Columbus Weddings Nominated for National Award

The City and Regional Magazine Association, which focuses on promoting high editorial standards and facilitating professional development for members, has named the spring/summer 2021 issue of Columbus Weddings among the finalists for its annual superlative awards in the Ancillary: Weddings category.

The spring/summer 2021 issue, which ran with the cover headline of "Love Conquers All," was challenging to produce. The previous issue had been released two months later than normal, in August 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic's strain on the wedding industry. That meant the Love Conquers All issue, released in December 2020, had to be produced in a shorter-than-normal timeframe, and with fewer real wedding submissions than usual as the pandemic continued to suppress weddings throughout 2020. The issue focused on how 28 local weddings managed to take place safely, from intimate mini-monies and delayed receptions to livestreamed backyard events.

In the issue, we included a COVID Q&A, tips for livestreaming a ceremony, inspiration for a small-scale brunch reception, and real-life examples of how couples made it to the aisle. The issue also was the first in the history of Columbus Weddings/Columbus Bride to feature a same-sex couple on the cover.

"[The facts of the pandemic] were on our minds as we planned this issue: How do we celebrate weddings when mass gatherings are still discouraged? How do we offer advice when so much is unknown and ever-changing?" I wrote in my editor's letter. "In the end, we at Columbus Weddings did what so many couples in the pages that follow have done: We planned, we adjusted, and we made do. ... If creating this issue has taught me anything, it's that Central Ohioans find a way to survive and thrive amid a multitude of challenges."

This is the third nomination for Columbus Weddings, the second coming in 2019 for our fall/winter 2018 issue and the first 2011, when it was known as Columbus Bride magazine. This is our first nomination since our 2020 redesign. Other finalists in this year's awards include Baltimore Weddings, D Weddings, Delaware Weddings and What's Up? Weddings. 

Our parent publication, Columbus Monthly, also received recognition: Its May 2021 issue, focused on race in the city, is a finalist in the Special Issue category; senior editor Suzanne Goldsmith is a finalist for Writer of the Year; and the publication as a whole is a finalist in the General Excellence 1 (circulation less than 30,000) category.

Winners will be announced at CRMA's annual conference on May 23. Find the full list of finalists, plus information on past winners, here.