2020 – Wow what a bizarre year! And just when you think you are starting to get unstuck from the thick of it, the restrictions start once again.
On 23rd March 2020 the UK went on a full lockdown, we were all advised/required to stay at home. Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t need to be reminded of this time. Daily, I could be found swinging out of my flat window longing for air and some form of normality. Selfishness aside, this has meant a severe knock-on effect for the wedding industry. Thousands of couples have been left with uncertainty. Many questions unanswered and the disappointment of not knowing the future has been so unkind. The world has become a strange place, but we are here for you!
For each of our couples approaching their wedding in the weeks and months to come we have communicated and discussed the options. Thankfully, the wedding sector has grafted hard to recover the loss of weddings by working together to restart your dream day. Of course, the option to cancel weddings completely, can be explored but our aim was to postpone and that, we did.
Venues have been remarkably efficient in rescheduling wedding dates for couples that are eager to tie the knot, in off peak months. Availability for dates is so tricky when these prestige events are often planned years in advance. With many of the successful reshuffles, we have been fortunate enough to keep most wedding dates in the diary.
As the times improve with the latest reproduction number and growth rate deceasing weddings can go ahead! Still, we know this has not at all been a relief to Brides and Grooms who face many tough decisions ahead. Do you continue your wedding with limited numbers? Or do you join others in a lengthy anticipation for your rescheduled date? It has been so extremely tough for many couples and I cannot begin to think of the stress amongst many of you.
All our couples currently, have made the decision to rearrange dates and we are yet to film a wedding wearing our masks and abiding by social distance measures. We are prepared every month to take on this new task but respectfully decisions must be made.
So What Have We Been Doing?
For me, it has been a productive time to work on the admin of our business. I have been doing all those nitty gritty jobs that you usually push aside because you’re far too busy. It has been satisfying to get those bullet points finally ticked off the list.
I am a piano player in learning and having the time to tinker on 88 piano keys daily has been rewarding. It does not come without its struggles though. I love being a Videographer’s Assistant in a Videography company. I miss the green fields of Kent and driving down the M20 on the morning of a wedding day – wondering what the occasion will bring. However, keeping positive is key and having a whole summer off is momentous and a real rarity for us wedding suppliers. We must make the most of it.
Ryan has been a super cycling mad machine! Before lockdown he was not a long-distance cyclist, but this time has brought a sense of motivation and passion for his bike. Cycling from Isle of Sheppey to Brighton and even Kent to the New Forrest (which is over 230km) he’s incredible and I have no idea how he does it. Sometimes, I don’t even get dressed by the time he’s accomplished a trillion miles by lunchtime.
Ryan similarly misses the buzz of filming weddings but is grateful for his summer holidays and opportunities which would never have arisen.
We’ve spent some time putting a videos together for venues. We produced a promo video for the Knowle Country House as well as a video outlining the Ferry House Inn’s COVID procedures for there reopening back in June. Ryan has also painstakingly upgraded our entire website which has take him a fair few months!
Our Advice To You
Simply, no one can predict how or when weddings are going to restart without having to worry about numbers. We are truly longing for normality to resume and cannot wait to get to a point when our diaries are utterly booked once again. If numbers are unimportant to you and you just want to marry the love of your life – do it! Do not let Coronavirus stop you from something so intimate and extraordinary.
If you dream of a wedding full of hugs and kisses then hold fire, that day will come. We will get through this time and we can’t wait to see you soon. Keep the faith!
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