2020 A Year In Review
Well, what a year that was. Not quite what we had planned and certainly not what we expected. Weddings were on, weddings were off, weddings were only ceremonies, weddings were 30 people, 15 people, weddings were masks on and dance floors off.
It’s been a strange year for the whole industry, but we really don’t like to dwell on the negativity. Amongst all the chaos we still managed to shoot weddings for eight amazing couples. Five had ‘full’ weddings, three had just ceremonies and celebrations with a full day planned for this year.
So each of our couples is going to get quite a spotlight this year, lucky them! Go grab a cuppa and enjoy, a much smaller than usual, round up of 2020.
(Please note, the rules for weddings in 2020 were forever changing. Ourselves and our couples followed all government guidelines at the time.)
First up we have Hannah & Ross. They had a great idea of creating bubbles within their wedding. After getting married at their local church we headed to bubble one, the groom’s family for canapes. After a couple of hours it was off to bubble two, the bride’s family for the main meal. Then the evening was bubble three, the friends for pizza and drinks. It was a fantastic idea, Hannah & Ross got to spend quality time with each bubble and managed to incorporate speeches and a mini first dance at each venue.
Hannah very kindly wrote about her experience of having a micro wedding for us on this blog post.
Next up is Emma & James. Poor Emma & James’ plans kept changing throughout the summer and in the end they settled on a tiny ceremony and cake afterwards at Micklefield Hall. The day was beautiful and the intimate ceremony setting above Micklefield’s lake felt perfect for the day. There were impromptu speeches and a first dance, we even managed to do a little couple shoot whilst the sun was setting. Emma told us they finished the day by heading home and having a take away!
Emma & James’ ceremony was featured in Rock My Wedding, have a look at the feature here.
Next Up is Amber & Ed, early on they decided to postpone their full day for a whole year, but kept their original date as they knew they wanted to do something special. In the end they did get legally married at their venue- Dodford Manor in Northamptonshire. The weather was windy and rainy but that did not stop them! Although we couldn’t use the fun smoke bombs we’d experimented with on their engagement shoot we still managed to get out under the umbrella for 5 minutes of fun shots.
Next up is Mima & Ben, after changing their date twice and with an impending second lockdown Mima completely reorganised their wedding for the third time in under a week. (She needs to start charging for those organisational skills, right!) They had a ceremony at their local church and a beautiful reception for 30 guests at the Barnett Hill Hotel. Mima wont mind us saying she cried a lot during the day, happy tears though! The emotions, relief, happiness of it finally coming together after so much hard work.
Next up is Emma & Will, who changed their venue last minute to the beautiful Bignor Park, who could accommodate for their suddenly smaller wedding party. You know we love Bignor park and it was a pleasure to be back there again, (I think we may now have shot a wedding there every year?) After having a very small ceremony at their beautiful local church, they were surprised with lots of family members waiting outside the church just to give them a wave and say their congratulations. They headed to Bignor to a gorgeous array of canapes supplied by Jacaranda and an incredible floral display by This Floral Life.
Next up is Katie & Ross who held their wedding at the gorgeous Cowdray, a venue we absolutely adore. The weather was pretty awful all day until Katie & Ross stepped out of the church and we had an hour of glorious weather! We always say to every couple, please do not worry about the weather on your wedding day. There is nothing you can do about it. And very, very rarely does it rain all day without a small break. The wedding party headed back to Cowdray, with the fires lit, champagne in hand they had an intimate family meal and a murder mystery for evening entertainemnt.
Next Up is Charlotte & Will. They decided to host their wedding in their own home. Being complete foodies they choose a twelve course tasting menu from the lovely Jacaranda alongside a wine pairing. Their day finished with a firework display which Charlotte posted about on her local village group so that all the neighbours could stand out on their doorsteps to enjoy the fireworks too. We loved the community feel to Charlotte & Will’s wedding. (Also you must check out their choir, Excelsis Choir, they were AMAZING!)
Lastly is Lizzie & Lee. Lizzie & Lee were another couple of ours who’s plans kept changing, and with an impending November lockdown they changed their date last minute so they could get married with a small number of family guests. Lizzie set up an ipad where guests who couldn’t make it could log in and watch the whole ceremony- including guests from Australia. They had a ceremony in their local church (you might recognise the Reverend!) We loved all the personal touches with Lizzie’s Mum making the bouquets and her sister commissioning the custom denim jacket. Lizzie & Lee choose to have a small celebration in November and are now planning their big day for 2021.
There you have it, all of our eight couples who got married in 2020. Each one so different and unique, which is what we love the most. We’re keeping all our fingers and toes crossed for a better 2021. Bookings and reschedules have meant we are already very busy for 2021 (And now 2022!) So if you are reading this and are thinking of getting in contact do drop us an email and we’d love to chat to you about your day.