Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many of our couples have had to either scale down or re-arrange their special day. While this is far from ideal and can be quite stressful, one of our couples decided to turn a negative into a positive by doing both!
Shona and Thomas enjoyed a beautiful intimate ceremony on their original wedding date and have plans for a bigger celebration in the future.
We asked Shona to tell us why she made this decision and how she has found the experience so far.
Photographer - Jenny Appleton Photography
Shona, why did you decide to still get married on your original wedding date?
We got engaged on Christmas Eve 2019 and booked Alcumlow for the following December, as we both knew we wanted to get married at Christmas. As the pandemic unfolded shortly afterwards, it quickly became clear that our wedding planning experience wasn’t going to be as expected – cancelled wedding fairs, trying on dresses and suits in masks, no stag do or hen party… Things were changing all the time, a complete rollercoaster, and it wasn’t before long that we decided that the most important thing for us was to be legally married. We knew we didn’t want to wait as there was no guarantee that things would return to normal completely the following year and we didn’t want to face another year of uncertainty and worrying about will it / won’t it happen. Our heart was set on 22nd December 2020 and when Charlie offered for us to get legally married on our original date and postpone the “wedding” to the same date a year later, it felt like the best scenario for us. As well as the reasonable price of the package that was being offered, we felt like Alcumlow really cared about us and reassured us that they would do everything they could for our special day. We wanted the full experience – the meal, the guests, the dancing, but we were happy to wait for these. We accepted how unique and different our wedding story would be, and simply ending the year as Mr & Mrs became our priority.
What was the intimate ceremony like?
There were times during our intimate ceremony when we felt like we forgot what was going on in the world around us. It was magical, from start to finish. We had our parents and siblings present and it’s an experience that only 10 us shared together, which made it feel even more special. With the twinkling lights and the music playing, it felt anything but empty. All the staff at Alcumlow were amazing throughout the ceremony, making sure that we were all safe and that we were still really looked after. We’d asked our photographer to be there for a couple of hours (who was already rebooked for the following year too) and she was able to capture the memories of our unique day. We said our vows, signed the register, had photographs taken (just the two of us) and had a drink with our family. It was simple, but beautiful, and we are just so grateful that we were able to do it. Although we wish the circumstances around it were different, we realised once we got home how lucky we are that we’re able to do it all over again.
What are you most looking forward to when it comes to your wedding celebration?
I think the thing we’re looking forward to the most about our wedding (“Part Two”) is getting to share it with everybody else – including bridesmaids and best men, which we chose not to have for our ceremony last year. Alcumlow is the most beautiful venue and we can’t wait for everyone to experience the day with us. Now that we are legally married, it feels as though the pressure is off, and everything else will be an incredible bonus – being able to have a meal with our loved ones, cutting a cake, having a first dance and listening to a live band. It has made us even more excited than we were in the first place as we are going to appreciate these aspects of a wedding more than ever!
Any final comments?
Despite such a difficult year for the wedding industry, Alcumlow have been nothing but amazing, right from the beginning. They kept us regularly updated with the latest guidance, they supported us in all our decisions without putting any pressure on us at all and assured us that they would still provide us with a really special day – which they most definitely did. We know of other engaged couples who have just not had the same level of support, therefore we feel so grateful to all the staff for being so wonderful.
Special thanks to Shona for your kind words. It was such a pleasure to hold your ceremony and we cannot wait for the big celebration!
From all the team at Alcumlow Wedding Barn x