2020, the year of missing weddings….

Back in the mists of time (was it really only March of this year?) France was put into a national quarantine. Everyone was told not to leave their homes unless it was absolutely necessary. Covid 19 had arrived in a right swoooshhhhhhhh and everyone was affected.

As it was May until the first weddings were booked, my optimistic side came bursting out and I was so hopeful that spring weddings might go ahead and almost positive that summer weddings would be just fine – an optimist to the end!

The Covid situation worsened around the world and as summer came and progressed, wedding after wedding, after wedding was postponed. It was a terrible time as couples first faced uncertainty of whether or not to postpone, then the devastation as their wedding plans fell apart and finally the desperation of trying to reschedule everything for a date in 2021.

Rebecca & Viktor , photographer John Armstrong-Millar

It’s now October and the 2020 wedding season has well and truly finished. Out of all my weddings, only one actually went ahead. (Massive congratulations and love to Rebecca and Viktor xx) Some couples did manage to rebook their wedding for 2021, some didn’t and some totally lost their dream of a wedding in beautiful France.

But as I’ve already said, I’m an eternal optimist and even as I felt the sadness and heartache of some of my couples, I began to look for the positive side of having an extra year to plan a wedding. Some of these suggestions have been made by the brides-to-be themselves and others I’ve thought of all by myself!

So the positives of having more time………

Counting the pennies – you can save more for your wedding and honeymoon. Maybe when you were planning first time around there were extras that you loved but that just pushed your budget too far; well now you can put them back on the table as an option. The extra year also gives your guests more time to save. So instead of a rushed weekend in France maybe now they’ll opt for a five or seven day holiday with your wedding as the highlight of their trip.

That quick-fix diet is out the door –  all my brides have looked stunning on their wedding day but I know some brides like to lose weight before their wedding. The problem is, there’s so much going on that this can be an absolute nightmare. This extra year you now have allows time to adopt a sensible eating plan so you can drop a few pounds here and there before next summer comes along. Then you’ll slip into your wedding dress and feel as amazing as you look.

The wonderful Stevie & Chris captured by Aaron Collett

I promise……. – You can use the extra time to think about your relationship and the vows you’d like to make to your partner. And not just what you’d like to say but also how you would like to say them. Some couples read them from a card, some repeat them as I say them line-by-line and others prefer for me to say them and they say I do. It’s your choice but you’ll only get one chance to get it right. So use the time you have to do some research, talk with your partner and decide what’s right for you.  This is definitely a big positive.

Personalise your wedding  – Often couples like the idea of personalising their wedding and there are a plethora of wonderful wedding items you can make yourself but, a lack of time is what puts off most couples. When my younger daughter was getting married I focussed on her love of elephants and made elephant-shaped soaps as favours; the ladies were scented with ylang-ylang and orange whilst the gents were scented with cedar wood and frankincense. So whether you want to make anything from: wedding favours and décor to boutonnieres and place settings, now time is on your side. Check out some ideas here

Scented elephant candles make great favours

Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate – it’s almost impossible to recapture that initial butterflies- fluttering-in-the-stomach excitement of your wedding so second time around you have to try harder. You could organise afternoon teas with family members or friends who can’t attend your wedding; have a second hen party; have an activity day with your bridesmaids; take a picnic to a park with your partner and talk about your new wedding day. There are a thousand small ways to rekindle your excitement and other people’s too.

                                              Meet Nova

And on the original day of your wedding, mark the day by doing something special. There’s no doubt you’ll feel sad and that’s absolutely okay but your lasting memory can be a positive one. To make that happen for his fiancée, one of my grooms gave her the most adorable puppy! (Yes I know all puppies are gorgeous but Nova, the wee cutie above, is super cute). Another of my couples took off for a short holiday to Greece whilst another managed to meet up with their bridesmaids and groomsmen for a day of laughter and quad biking through puddles of mud and mire.

At the end of the day we have no control of the current or future situation. So let’s put a positive spin on this difficult situation and lift our heads towards next year. Your postponed wedding day will be more joyous because of the difficulties you’ve overcome. We all have our fingers crossed that 2021 will be amazing for all couples who are getting married and I’ll be doing my very best to make sure my couples have super-special wedding ceremonies that are everything they ever dreamed of ……. And more. Xxx

                               Photo courtesy of Emma Case Photography

If that describes the sort of wedding you and your partner are looking for then you can find me here!