2020 has been quite the rollercoaster for many of us in the wedding world navigating Covid restrictions but I feel Katie and Dayne need to be applauded for their strength through all of this to finally celebrate getting married in the middle of a national pandemic lockdown!
An Intimate Wedding In Lockdown
I can only imagine the heartache at going from a postponed summer wedding to a big wedding at Christmas to then seeing their guest list slowly dwindle as the restrictions got tighter with the introduction of the tier system. But despite it all they totally made the most of what they could have on their wedding day with the smaller guest list allowed.
So I’ll let Katie and Dayne show you how you can still have a celebration of love and marriage even with the tightest restrictions of only a micro wedding ceremony and 15 guests in Merseyside and Lancashire. I hope it gives you a bit of inspiration and a few ideas if you’re planning a more intimate wedding in lockdown.
A Lockdown Wedding and Elopement Video
The Legal Declarations and Wedding Traditions
The days filming started in a typically traditional wedding way with the bride ‘prep’ before the morning ceremony. Katie decided to get ready at her Mum’s house in Scarisbrick with her family which made for a really personal setting.
Complete with a breakfast buffet for the early ceremony start, matching dressing gowns for the bridal party and lots of other touches, the only indication of it being a wedding in the middle of lockdown was the suppliers rocking up in their colourful face masks and visors! Oh and the wedding invite on the fridge with the original summer wedding date on…
Jenni Ward had stepped in at the last minute (due to a coronavirus positive case with the previous make-up artist) to help Katie feel radiant on her wedding day. Vicky Dubois was chosen to capture their wedding photos too!
A Micro Wedding At Southport Town Hall
Once everyone was ready we raced ahead to Southport Town Hall to capture the rest of the guests and Groom arriving for this very special micro wedding.
Now in Tier 3, weddings in Southport were limited to a ceremony with only 15 guests socially distanced and wearing face coverings. Wedding receptions were now ‘banned’ and timings were strict within the Town Hall as they tried to keep everyone distanced and safe.
It didn’t stop the guests excitedly making their way to their socially distanced seats as they waited for the bride to arrive.
Once the legal bits were out of the way Katie finally walked down the aisle with a huge grin ready to marry Dayne in front of their lucky guests and even the ones able to join them virtually on Zoom too!
Newly Wed Hot Chocolates and Windy Seafronts
As we were ushered out of Southport Town Hall guests showered them with confetti before waving goodbye.
But that wasn’t the end of the celebrations for this couple. Despite all the restrictions Katie was keen to raise a warm glass of hot chocolate to newly married life so we all headed over to Costa in Southport to enjoy a treat!
The sudden downpour of rain did attempt to stop us getting there but we just managed it and the staff were very welcoming and sorted them out a seat to enjoy their first Costa as a married couple.
Once everyone was warmed up again and the rain had passed we went for a wander around Southport to capture some fun family photos and video before the kids went off to Nan’s and it was all about Katie and Dayne…
An Intimate Riverside Elopement in Lancashire
This could’ve been the end of the celebrations for this couple with restrictions limiting weddings to the ceremony only.
But we decided to get a little creative and ensure they got more from their wedding day.
They were driving over to the Ribble Valley in Lancashire for a little mini-moon and loved the surrounding areas for walks so with a little research we initially decided to do their couples shoot there.
Hand Fasting Elopement by Cromwells Bridge
After much researching of the area we came back to Cromwell’s Bridge that’s tucked away in the Ribble Valley between Mitton Hall and Stonyhurst in Clitheroe. Just in time for the sun to peek through the clouds for a dramatic shot of them standing on the historic stone bridge.
It was such a stunning setting we all decided to try venturing down to the river bed beside the bridge to conduct their handfasting elopement ceremony before the sun set.
And despite the interesting (and muddy) climb down it was worth it for the peaceful setting. The perfect setting for a more meaningful declaration of love and commitment during these testing times. No guests, just the two of them and us there to capture their beautiful elopement!
Intimate Wedding and Elopement Videographer
Intimate weddings and elopements require someone who can film discreetly but also naturally observe and capture those little connections and moments that celebrate such a special celebration of love.
I’ve been a wedding videographer for over 10 years now and filming weddings of 15 guests or less isn’t just a new ‘covid’ thing or ‘micro wedding’ trend for me, it’s something I’ve enjoyed documenting for many years.
It’s always been about connections and love for me as a film-maker so if you’d like to chat with me about filming your own smaller wedding or elopement I’d love to hear from you.
You can head to my Contact Me page to fill in the form or email my directly at charlene@lovegetssweeter.co.uk