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Portland couple says ‘I do’ during pandemic




Victoria and Kenneth Walker, right, were married during a brief ceremony that was attended by members of their immediate families on April 4. SUBMITTED

Victoria and Kenneth Walker, right, were married during a brief ceremony that was attended by members of their immediate families on April 4. SUBMITTED

A global pandemic could not stop a Sumner County couple from trying the knot earlier this month.

Surrounded by their immediate families, Victoria and Kenneth Walker were married April 4 by Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown during a brief ceremony held outside the home of the groom’s parents in Hendersonville.

“We’ve just been talking about it for so long and I just felt so compelled to do it now more than ever,” Victoria Walker said. “With everything else going on in the world, we just kind of wanted to make things right in any way possible.

The couple, who live in Portland, have been together for seven years and originally planned on getting married in 2013. They started looking at wedding venues again in February but stopped due to the spread of COVID-19.

Just two days before the wedding, Gov. Bill Lee signed Executive Order 23 requiring all Tennesseans to stay home unless engaging in an essential activity or services. While weddings are still allowed as long as health guidelines are followed, associated public celebrations are “strongly encouraged” to be postponed or attended only by close family members. 

Brown, who has officiated more than 400 weddings, said she was honored to be asked to participate.

“This is just one little thing I could do to help make somebody happy,” Brown said. “If you can find some way to help bring some joy in this midst of this, we all have a responsibility to do that.”

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