In the Covid era, some couples have downsized weddings or even tied the knot over Zoom. Photo / 123rf
For over a decade now big weddings have dominated. In bridal magazines, on Pinterest and social media, weddings have been getting ever more festival-like, more Instagram "worthy", and more expensive. Dresses, too, have been princessy in scale and embellishment.
Then the coronavirus crisis arrived and weddings were put on ice as countries around the world went into lockdown. Some put off their nuptials or tied the knot over Zoom, while others abandoned their original plans and by being open to the possibility of change (and more change) they've pulled off small ceremonies without sacrificing any of the style, wow factor or, most importantly, the love that they had wanted from their "big" day.
For advertising creative director Kate Murphy, ditching her original idea was the key to crafting an alternative. The only thing that remained was her embroidered Nikeen Asar dress, which she had bought months before, and matching polka dot Celine shoes. She had planned to remove the top layer of the skirt for dancing in the evening – a switch that wasn't able to happen because she couldn't have a dance floor.
"It changed about a hundred times," she says of how the plan for her September 19 wedding with fiance Tom Jaffrey transformed from 180 people in a marquee, to a congregation of 30 in the church opposite her home in the UK's Cotswolds. The couple hosted a back garden reception: an afternoon tea, all wrapped up before 10pm.
"I went through all the emotions, there were tears," she explains. "But as soon as I let go of our original 'dream' wedding and decided that what was most important to me was that we got married, I stopped worrying."
For Melanie Tong, a digital stylist, it wasn't possible for her family from America and Australia to attend her London civil ceremony without risking their health or having to quarantine. She and now-husband Christopher Caruso decided to go ahead, planning to hopefully host a second celebration in Siena next year. Their wedding took place at Chelsea Town Hall on September 13, with a reception meal for 30.
"I had my heart set on getting married this year," she explains. "We were allowed six guests including the photographer in the room with us, and face masks were mandatory. Our families tuned in on FaceTime and there was Perspex between us and the celebrant. Despite these peculiarities, it was an overwhelmingly joyful occasion and likely all the more memorable for it."
Like Murphy, Tong stuck with the dress she had always planned to wear – an off-white silk gown by Belgian brand La Collection. But for some brides, scaling down the event has also led to them changing their bridal look.
Publicist Caroline Allen had deliberated on whether to postpone her October 10 wedding in East Sussex, with 140 guests. In the end, she and her husband-to-be Robert Nelson decided they would bring the date forward, and married in front of eight guests on September 26. Many more surprised them by joining on a Zoom call, which she says was set up by her hen-do Whatsapp group.
Allen put her "big dream dress" on hold, instead choosing to wear a sleeveless blouse with ivory trousers and an organza skirt.
Robyn Kotze has saved another dress for a celebration she hopes can happen next year. The fashion editor's original London civil ceremony was booked for March 30, and was due to be followed by a bigger wedding celebration in Puglia in June. Instead Kotze married fiance Giles Maber on July 25, wearing a silk gown with long sleeves from Philosophy by Alberta Ferrett.
Kotze's decision to buy a ready-to-wear dress for her smaller ceremony reflects a wider shift in wedding dress shopping habits. As weddings are now so unpredictable, increasing numbers of brides are choosing to buy off-the-rack outfits, rather than parting with a hefty deposit in a traditional bridal boutique, and waiting six months to try on the resulting gown. Wedding retailer The Own Studio has reported a 400 per cent rise in sales of wedding jumpsuits and suits since before Covid, and says that 35 per cent of brides now are organising weddings with less than four weeks' notice.
At MatchesFashion.com, sales of ready-to-wear bridal dresses and jumpsuits increased by 23 per cent in June, "as customers [began] investing in pieces that they can wear at register office ceremonies, or for future events", according to Natalie Kingham, fashion and buying director.
Choosing a location-flexible and typically less expensive dress is now important. Online right now there's an ivory Vivienne Westwood gown for £990 ($1950). In Net-a-Porter.com's bridal collection, you could get a Safiyaa crepe gown ($2500) delivered to your door – ideal for a last-minute change of plan.
All of the brides featured here confirmed that their weddings were the best day of their lives and all, when asked, offered similar advice for brides- and grooms-to-be who are still unsure about what to do.
"In a strange way we benefited from the fact everyone was desperate to celebrate," Murphy says. "Honestly I think we could have put them in a field, and everyone would have had the best time after a year like this."
The personal details that make a wedding special can be achieved at any scale and on any budget. The newly minted Nelsons had ice cream from a van outside their venue (photographs of which got more than 1000 likes on Instagram, if the social media factor is of interest to you).
A highlight for the Jaffreys was when strangers from their village came out to throw confetti in the street.
"I can't imagine a formal vibe now, even though that's probably what I would have done," Murphy says. "We might have a party on our one-year anniversary, but I was so keen to do the official wedding this year. I feel lucky that we got to do it. You don't think for a second about what might have been."
- Telegraph Media Group