Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Clare and Natalie were still able to plan the wedding of their dreams. Their special day was a romantic elopement at Berwick Lodge in Bristol, a year after their engagement:
“We always dreamed that our wedding day would be intimate and cosy… Covid gave us a great excuse to achieve that by eloping!”
While the couple eloped just a year after their engagement, they met for the first time many years before:
“Clare was actually the one to propose, even though we’d openly chatted about it. THe day started with a mystery trip out, during which we visited various places we’d lived together… With the final stop being outside the school gates where we’d first met!”
Clare and Natalie started their remote wedding planning journey by searching for a venue. Since they knew exactly what they were looking for, it wasn’t long before they found the perfect place to elope:
“We wanted a venue with plenty of character, beautiful gardens and scrummy food… A quick search on Google for “elopement weddings” during lockdown found us this gem of a place!
“The simplicity of eloping was so appealing to us and the elopement package at Berwick Lodge included everything we wanted, making it stress-free!”
Finding dresses to suit the natural, elegant style they were after didn’t mean breaking the bank either. Instead of going bespoke, Clare and Natalie hit the highstreet — and ended up looking absolutely fantastic!
“We always knew we weren’t going to go for traditional white wedding dresses so hitting the high street was perfect for us. As it turns out, we were spoilt for choice so we would definitely recommend doing the same to others!”
Holding beautiful bouquets of white flowers picked from Berwick Lodge‘s very own gardens, the newly married couple walked out with beaming smiles.
Clare and Natalie were thrilled with Berwick Lodge, which “provided such a beautiful backdrop for [their] photographs.” They gave special thanks to their hair and makeup artist, Maria Lucas MUA, and their photographer, Christy Blanch Photography: “We absolutely love the photos by Christy! We’re so pleased with them – they’re amazing!”
So what advice do Clare and Natalie have for couples planning a wedding during a pandemic?
“Remind yourselves that it’s all about just the two of you. We found it easiest to focus solely on us and to choose the things that were important to us. Local suppliers were great as it was easy and quicker to make decisions.”
There’s one more thing Clare and Natalie would recommend to any couples in the South West (pandemic or no pandemic!):
“One big tip – choose an elopement package at Berwick Lodge!”
Clare and Natalie’s Suppliers
- Venue: Berwick Lodge
- Photographer: Christy Blanch Photography
- Dress: The Highstreet (!)
- Hair and Makeup: Maria Lucas MUA
Gerard and Rhona had a Scottish fairytale wedding at the Ingliston Country Club in Renfrewshire. Rhona arrived in a beautiful white horse and carriage and was met by Gerard and his groomsmen in grey kilts. After photos in the rolling countryside and at the venues stables, the couple and their guests partied late into the night.
