I designed Amy & Rhys’ handmade wedding invitations in November 2019 for their planned April 2020 ceremony & reception. Little did we know then that I would be creating micro wedding stationery for them less than a year later. When a national lockdown came into force in late March, Amy and Rhys had to change their plans and postpone their wedding.
Amy & Rhys’ wedding postponement story
In early September 2020 Amy & Rhys decided to go ahead and get married, planning a last minute micro wedding celebration. With just 28 guests instead of their originally planned 40, Amy & Rhys’ day would look slightly different. They asked me to create a suite of coordinating micro wedding stationery for their socially distanced wedding reception.
After the wedding, I asked Amy about how they handled the postponement and what made them decide to downsize and reschedule for a last minute September micro wedding. We thought it would be nice to share her thoughts here, just as a little inspiration to any other couples who may be in a similar situation.
You had to cancel your original date with only about a month to go, obviously very upsetting and stressful. How did you get through it, what help did you have from family, friends or suppliers?
It all happened so quickly, family and friends were all there to help. I made a list with my mum of all the suppliers I needed to contact. Some, like yourself, had already contacted me to reassure me that whatever we had ordered could be moved to another date at no extra cost. My mum took on most of the phoning around as it was really hard to do the day after we found out it was all going to be cancelled.
Any advice for other couples who may still need to postpone?
Our advice to other couples would be to stay organised, don’t let things go to pot because of your emotions. It’s so sad and disappointing but staying organised will mean that when you do rebook everything is right where you left off and it’s not so daunting then.
Keep up with government advice and don’t make assumptions. If you are going to rebook make sure you’re prepared to have to change things. We were very lucky that our day wasn’t so different but it might not be the same for everyone.
What made you decide to book the last minute date in September, and how hectic was it trying to plan in the short space of time?
Sadly Rhys’s nan passed away with Covid in April. We are close to our other grandparents and we really wanted to do it sooner rather than later. We know how much it meant to them to see us get married. Having been together for 10 years, they have waited patiently for us.
Our notice with the registry office ran out on the 27th September. When St Fagan’s said they had the 26th we just thought we would go for it. I’m not going to lie and say it wasn’t stressful but I can honestly say it was worth it. Everyone helped, we couldn’t have done it without them. It helped that a lot of things were already sorted due to us being so close to our original date in April.
Your original guest numbers were around 40 – how hard was it to reduce that down to the 28?
It was really difficult. When we decided to rebook we did that knowing we would have to make compromises with the guestlist. The guests we couldn’t invite to the second date were so understanding. They allowed us to do what was right for us. We are so grateful for that. They know that they would have been there if we could have had them. They have all loved looking through the photos we’ve had so far.
Obviously your day was quite different to what you had originally planned. What did you have to adapt (other than guest numbers) to make it all work with the restrictions in place?
It didn’t feel like we had to change that much to be completely honest. I think it’s because we were only having a small wedding anyway. We still got married at St Fagan’s Castle, on a Saturday, at the same time. For our reception, the food was the same apart from the dessert. We decided to serve our wedding cake instead and everyone loved it!
The hardest part was doing the seating plans. Organising who was in extended households and ensuring the 2 meters was between everyone. It was a lot of going back and forth but we got it just right in the end. Guests did have to wear masks for the ceremony. That bit went so fast though, it didn’t take anything away from the day.
We also had to pre order everyone’s drinks. That took some time working out but it was the safest way to do things for the staff. It was hard and time consuming but every ounce of effort was worth it. We had such a lovely day with everyone that could make it. It really did feel like a normal wedding.
You couldn’t have the evening reception and extra guests that you had originally planned. Are you hoping to do this at a later date, what are your plans?
We had a mini garden party with a gazebo in the evening. We were thinking about a party sometime next year. Now we are hoping to put that money towards an extra special honeymoon. Maybe a trip to Las Vegas, when things are a little more normal.
Elegant micro wedding stationery for the intimate reception
So, even though Amy and Rhys didn’t have exactly the day they originally planned, I still had the pleasure of creating all their micro wedding stationery. The seating plan, table numbers and place cards were an integral part of keeping family groups together. They helped social distancing and keeping social bubbles separate.
To read all about the elegant white suite of wedding stationery I designed for Amy and Rhys, head over to my blog post HERE.
Amy & Rhys’ micro wedding stationery was based on my Glitterati collection. For more glittery micro wedding stationery inspiration, go see the collection.
Go to my Glitterati collection.
If you’d like to find out more about how I could create micro wedding stationery for your (slightly smaller) big day, drop me a line.
Venue: St Fagans Castle
Photographer: Shelley Daniel
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