Covid Safe Micro Wedding At Romsey Abbey

People who work in the wedding industry whole-heartedly love what they do. Wedding photography provides an income for us, but that's not why we do it - it's our passion for meeting lovely people and capturing their joy and happiness that drives us! People really do make the day. So when Covid-19 hit, and 90% of our work for 2020 got postponed in a flash, it was a real blow. We missed weddings SO much, and it got the a point where we'd watched everything even vaguely wedding-related on Netflix!

Happily, this summer we have finally been able to shoot some very intimate weddings - Ellie & Ollie invited us to capture their small legal ceremony in Bath (which was featured on Bridal Editor) and a month later we even had a wedding with a reception! Sophie & Jordan's wedding at Farbridge Barn was a huge amount of fun, and despite the smaller guest numbers the atmosphere was wonderful. We also had a short notice booking for a small wedding at the Four Seasons in Hampshire - Lara & Matt decided to have a beautiful outdoor ceremony and meal in the walled garden, and even entertained their 7 guests with falconry in the afternoon! Some will be having their 'big weddings' later, others just reduced the scale of their plans and went ahead as intended, but all agreed that they would encourage anyone who was on the fence to go ahead with a micro wedding because they enjoyed themselves so much!

The wedding we want to share with you today is that of Lucy & Dan at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire. A few short days before their wedding the new social distancing measures were announced, and the permitted number of wedding guests dropped from 30 to 15. We were so impressed by the grace and flexibility with which Lucy and Dan altered their plans, and were thrilled that they confirmed they were proceeding. Initially there had been uncertainty as to whether or not we as vendors would be counted in the 15, and we were all on the phone trying to think of creative ways for us both to shoot (taking it in turns etc), but in the end thankfully it was made clear that wedding suppliers didn't count towards the numbers!

Everyone was careful to adhere to social distancing guidelines, especially in light of the fact that four of their guests had been shielding. They live-streamed the ceremony to their wider family and friends who were unable to attend in person, which meant that everyone was able to witness their wedding vows. Without a shadow of the doubt, the circumstances surrounding this year did not even slightly dampen their spirits - it was truly a stunning day, and joy and love prevailed! Romsey Abbey provided a grand setting for the wedding ceremony, and with Lucy's elegant gown, the cathedral length veil, and Dan's traditional morning suit, we felt like we were photographing a royal wedding! After the ceremony, an intimate afternoon tea at the nearby King John's Housefollowed. Scones and sandwiches and treats were delivered to to each little table in a hamper, and people laughed, ate and drank the afternoon away. After some really great speeches we slipped away (there was no dancing of course), but the day was left on such a high!

Yes, we have lost most of our work for this year, and yes, our hearts are absolutely breaking for our couples who are making difficult decisions to postpone or change their plans, but the intimate weddings we have been a part of this summer have been the saving grace. They have filled our hearts with joy and admiration, kept us sane, and reminded us exactly what it is that makes weddings so special in the first place. From the bottom of our hearts we would like to thank all the couples who have decided to go ahead this year, despite the pandemic, and provided so much positivity for us in an otherwise difficult year.

Imagine future generations looking at these photographs, seeing their grandparents getting married by a vicar wearing a visor - we are living through history! These pictures tell the story of love triumphing over adversity, and that is a beautiful thing.