It seems completely counter-intuitive doesn't it!? A micro wedding? Surely that defeats the whole purpose of a Wedding? A day that is specifically designed to be a public declaration and solidification of your love and commitment in front of gathered friends and family. So how on earth is it supposed to work now that you are legally only allowed to have fifteen people (including yourselves) in attendance. Let's assume you each have two parents present and you wish to each further include one grandparent, two siblings and their partners... woah, that's it, you're at maximum capacity right there! It seems crazy doesn't it? And I know for some this is an absolutely heart-breaking situation; having planned and saved for a long time in anticipation of a big, beautiful day! BUT - and here's turning the positive into a negative! - there’s absolutely no reason why you can't still get married on the day you planned to AND have the big, beautiful wedding of your dreams! Ok, so maybe you can't do both on the SAME day but at the very least it will give you two reasons to drink champagne, and that's a win in my book!!
It is exactly this dilemma that I was watching Ollie Locke and partner Gareth Locke (not already related - I checked!) discussing as they lamented over their own wedding plans. After having become engaged in 2018, they had planned to get married this Winter, until the "current situation" put a record-scratching-ly abrupt stop to that. "What to do now?" the two mused. The ever flamboyant Ollie declaring that he's always wanted the big fabulous wedding whereas slightly more grounded Gareth admitting he just wants to be married.
It is precisely this dilemma that a Celebrant-led wedding can solve! There's no reason why you can't still take care of legalities and get married on the original date you planned. I'd even go so far as to suggest you don't even have six people in attendance and perhaps plump for the 2+2 option (the two of you + two witnesses). It's the cheapest service a Registrar offers: small, intimate, beautiful. Go for a divine meal afterwards somewhere eye-wateringly expensive; drink champagne and toast to your marriage.
Then, once all this* (*the technical, all encompassing term for everything Covid-19 related) has passed and a semblance of normality has been reinstated - this is when you have your WEDDING. The fabulous, entering-on-the-back-of-a-swan-serenaded-by-trumpeting-elephants (please don't actually do this - animals don't like to dressed up and paraded for human amusement) type wedding. The bonus? You can do this anywhere you choose. You have already taken care of the legalities so now your wedding doesn't have to be held on a licensed premises - you can literally have your Celebrant-led wedding ANYWHERE.
Your Celebrant will create an astonishingly beautiful service for you. You can still do everything you planned to - be accompanied by your Wedding party, exchange personal vows, have Readings from loved ones - everything. To all intents and purposes, this is your Wedding Day. But you'll now have two dates to annivers-a-rise (not a word - totally should be). Two dates to drink champagne. Two dates to celebrate your love. Who are the real winners?
