A couple held their wedding at a drive-in movie theater during the pandemic and the results were magical

• Shannon Hoffman and Steven Sminkey decided to get married on their original wedding date at their pre-decided venue, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic disrupting their original plans.
• The ceremony was broadcast on the venue's huge drive-in movie screen so all their friends and family could attend and still social distance.
• "Everything we suggested, the venue went with," Hoffman told Insider. "If we had been able to go ahead with our 'normal' wedding, we would have of course been happy, but everything turned out so amazing."
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When Shannon Hoffman and Steven Sminkey of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, realized their dream wedding might not go off without a hitch as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the couple decided to get creative.

Still wanting to get married on their original date, June 20, Hoffman and Sminkey waited to see how the pandemic would unfold before canceling, postponing, or changing their wedding plans. Then, inspiration struck when their venue, The SunnyBrook Ballroom, began hosting socially distanced drive-in movie nights.

"I then brought up the idea of having a drive-in movie wedding," Hoffman told Insider. "When the venue heard my idea, they told me, 'We could totally do this.'"

Here's a look at Shannon and Steven Sminkey's drive-in wedding.

SEE ALSO: A couple got married while dangling from a cliff after canceling their wedding due to the pandemic

Shannon Hoffman and Steven Sminkey met through unusual circumstances and the rest was history.

Hoffman and Sminkey went to high school together but didn't actually meet until years later when Sminkey was dating Hoffman's cousin. After time had passed and Hoffman's cousin gave her her full blessing for the two to date, the couple hit it off.

Six years later, the couple got engaged at a New Year's Eve Ball at Folino Estate Vineyard & Winery in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. It also happened to be Hoffman's 30th birthday: December 31, 2018. 

"We got dressed up and had a nice dinner and dancing," she said. "When it turned midnight, the fireworks went off and Steven got down on one knee. It was very 'fairytale.' My family and friends also came out and it was a really special night."

When it came to tying the knot, their wedding plans, from the venue to the dress, were all in order — then, the pandemic hit.

"We set our wedding date about a year in advance," Hoffman said. "We knew we wanted to be at SunnyBrook and have an outdoor wedding and indoor ceremony. It's a beautiful venue and the whole event space allowed for everything to be in one place, and it was local to us."

Since Hoffman and Sminkey already had their attire, food, and other vendors planned for June prior to the pandemic, it was really important to them to keep their original date the same.

When Hoffman reached out to SunnyBrook at the beginning of the pandemic, things were still uncertain about how their wedding would be affected. The venue told the couple to wait and see what happened.

However, as their wedding day approached, they started discussing other options such as having a much smaller wedding with their other guests watching on Zoom, or rescheduling the wedding altogether.

However, when SunnyBrook began holding drive-in movie nights, Hoffman got a burst of inspiration.

"When we brought that up, the venue said that we could have all our guests come and still have our full wedding, so we went with it," Hoffman said.

Immediately, everyone from Hoffman and Sminkey's wedding photographer to the venue staff were all on board to give the couple their dream wedding day.

"SunnyBrook took off — they had so many ideas and threw all of their resources into it. I always wanted to keep our date and didn't want to push off the wedding, so we were ecstatic to find a way for everyone to still be there and get married," Hoffman said.

Marshall Scott, the couple's wedding photographer, told Insider, "Usually, I meet with my brides a couple of months in advance to get an idea of what they're thinking for the wedding, so we had originally planned for something different with a sizable guest list in the ballroom and the garden."

When Scott learned the couple was planning to have their wedding at the drive-in, he was on board. 

"I haven't seen anything like it in my time as a wedding photographer, so it was really exciting to do something I hadn't done before and find new, creative ways to shoot in that environment," he said.

In the end, over 100 people on their guest list were able to attend the wedding — including Hoffman's grandparents, who reside in an assisted-living facility.

"We told our guests that it was going to be a really different wedding," Hoffman said. "Everyone was really excited, especially since everyone's been pretty cooped up and it was just nice for people to get out and do something."

Scott, the photographer, explained that being able to capture the emotion of the day was a unique challenge but so rewarding.

"A lot of emotion is held in the face, and when people have masks on, how do you still tell that story while maintaining your distance as much as possible?" Scott said. "From capturing people watching the wedding through a window to showing their grandparents' reactions, who they couldn't go and hug, it required finding those moments that really connected with the couple."

He continued, "The challenges reminded me of why I do what I do and the ability to react to different circumstances to get the story told, whether there's a pandemic or not. Even though their day had changed, their love was exactly the same. We knew from the very beginning that it was going to be a rock star day."

From drive-in-friendly food to a live band playing before the ceremony, every aspect of Shannon and Steven Sminkey's wedding came together.

Leading up to the nighttime ceremony, The Uptown Band played for Hoffman and Sminkey's guests, who could either sit in their cars and listen to the music or get up and dance.

Guests were treated to finger food hor d'oeuvres perfect for sitting in the car, as well as the drive-in's regular menu, which had everything from chicken fingers and burgers to funnel cake, fries, popcorn, candy, and sandwiches.

"We decided to really go with the drive-in theme," Hoffman told Insider. "The food was everything you would want at a drive-in movie. It was great that everyone could order whatever they wanted all night long, and didn't have to stick to the traditional steak or salmon you usually get at weddings."

Then, as the sun went down over Pottstown, the ceremony began and the crowd went wild.

Once it was dark enough for the projection screen just after sunset, the ceremony began.

"We got the party in beforehand, which was really cool," Hoffman said.

Guests were able to watch Hoffman and Sminkey get married on the venue's large projection screen.

"Normally, at your ceremony, it's very quiet. As the bridesmaids were walking down the aisle on the big screen, people began shouting and cheering for us. We couldn't help but smile as everyone was cheering us on," Hoffman said.

Audio of the ceremony and the couple's vows were broadcast over a low-frequency FM transmitter to the cars.

Everything from the couple's first dances to their introductions, speeches, and a performance by Hoffman's cousin were also broadcast on the big screen for everyone to watch. 

The band then played again until late into the night, so guests could hang out and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Both Hoffman and Sminkey were thrilled they were able to spend the day with almost everyone on their guest list — and get married in such a unique way.

Hoffman said they both couldn't have been any happier with how things turned out.

Hoffman says she wouldn't change a thing about her wedding day.

"Everything we suggested, the venue went with," Hoffman said. "If we had been able to go ahead with our 'normal' wedding, we would have of course been happy, but how everything turned out was so amazing."

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