This wedding is the first and possibly only wedding I’ll blog in 2020. Why? Because – you guessed it, COVID. As we all know, this year has been a total wipeout for weddings and the wedding industry, thus rendering hundreds of thousands of small businesses and self employed people income-less. More than 3/4s of my year postponed their weddings to 2021, with only the exception of a small few. One of those few couples was Rebekah & Joe, who decided to opt for the lifeline the Government gave us all, and adhere to the new restrictions placed on wedding ceremonies. This meant that their day at Woodhall Manor was going to be entirely different to the way it was supposed to be. But when I spoke to Bex afterwards and asked her what she thought of her newfound wedding day, since the dust had settled, she told me she now wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Bex & Joe got married at Woodhall Manor in Suffolk, under all the new guidelines. This meant their wedding guest list was limited to just 30 – less than, if you count me (sorry whoever’s place I took!). The morning was pretty standard, though fewer people in one room and none of the hugging and hand holding you usually see going on. Unusually though, in the way of the new normal, Bride & Groom had to be in the ceremony room before any one else. So, the pair decided to share a first look with their guests outside before going in – which was a nice touch, of course. Masks were worn, and the vows were made. And at the end of it, Bex & Joe were married. It might not have been the way they envisioned it, but love won after all and the end result was still just the same and just as sweet.
I felt pretty spoilt after this, as the pair had nowhere to rush off to so I could take my time with their couples portraits. And so I did! I proper milked it, man. And not just that, but I suggested that – since their ceremony was in the early afternoon and I was heading home by 3pm – I suggested we meet up the next day, guaranteed to be a scorching sunny day again, and do some golden hour pics. I must’ve been good at persuasion, or maybe these guys just knew how rad the pics would turn out to be, but either way they agreed. So, it was a day of two halves in the end. They got back in their gear the day after and we had the best fun stomping around Happisburgh beach, this time with Ruby in tow. Keep an eye out for her in the pics below, she’s a treat.
A note for couples that are worried about the way their wedding may end up having to be: don’t be scared. Definitely don’t be devestated. You could make this work, just like Bex & Joe did, and still end up having the best day of your lives. I have seen the most incredible innovation during this, like couples bringing their wedding to their friends all over the county. Or really downsizing it for something intimate and low key. However you decide to do it during the new normal, one thing for sure is that you’re still going to have each other through it, and at the end of it. You can do this – you can ace this. See Rebekah & Joe here for proof.
Wedding Day, Part Two. This is where we headed down to Happisburgh to enjoy the sunset with Ruby. It was immense.
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