On August 20 this year, Lauren Maybank made the most important Zoom call of her life – to her parents, who were isolating in lockdown.
It wasn’t any old catch-up – but the chance to watch Lauren tie the knot to fiance Robert in a hastily-arranged ceremony which was the fraction of the size she had originally planned.
‘I was alerted to a few cancellations cropping up at Chelsea and Kensington Town Hall, and we saw an opportunity to go ahead with a legal ceremony, one with six guests and my parents on Zoom, and then invited a few friends to a private room in a pub near the venue,’ says Lauren, a brand consultant from Leigh-on-Sea.
‘It was so fun and relaxed, and our friends went home with fuzzy heads and full bellies. Nothing felt compromised, and we wouldn’t have changed a thing.’
Lauren planned her big day in just four weeks – booking a local black cab driver to take her and on the driver’s recommendation, a pub for post-nuptial celebrations.
Now that Covid rules have impacted how we can wed, with limited numbers of guests allowed to witness the ‘I do’s,’ couples have seen it as a chance to break free from tradition and embrace the micro wedding.
These intimate gatherings might’ve emerged out of necessity, but they put the focus back on the couple, not the pomp and ceremony of large-scale weddings. Think Lily Allen and David Harbour’s Las Vegas wedding, Sean Penn and Leila George’s Zoom ceremony and Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s gathering behind closed doors at Windsor Castle.
‘Your day doesn’t have to be big to be beautiful,’ says Maximilian Laurence-Gutteridge from Your Wedding Live. ‘It’s the day a couple celebrates their love and devotion to one another, a day that marks a significant life event and opens the door to a lifetime spent together. Nothing changes that whether there are 10 or 100 people to witness the nuptials. The most important people on the day are the couple being wed.’
Roma Popat and Vinal Patel made headlines recently by hosting a drive-in wedding in Essex where guests watched the ceremony on a large screen from their cars.
While that’s more ambitious than many couples might opt for, ‘the use of technology to bring people together will be here to stay,’ adds Maximilian. ‘Couples can invite people to be a part of their day and ask them to do readings and speeches online. Even after restrictions start to relax, couples can use these ideas to bring friends and family together from all over the world and include people who might not have been able to celebrate with them in person.’
According to Hitched.co.uk, the average wedding cost £31,974 in 2019, so perhaps it’s no surprise a survey by jewellery retailer Goldsmiths found 49% of Brits are looking to spend less on their weddings in the wake of Covid.
But micro weddings aren’t just about saving money.
Newlyweds often complain they stressed too much to enjoy the day or were too busy to speak to everyone. With a small wedding, the day isn’t hampered by the need for intricate table plans or epic floral displays, it removes the strain and allows the bride and groom to savour the moments.
‘Fewer numbers mean you can work towards to a more relaxed running order. Having this extra time and not needing to rush between celebrations means you have more time to chat and enjoy the experience,’ says James Martin, owner of wedding venue Baddow Park House.
‘With more scope to be bespoke, you can create the theme, décor and ultimately the vibe you want. You have the ability to serve signature cocktails and go extravagant with your menu as smaller guest numbers allows caterers to focus on the food quality as you might have a larger spend per guest ratio.’
Martina Mercer, who married Justin Phillips, was equally thrilled with her micro wedding.
‘A smaller, more intimate wedding was initially planned due to budget constraints but if I had to do it all again, I’d still choose the same day,’ says Martina, who’s a PR Director from getamover.co.uk. ‘Some cousins were upset they weren’t invited, but there was no worrying about table placements or strained relationships.
‘It was like a dinner party with all my favourite people involved. The focus was the union of two families, and I can honestly say that even though it only cost £150 (registry office fees aside), it was one of the best days of my life. I’d recommend it to anyone.’
How many guests are allowed at your wedding?
England: Ceremonies of up to 15 people are allowed in all three tiers. Sit-down receptions with up to 15 people are allowed in tiers one and two only.
Wales: Ceremonies are allowed, and wedding receptions with up to 30 people
Northern Ireland: Ceremonies are temporarily limited to 25 people, but no receptions
Scotland: Wedding ceremonies and receptions of up to 20 people can be held
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/23/small-micro-wedding-uk-planning-venues-packages-dresses-13467699/
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