Advice from Bride and Grooms who got married at Bristol wedding venue, Coombe Lodge, during the Covid pandemic.
"Love is all we need"
The last 11 months will undoubtedly go down as one of the most difficult times in recent history, and couples who had chosen 2020 for their wedding have certainly been hit hard by disappointments, frustrations and in many cases, very difficult decisions. But it hasn’t stopped many amazingly resilient and determined couples from showing that, despite all the obstacles, love will find a way.
To help you prepare for what you should do – and help if you do, sadly, have to change plans – we spoke with our amazing couples who continued to the tie the knot throughout the pandemic. They have offered their advice as to why they decided to go ahead, how it felt, the differences to expect and why their day was still so special.
Charlotte & Walid's Wedding Ceremony & Reception at Coombe Lodge in Somerset - 23rd August 2020
For us, our wedding day would have felt special with or without restrictions as the important thing for us, was to get married and have a married life.
Our wedding venue honestly made the day special despite the restrictions, by going above and beyond for us to make sure that it was like a 'normal wedding day'. They helped us to make plans for every eventuality and were understanding and happy for us to only make the firm plans once the government guidelines were confirmed.
What made you decide to go ahead with your day?
There was a combination of reasons we went ahead with our original date. The main one being the main people we wanted at the wedding were still able to make the trip.
We also kept an eye on the current situation constantly and could see that covid cases were thankfully on the decline. We had the option to postpone to early January but we both had a feeling that, with winter, cases would likely rise and put a further spanner in the works with stricter restrictions. I cannot fault Coombe Lodge for all they did in being flexible keeping the January date available if our gamble didn't pay off, and thankfully for us, it did!
Also, the attitude and approach Coombe Lodge had towards the wedding. Nothing was too much trouble and they were incredible with the constant changing of the restrictions, making it so easy for us to organise the wedding day we wanted without too much stress and hassle.
How did it feel to have a smaller wedding than you'd originally planned?
My husband and I are both people who don't enjoy the spotlight so a smaller wedding is what we ideally wanted originally. As we both have large extended families we opted for a bigger wedding when we started out planning so we could have all family to celebrate with.
The pandemic meant that some hard decisions had to be made and thankfully all family and friends who we had to uninvite were very understanding.
The wedding day that we had was still amazing, as Coombe Lodge made sure we got all the bells and whistles of a 'normal wedding day'. Nothing was too much trouble and they were ready to assist with last minute changes to government guidelines. There was no confirmation in the government guidelines we could have a wedding breakfast until the week before the wedding, but they still pulled off an amazing meal!
Was your wedding day very different to your original plans?
Honestly, other than having fewer people at the wedding and no DJ, there was barely any noticeable difference (although there are a few mask photos but that just adds to memories to tell people in the future!).
The venue have a sound system so we could play background music via a Spotify play list. We also put some cheap disco lights around the wedding venue and so a DJ wasn't really missed!
Your advice for couples who can't decide whether to postpone their wedding?
It's best to decide what is important to the couple. For us, we made the decision that getting married and starting married life and a family was the important thing and to celebrate with everyone who we couldn't have there, when it was safe to do so. It might not be the same for everyone. For some, it may be important to them to share their day with all their loved ones.
Our wedding felt just as special to us even though all our loved ones couldn't be there. We were still able to do everything that all my friends and family were able to do at their wedding pre-covid so we don't feel like we missed out on anything. But we do look forward to a time where we can celebrate with everyone.
Emma & Craig's Wedding Ceremony & Reception at Coombe Lodge in Bristol - 18th September 2020
How did you make your day special despite the ongoing restrictions?
We kept an open mind as we knew that things weren't going to be what we originally had planned. We adapted to the rules and we still went ahead with everything we wanted to do, just not in the traditional order of the day. We had the band play outside and our first dance was in the afternoon. It was definitely different to what we originally had in mind but it couldn't have been more perfect.
What made you decide to go ahead with your day?
Being completely honest, after years of planning we just really wanted to get married! Once we made the decision that we wanted to go ahead regardless, we had so much support from friends and family. Everyone at Coombe Lodge, our wedding venue in Bristol, were so supportive too and that really helped with our decision to go ahead with the day. They were so helpful with ideas on how the day could work and were really patient too with last minute changes of plans.
How did it feel to have a smaller wedding than you'd originally planned?
It was really beautiful and we loved every second. The whole day felt so intimate as we were able to spend quality time with the friends and family that were able to be there, something we probably wouldn't have been able to do if we had a much bigger wedding. Our wedding day had a really special and intimate feel and if anything it was more than we could ever have dreamed of.
Was your wedding day very different to your original plans?
In some ways yes, we had originally invited around 120 people to the day celebration (we never got to send out our evening invites due to plans being changed with Covid!) but we ended up having 30 people including ourselves. It was much smaller than we originally planned for but by no means less special! Apart from not being able to have all of our friends and family there, our wedding day was still everything that we originally wanted.
Your advice for couples who can't decide whether to postpone their wedding?
The best advice we could give would be to do what is right for the two of you and have absolutely no regrets. We followed our hearts by going ahead with the day and we can honestly say it was the happiest day of our lives. It was an emotional rollercoaster but so worth it in the end. Love wins!
Lucy & Alex's Wedding Ceremony & Reception at Coombe Lodge in Bristol - 23rd September 2020
How did you make your day special despite the ongoing restrictions?
We kept absolutely everything the same, we didn’t think “there’s less people now so we won’t bother with that”, we had planned the day for so long that we wanted it to be everything we had dreamt of...and it was soo much more than that!
What made you decide to go ahead with your day?
You really have to live for today, you don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring! After planning a wedding for so long why postpone it?! Also if you love a photographer or florist etc you need to keep them in business, they cannot afford to stay in business without the likes of you.
How did it feel to have a smaller wedding than you'd originally planned?
We were really sad at first, but when the day came it was perfect, and we had the most important people there to share it with us. Looking back now I'm glad it was a smaller wedding, we actually got to enjoy the day. The absolute best part of the day was the lull between the day and the evening; we all went to the library, chilled out, kicked of our shoes and had THE best time, the sound of laughter and all the chatting together was so lovely, I wish I could have bottled that moment!
Was your wedding day very different to your original plans?
Our day was no different to our original plans, just fewer people there. The day was perfect!
Your advice for couples who can't decide whether to postpone their wedding?
If you love each other, it shouldn't be about whether you can have 30 or 80 guests watching you get married. My advice would be, go for it and seize the moment! Tomorrow isn't promised and who knows whether we will end up in a worse situation with lockdowns and restrictions! The day will be what YOU make it!
Just one final point...
Our guests said our wedding was the best they had been to, the day was so relaxed, we all had so much fun together. Imagine your closest friends and family all at a party together together...well that's exactly what it was! Pure perfection!
A message from Bristol wedding venue, Coombe Lodge…
If we have learnt anything so far through this pandemic, it is how proud we are of all our couples with how they have faced what has been unimaginable time for us all. We truly are in awe of the determination and resilience shown!
A huge thank you goes to our Bride & Grooms that participated in this blog - your insight, advice and positivity has truly been amazing! Love really does conquer all!
Finally, thank you to every single one of you for your support and understanding - we cannot wait for the day we host your day here at our beautiful wedding venue in Somerset, Coombe Lodge.
We promise it will be worth the wait!
The advice keeps coming from our beautiful Sister Venue Rockbeare Manor - click here to get reading....enjoy x
Photography Shout outs
The team here at Coombe Lodge in Bristol absolutely love helping you in any way that we can. If you’re newly engaged and are looking for Bristol wedding venues or wedding locations in the Somerset countryside, please just get in touch by calling 01761 463355. And if you’ve already booked with us but are starting to feel stressed, then why not give us a call and share the load? We are here to help.
