor of the wedding.”
However, Lugo’s 9-year-old son, Danny’s 9-year-old daughter, Elise, and his 13-year-old son, Jack, joined their parents for the in-person ceremony.
“Having just the kids and ourselves was actually an insanely magical moment. Love conquers all. Even a pandemic,” the fitness trainer said.
Lugo and Danny announced on March 14 that they would have to postpone their original nuptials.
“I’m sure many of us are tired and overwhelmed with hearing the word #CoronaVirus,” Lugo captioned a photo of the couple via Instagram. “I am too, so much so that we decided to postpone our wedding that was supposed to be on 4/4. Yes we have options to still get legally married on that day and we probably will but our big celebration, the day we’ve planned for, waited for is no longer happening on 4/4. The governor of Ohio put a ban on gathering of 100+ more (weddings are exempt) but we didn’t feel okay carrying on.”
Scroll down to see pictures of Lugo and Danny’s impromptu wedding.
With reporting by Emily Longeretta