Wedding Postponement: 10 ways to mark what would have been your wedding day
Postponing your wedding is never fun, especially not when the circumstances are out of your control and that makes the original date emotionally charged when it comes around. I've teamed up with awesome Humanist celebrant Nat Raybould to unpack the different ways you can mark your day or make it feel special. Remember though, these are just ideas – it needs to feel right for you, and you will know what those moments are.
MAKE THE DIGITAL TANGIBLE
Send an invitation to your guests to let them know that you're still celebrating on your original date, just in a different way.
SAVE: send a digital invitation – Paperless Post has some wonderful free templates you can use. And if you're one of my couples, I will put together a free digital invitation you can send to all your guests!
SPLURGE: why not send out a real invitation so your guests also get some pretty post?
GET DRESSED UP
While you probably want to keep your wedding outfit for the actual big day, why not put on something that you feel at your best in – be it THAT dress, or treat yourself to something new in a spot of online shopping.
Nat and I are both skincare addicts, and highly recommend a little pamper session before you get dressed up – light a gorgeous scented candle and indulge in his & hers face masks.
It's also the perfect time to have a mini-Zoom session with your immediate wedding party; the groomsmen and your bridal party. Once you feel your best, you have your best memories.
SAVE: raid your wardrobe, wear that dress or suit that makes you feel amazing. Wear your most favourite old band t-shirt if it makes you feel great.
SPLURGE: lots of great brands have sales on at the moment – Whistles is offering 30% off new lines, and Ghost have 50% off selected styles. You could even wear your splurge dress for the rehearsal!
SEND: that little pamper treat – face mask or scented candle
BLOOMIN' LOVELY
We love nothing more than a house full of flowers, and some of our favourite florists are doing home deliveries at the moment – why not order a version of your wedding bouquet for a mini-ceremony and then use it again as a table centrepiece for a romantic dinner?
If you really love them, get an illustrator to draw your bouquet for you - we have big love for Charlotte Argyrou's ethereal and elegant illustrations. You could even use the drawing in your stationery for your new wedding day!
SAVE: if you have a garden, why not pick a pretty posy; you could even incorporate some of these flowers into your bouquet when your wedding comes around. One of my brides has foraged some beautiful blue weeds to bring some pops of colour into her home. After all, what is a weed if not just a flower in the wrong place?
SPLURGE: support a local/your florist and have something super-special delivered to your door. We're London-based and adore both My Lady Garden & Blume Studio's work, though do check with your favourite florists in other areas. You could then dry the flowers and use them as part of your confetti!
SEND: if you're a bridesmaid, you could send a picture of flowers from all the bridal party – Charlotte Argyrou can work from both photographs and descriptive briefs
HAVE A MINI-CEREMONY
You don’t need a wedding certificate as proof of your love, so why not have a small ceremony to mark the occasion. You could even write some special commitment vows to each other or enlist a celebrant to deliver something tailored just for you. Invite your friends and family, get your photographer to connect over FaceTime and take some memento photos, and maybe get a couple of friends or family members to deliver a short speech?
SAVE: Why not write your own vows to each other? After all, it's the exchange of these promises that your wedding day is all about.
SPLURGE: The vows you make to each other are some of the most important promises you will ever make so why not have them immortalised in beautiful lettering: Written By Emily will write your vows out in elegant calligraphy.
We also LOVE humanist ceremonies (there's a blog post on why coming soon) and this is the perfect time to find out why everyone in the wedding industry loves them so much - check out Nat Raybould's site to find out more about them.
Or why not get a photographer or videographer involved – they can create something that is the beating heart of what you decide to do and a wonderful memento. Ask your wedding photographer if they'd be up for taking some Zoom or FaceTime portraits, or go one step further: By Vicki will take that perfect confetti shot!
SEND: a reading, a story or a special memory to the couple. Nat recently conducted a Zoom ceremony and the Bride's mum written poem for the couple which they hadn't heard before and will be read again on their new date – there's a vulnerability and beauty with words coming from someone who knows you so well.
FEEL THE LOVE
Nominate one of your wedding party to collate a virtual guestbook for you and have them read out some of the messages to you via a group chat, or maybe set up mini-chats so you have lots of people who want to get involved you can chat in the same way as if you were going around the tables. 15 mins per “table”, max! That way no one gets overwhelmed.
SPLURGE: We love Big Red Box Co. for audio guestbooks (and having their amazing booth at your actual wedding will capture so many wonderful memories!)
SEND: Patchwork It are brilliant for gift lists, and you can choose to gift time and experiences rather than necessarily spending money. Send a reading or paragraph or a beautiful card from Ink & Paper – feel the love
SHARE A TOAST
Get in a bottle of your favourite champagne and take some time to toast each other. If you're holding a Zoom celebration, why not ask all your guests to join you for a virtual toast too?
SAVE: Have a look at what ingredients you have in and make yourself a cocktail - share the recipe with your guests and you can all toast together.
SPLURGE: How about a bottle of your favourite champagne or a beautiful brandy. Maybe even get it engraved with your names and original date and keep it as a memento - Uliana Popa does fabulous work.
SEND: Feeling generous? You could send all your guests a little tipple: NIO Cocktails do delightful letterbox cocktails. If you'd like to buy the would-be couple a drink, you can do that too! Or you could send a cocktail recipe in the post – what better than a letterpressed Tequila Sunrise!
FEAST YOUR HEART OUT
Food feeds the soul, and no more so than on what should have been your wedding day. Take the time to enjoy a candlelit evening meal, just the two of you.
Nat and I don't have a massive sweet tooth, but give us a plate of cheese and we're in our element. I love The Cheese Shed for gorgeous and unusual cheeses. You might, however, want to go down a less savoury route and order some cake as a sweet treat.
SAVE: raid your cookbooks for some delicious recipes, or create your own grazing platter - Grape & Fig are doing "build your own" tutorials over on their Instagram account so you can have a feast at Sainsbury's prices
SPLURGE: Get yer caterers in – If you're in the London areas, Sainlo Events are offering Dinner Delivered. Or open up Deliveroo and order something special from one of your favourites.
SEND: Why not send the happy couple a sweet treat? Tiny Sarah's Cakes will deliver vegan goodies to your door, and for non-vegans, Green Fox Bakery and Bronya at DCC will deliver their incredible brookies and brownies straight through the letterbox.
IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE...
I don’t know about you, but after the ceremony itself my favourite part of the day is getting my dancing shoes on. We’re not suggesting you go full on 24 Hour Party People here (your neighbours probably won’t thank you!) but why not create yourself a playlist of all your favourite songs – and maybe some that wouldn’t otherwise have made the cut on your wedding day? Hold each other tight and have that first dance, or make an event of it with a Zoom silent disco?
SAVE: Make a Spotify playlist or raid your favourite records
SPLURGE: Check in with local musicians - there are some who will come and serenade you from a safe distance or will record something just for you. /make a personal video. Gabriella Swallow will create you a tune for any occasion
SEND: Make a collaborative playlist on Spotify and have all your guests add in their favourite songs.
SLINK OFF TO BED
If you haven’t already, shut down Zoom and take a little bedroom time just the two of you. Start the day with clean sheets for that fresh hotel feeling and make sure you’re wearing your most favourite underwear. Have some more bubbles (or a bubble bath) and then slip between the sheets…
SAVE: the most important people are you – you don’t need to to spend a penny!
SPLURGE: buy some lovely underwear or treat yourself to some wedding night sheets
THE MORNING AFTER
Take an aspirin or two if you need it, make a lovely brunch, and maybe send some thank you notes to everyone involved. Most importantly, appreciate all the love you have or each other – love isn’t cancelled, marriages aren’t cancelled. For now, we're just treading water, but it’s your love that matters.
Nat and I have also been working together to create some beautiful letterpress prints of the Hold That Thought; Hold My Hand illustration accompanied our Instagram Live (and it seems a lot of you loved too!).
If you would like an original piece of artwork to mark your original date or to send to friends and family, you can choose from an A5 signed and numbered print in lilac, on a gorgeous creamy archival quality watercolour cardstock for £15, or an A6 card in neon coral on textured recycled card for £3.50.
70% of profits go to Bankuet, who do incredible work in ensuring food banks across the country get food they actually need.
You can purchase these over in the Ink & Paper shop.