Couples can still have a magical wedding day with some thoughtful planning. SoGlos spoke to the experts at Tewkesbury Park to get some advice on how to make smaller-scale weddings feel extra special.
Although guest numbers will be limited for the foreseeable future, getting married to the love of your life will always be the most important part of any wedding day.
About the expert – Samantha Birch from Tewkesbury Park
With its beautiful countryside views and stunning rooms, Tewkesbury Park makes for a magical wedding venue. Licensed for civil ceremonies, the award-winning hotel can cater for intimate weddings of up to 30 guests in its Duke of Gloucester room – or larger weddings, with up to 300 guests in its Cotswolds Suite and Berkeley Bar, when it is safe to do so.
Tewkesbury Park’s expert wedding planners, including Samantha Birch, are on hand to make its weddings unforgettable – whether you’re planning an intimate ceremony for your nearest and dearest or a bigger celebration further in the future.
The current restrictions on social gatherings have changed a lot of people’s wedding plans. How can couples adapt?
The best way for couples to adapt is to have a clear decision-making process. They need to ask themselves ‘are we prepared to go ahead whatever the restrictions may be?’ When couples have decided what they’re prepared to do, adapting to changes becomes easier – it can also become fun, by adding an extra spin to their day.
Providing a supportive ear can help couples adapt and having someone to talk things through with helps achieve end results and a day the couple will truly remember for all the right reasons and not because of Covid.
Embracing the changes and remembering its about getting married has certainly helped couples to adapt.
How many guests can attend wedding ceremonies in England currently?
Currently none due to the nationwide lockdown starting on Thursday 5 November 2020. Previously wedding parties had been restricted to 15 guests, but it’s not clear what this number will be when the current lockdown is lifted.
How can couples involve friends and family members who aren’t able to attend their wedding due to the current restrictions?
We can stream ceremonies to friends and families – we have even had brides and grooms that have close family in other countries that have been able to watch live as the couple tie the knot at Tewkesbury Park!
Brides and grooms could also request that all originally-invited guests send a note to be opened and filmed on the day. These notes of love and best wishes from those that can no longer attend, can bring a real feeling of celebration and closeness.
How flexible can wedding venues be to accommodate changes in restrictions?
The wedding industry is all about flexibility right now! We want to ensures couples feel valued and supported through the wedding planning process more than ever. It’s so important for wedding planners to be dynamic and innovative with ideas when supporting their couples.
Are there any innovative ways venues can make the big day feel extra special, even with a small number of guests?
For wedding ceremonies, it’s essential to ensure that you have an aisle runner of some description, it allows the room to feel less clinical and draws sight away from the spread-out aisle and socially distanced seating. Foliage, flowers and lanterns work wonders to make socially distanced spaces feel more warm and inviting too!
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to couples planning their wedding at the moment?
As previously mentioned, make a decision – will you proceed or won’t you? Being indecisive can lead to a lot of unnecessary stress and upset. And if you decide to go ahead, make sure you are comfortable with having a small wedding – you can’t rely on wedding number guidelines changing.
Restrictions on being able to hold large weddings are unlikely to change in the near future and the couples that have succeeded in having a wonderful celebration with smaller numbers made the decision early on that they will proceed whatever the restrictions, if they are allowed to do so.
At Tewkesbury Park, we have been supportive in moving wedding dates, if couples decide that a small gathering won’t work for them. But we are doing absolutely everything we can to support couples hosting smaller weddings here too. Once couples have made this decision, it’s all systems go…
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