My bride, Yvette and her fiance Rob, are one of the couples who had their wedding plans put on hold by COVID-19. After two postponements, they made a big decision to go ahead with an intimate wedding in September 2020. Read all about their story here and the exciting future that beckons!
THE ENGAGEMENT
In Sep 2018 we planned a long weekend trip to Iceland. After the hot summer we'd had we were severely under prepared for the temperatures we were about to face and having hired a camper van to stay in and the first night was certainly a shock to the system! However spirits were lifted after a few thermal spas, beautiful scenery and a hotel room booked for the night. Before dinner, Rob became very insistent that we play bananagrams, I wasn't so fussed but went a lot with it. A few minutes into the game I realise our song had started to play, looking over at Rob I see 'Will you marry me?' with the letters with the most gorgeous diamond ring presented next to it. Managing to splutter out 'of course I will' amongst tears, we were on cloud 9 for the rest of the trip.
ORIGINAL DATE It was definitely wedding season amongst our group of friends, and with three weddings already planned for summer 2019, we decided to go for May 2020. Once we fixed the date not long after returning from Iceland the countdown app was download and we began to look forward to the 2nd May 2020.
REALISATION AND EMOTION
After the last wedding of 2019 the planning and excitement really started to ramp up... I was next! With the venue and caterer booked and dress chosen I was able to focus on the smaller touches that would make the day unique. I started to research bridal headpieces and once I'd gathered a few ideas I sent these to Claire Austin England who helped me design a bespoke bridal headpiece perfect for me.
Before I knew it, my first dress fitting was here and my hen was in a fortnight. This was early March. Claire had also sent me a video of the finished headpiece. It looked beautiful and I couldn't wait to try it on at my hair trial. Then suddenly within the space of a week everything started to crumble. The seriousness of the virus really started to hit home and realisation struck that the wedding was at real risk. My hen was the first weekend of the 1st national lockdown.
It was a really really difficult time coming to terms with what was happening, however as soon as we decided to reschedule the date to September 2020 a huge weight had been lifted. Back then September felt save... THE FIRST RESCHEDULE It was June and having had a few heart to hearts with close friends I began to considering rescheduling the wedding again. After a long chat with my fiancé we agreed that the chances of us being able to have the wedding of our dreams was slim. With the uncertainty of how long the Covid restrictions could go on for, we made the decision however to proceed with an intimate family wedding, leaving our big white wedding for 2021. MINI WEDDING Once we'd updated our guests of reschedule number 2, we got underway with planning our mini wedding. Wanting to keep things low key I bought a different dress from the highstreet, it was still white for the bridal look but not as fancy. I also went for different hair and makeup, wanting to keep 'the look' special for next year. Having now got my hands on my bespoke headpiece I tried it on at my hair trial and it worked perfectly with the different style I was going for. The headpiece is so versatile and gorgeous I thought it would be a nice touch to wear it at both weddings.
(Yvette wanted a delicate headpiece which was flexible to wear in different hair styles for both weddings. I created a hair vine with a hair comb in the centre for added security and it featured sprigs of oval and square white opal diamantes and small gold flowers with champagne gold wire).
The night before the mini wedding was bitter sweet. I was torn between being excited that I was about to get married and at the same time gutted that all of our friends wouldn't be there to share this happy occasion.
However the day itself ended up being really special; we held the ceremony at the same venue we will be using next year and threw a small BBQ reception at my parents house for the bridal party and groomsmen.
We can't wait to come back to Ugbrooke House for our big white wedding next year!
My mum and her friend Sue made my wedding bouquet! The dahlias are from my grandma's garden which was really special.
After initially having my doubts, I'm really pleased we went ahead with an intimate wedding as now we get two bites of the cherry having our big white wedding in Spring 2022 extending that newlywed feeling and two honeymoons! (we were lucky enough to squeeze in a mini-moon to Greece). And I get to show off my bespoke headpiece again but with my originally planned updo. The extra time has given us more time to plan and think about the extra touches that we may not have done before like bespoke hair pieces for the bridesmaids. It has also meant my husband and I have had time to start a family! We will be expecting our first baby in the summer. An unexpected guest to now think about for the wedding!
Congratulations Yvette and Rob! It looks like you had an absolutely magical wedding day and I am so excited to hear about your big white wedding at Ugbrooke House next year!
I am very happy to tell you that I am now featured as a recommended supplier by Petite Weddings. They are a platform dedicated to elopements and small weddings and specialise in helping you find sensational wedding venues, photographers, celebrants, caterers, florists and many more. They provide guidance and practical advice and are there every step of the way to ensure your wedding is relaxed, stress - free and as full as love as you hoped. Oh and it's free!
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CREDITS
Hair - Crystals Hair Studio, Honiton
Venue - Ugbrooke House @ugbrookehouse
Makeup - Katie Mae Makeup @katiemaemakeup
Bride Headpiece - Claire Austin England @claireaustinengland
Photography - Charlotte Walker Photography @c.walkerphotography
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