A May Festival Marriage in the Time of COVID
The pandemic has caused the cancellation of many events, but it didn’t stop May Festival Chorus member Scott Brody’s marriage to his high school sweetheart. Scott first met Carolyn Halstead when they were in the marching band together at Sycamore High School. The two both attended Xavier University and began dating during his junior year there – the same year he first joined the May Festival Chorus.
“At first, I was worried about the time commitment required to sing in the May Festival Chorus, but it has been 100% worth it. I found the Chorus leadership very gracious and willing to work with me to make sure my college studies didn’t suffer one bit. Everyone cares for each other. It’s clearly a family, but they never sacrifice on excellence.”
Scott and Carolyn graduated from Xavier and continued dating as they embarked on their careers. As a human resources specialist, Scott finds joy in connecting with others and helping them meet their career goals. Carolyn is an elementary teacher in the Bethel-Tate school district, beginning as a reading specialist and now teaching her own 4th grade classroom. Soon, they were engaged. For nearly two years, the couple worked, saved, and planned for their big day at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Montgomery, and then COVID19 hit.
As time wore on and the quarantine turned into an extended ban on social gatherings, Scott and Carolyn began to worry about their plans to include 300 people in their ceremony. Fortunately, the restrictions lessened in June and they were allowed to have guests at their wedding. Plans shifted to incorporate live streaming of the wedding, secure color-coordinated masks for the wedding party, and figure out socially distanced seating plans. Before they knew it, June 27, 2020 had arrived.
About 100 of the couple’s closest friends and family were able to attend the ceremony at Good Shepherd, seating in separated groups. Others were able to tune into the live stream to watch from remote locations. Fortunately, the weather cooperated and they were able to have a small picnic-style reception outside after the ceremony where they shared their first dance.
In the end, they had a very successful, if not unique, wedding.
Carolyn and Scott were also able to travel for their honeymoon, which they had been planning for over a year. In ten days, they visited seven national parks, including Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, the Grand Canyon, and Death Valley. They also spent some quality time at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
In addition to his five years with the May Festival, Scott has served as a section leader in the Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church choir for the past three years.
Please join us in congratulating Scott on his five year anniversary with the May Festival and his recent nuptials. We couldn’t be happier for this young chorister!
Learn more about how you can become a member of the May Festival. Listen to the entire canon of works Scott has performed with the May Festival on our Spotify channel.