Your wedding day that wasn't

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

It was supposed to be my wedding day…and I’ll cry if I want to, cry if I want to…  If you have been forced to postpone your wedding as a result of the Corona virus then we know how you feel – bitterly disappointed.  And if you’ve shed a few tears that’s not only understandable but healthy.  You need to let those emotions rip!

Once the shock and the pain have subsided you’ll have got yourself busy doing the necessary – organising a new date, working through the issues with your suppliers, checking that all your most important guests will be available when everything is rescheduled and so on.  In the process you’ll realise that you are not alone – April, May and June are popular months for weddings and Bridebook estimates that means (assuming things return to “normal” in July) 64,000 of them will have to be cancelled and rebooked.  They also reckon 79,200 UK couples will need to re-arrange their honeymoons and 7.8 million wedding guests will need to change their travel plans.  So, if it’s any consolation, a lot of people are in the same boat!

If you were due to wed in April your big day has already passed.  If you were looking forward to a May or June date you have to get through a day that’s potentially pretty miserable.  Many couples, however, have decided to make the best of their bad luck and celebrate anyway.  In this post we share a few ideas you might find helpful.

Zoom to the rescue

A few couples have gone ahead and tied the knot in lockdown with the help of zoom.  They’ve got themselves all dressed up, welcomed the guests, exchanged their vows, popped the bubbly, cut the cake, had their first dance and then partied away as if it was situation normal. 

Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

On the 18th April 2020 Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he had signed an Executive Order allowing New Yorkers to obtain marriage licences remotely and authorising clerks to perform ceremonies via video conference.  Similar measures have also been introduced in Colorado where couples are being allowed to apply for marriage licences online.  The United Arab Emirates recently announced that citizens and residents would be able to get married online with virtual ceremonies able to take place once required documents have been lodged online.  However, in the UK, marriages conducted via zoom are not legally recognised.  You can have a ceremony, and a celebration, but you’ll have to go through the legal formalities later to complete the knot tying.  So most of those couples going the virtual route, both here and in the states, plan to have full-on in-person “offline” weddings at a later date.  What’s not to like – you can have your wedding cake and eat it!

Some of you, however, might just want to save the partying and ceremonial stuff for a later date, when social distancing is hopefully no more than an unpleasant memory.  For you a more low key approach might be appropriate – and there are plenty of fun ways to mark the occasion.

Romantic candlelit dinner for two

You’ve got all day so go the whole hog with a starter, a main and a dessert.  And make it a bit more adventurous than your regular dinner.  A tin of soup followed by a pizza from the freezer and a tub of ice cream might satisfy your taste buds but it hardly rises to the occasion.  Forget convenience, this is all about romance!

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The right drinks choice is also important to set the tone.  Something bubbly to start off with, or a cocktail.  Then a really nice bottle of wine – not the usual £3.99 stuff you take with you to a party!  And maybe a liqueur to round things of nicely. Create a suitable playlist, turn the lights down low, get dressed up and enjoy!

Love out loud

Practice makes perfect so you could use part of your day together finalising your vows and reciting them to get everything word perfect.   You could even take it a stage further and prepare Love Island-style speeches to express how much you mean to one another. 

Unplug for the evening

Ban the TV, smartphones and tablets (OMG, really?!) and rediscover the gentle art of conversation.  This definitely works best when you are cuddled up with a glass of wine (or two…). 

Game on

Dig out the cards, the Monopoly board, the Trivial Pursuits, the Scrabble, the Jenga…and have some forfeits for the loser, obviously.  It might all seem a bit old fashioned but it’s a great way to break out of your routine and mix things up a bit.  Mr and Mrs is the perfect game to play on your would-be wedding night and there are plenty of apps which offer quizzes designed for couples – so go for it!

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Release your inner mixologist

Been saving a bottle of bubbly for a special occasion?  This would be a great excuse for popping the cork.  Or you could brush up on your mixology skills.  Never made a Mojito, a Manhattan or a Margarita?  Now would be a good time to put that right.  You could also try some of the more outlandish ones – anyone for a Hanky-Panky, a Fluffy Critter or a Between the Sheets?

Binge on the box

Spend the entire evening (and day?!) watching back to back episodes of your favourite series and box sets.  The entire Star Wars saga from end to end?  How many episodes of Game of Thrones before you can’t take any more?  Or something more manageable, like Fleabag?  Make sure you lay in plentiful supplies of popocorn, taco chips, pizza, ice cream and drinks….

Afternoon tea for two

You don’t have to go to The Ritz, The Savoy or another of those fantastically expensive upmarket hotels to enjoy this traditional treat.  You could stage your own personal Bake Off challenge to see which of you can create the most impressive and tasty Victoria Sponge, cupcakes, chocolate eclairs, fruit scones and iced buns.  Not forgetting the dainty finger sandwiches: cucumber, smoked salmon, egg mayonnaise….

Photo by Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash

Pamper party

Make the most of a day indoors with quality time spent relaxing and de-stressing. Stock up on bath bombs, scented oils, face masks and body creams ordered online and indulge the senses with treatments aplenty. You could even treat each other to an invigorating back massage, an aromatherapy massage or a spot of reflexology massage.

Raise a glass with guests

Even if you don’t want to go for a full on virtual ceremony and celebration there’s nothing to stop you using one of the apps like facetime, zoom or house party to “get together” with select groups of friends and family at different points during the day.  Try not to make each group too big otherwise (as you’ve probably already discovered) the system struggles to cope and either everyone speaks at once or they’re afraid to say anything!   These sessions work best when everyone has a drink to hand….

Stay safe and carry on

We hope these little ideas help you enjoy your big day – we know you’re disappointed and that these are stressful times but the bonus is you get to enjoy the occasion twice.