Couple marries in socially distant backyard wedding in Baldwin

For one local couple, the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t going to stop the wedding bells from ringing. They postponed the big party until next year, but hosted a smaller, socially distant backyard ceremony last month in Baldwin.

Long Beach residents Shane Malone, a lawyer, and Kristin Glocksien, who works for Sony, had planned a church wedding and a celebration at Ocean Club in Atlantic Beach but postponed the festivities until May 2021 due to the pandemic.

The couple were married by the groom’s 92-year-old grandfather, Judge Leo McGinity, who served as the officiant. They invited a small group of family members to McGinity’s backyard in Baldwin.

Bow-topped skewers in the ground were spaced six feet apart and all of the guests wore masks, family members said, adding that it was a beautiful ceremony despite the challenging circumstances and Malone and Glocksien made the best of a difficult situation.

— Bridget Downes