Sarah Fagan’s marriage to Ohmar Bogle on April 18 at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Manhattan went on as planned, though the coronavirus forced their wedding to become “a very, very, very, very scaled-down event,” said the groom, who was among a group of nine people at the church.
A 130-person reception that was to follow at Manhattan’s Kimpton Hotel Eventi was canceled in favor of a quiet dinner in Chappaqua, N.Y., at the home of the bride’s parents, Charling Chang Fagan and Dr. William C. Fagan, where the bride’s father baked the wedding cake.
For the bride, 33, a fifth-grade special-education teacher at John H. Finley (P. S. 129) in the Bronx, her barely recognizable wedding day was a learning experience.
“You find out what’s most important when you start removing things from your wedding day,” said Ms Fagan, who received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master of Education from Fordham.
“I came to learn, more than anyone, that the things that are most important are your family,” she said. “Like the flowers and the other stuff, you don’t need that, you just need family.”
Mr. Bogle, 44, who teaches fourth graders at John B. Russwurm School (P.S. 197) in Harlem, said his wedding to Ms. Fagan provided a lesson for him as well.
“It’s all about commitment,” said Mr. Bogle, the son of Lucena Jackson of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and the late Raymond Bogle.
“Unless you are uncertain about marrying someone, you need to get what you have got to get done, done,” said Mr. Bogle, who received both a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of the West Indies and an Master of Education from the City College of New York.
Despite the silver linings, the couple, who met in 2017 through mutual friends at the Carmel Hill Foundation’s party for Harlem District 5 teachers, admitted that they were both a bit disappointed as to how the coronavirus reshaped their wedding.
“I could seriously say I was disappointed, but what can you do in that situation,” said Ms. Fagan, whom Mr. Bogle surprised with an engagement ring in April 2019 at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
“You just have to hope that everyone else is safe and OK,” she said. “You just have to hope for the best, and just count your blessings.”