Couple photographed on the steps of Chelsea Register Office in London after their Wedding
5 Reasons To Have A Small Wedding Or Elopement In 2020
Hopefully in June the government guidelines will allow for small weddings in England. Here are a few reasons we think this will be welcome news for couples –
1. Less stressful for Social Distancing
If you think shopping at a busy Waitrose heightens your sense of personal space and horrified when a stranger reaches right across to grab the last Malbec, then imagine just having a few understanding relatives or friends at a wedding who are all of a similar mindset is much more relaxing experience. All worries of social distancing and Covid can be much reduced and you can just enjoy the day.
2. More Choice of Venue
The choice of smaller venue is much more varied and easier to organise at shorter notice, therefore a variety of traditional or more quirky licensed venues can be explored and a day trip easier to plan for everyone. No need to worry about finding and allocating car park space or portaloos for that matter. London weddings have the advantage that couples can choose to have their portraits taken in front of famous landmarks, such as Tower Bridge or The Globe for example, by hiring a taxi for the afternoon, to make the wedding album very different and much more dramatic than the traditional. Couples eloping to London often opt for the peripatetic photoshoot also, I have on occasion visited up to ten locations in one day which kept all of us busy.
3. Still get married in 2020
If you spent months or even years planning for a 2020 wedding with 100+ guests, then to defer the whole event to next year or beyond, will be emotionally deflating to say the least. A better idea is to have a smaller ceremony on or around the original 2020 date and have a bigger relaxed celebration the following year with friends and extended family once the rules are relaxed.
4. Keep costs down
A small wedding this year will keep costs down with financial uncertainty surrounding this pandemic, this could be very helpful. Life must and should go on, so get married, enjoy a small wedding, sign the Registers and share the Prosecco. Then organise an over the top picnic perhaps for your family and friends once life gets back to normal.
5. A small wedding is romantic
There is something about a small wedding that has much more intimate atmosphere, few distractions and much less pressure. Large weddings have the ‘Grande Spectacle’ about them certainly, but often a few people quietly gathered together to witness a couple getting married has fewer dry eyes by the end of the exchange of vows.
Do hire a photographer – This pandemic will one day be over and in years to come we will need to look back at one of the most significant and memorable periods in our lives. I am currently being contacted by couples who have changed their plans from a larger to a smaller wedding.
You will need someone outside the family to provide photographic coverage, so that the wedding party can enjoy the day without distraction or have added photographic responsibilities. A small gathering doesn’t mean the celebration is any less significant or life changing, so make sure the event is captured professionally.
An American couple photographed during their elopement in London
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