Chloe and Ryan’s chilled out wedding

Chloe and Ryan
5th November 2020 | Belfast City Hall

You know we’re big fans of micro weddings over here so when Chloe got in touch offering to share her beautiful small wedding we jumped at the chance. Chloe is a fellow blogger and we’ve been a big fan of her site for a while! We love Chloe and Ryan’s fuss free approach to wedding planning and how they used the COVID-19 restrictions to their advantage. Chloe and Ryan both took the opportunity to reconnect and fall in love all over again during the pandemic, and that is a love story truly worth sharing! Unfortunately the SD card failed on their wedding photos but that didn’t stop the couple making new memories and taking some Halloween inspired photos together on their first wedding anniversary. Here’s Chloe to tell us all about their special day.

Getting married during 2020 was possibly the best decision my husband and I ever made

My husband, Ryan , and I had been together for quite some time prior to the decision to actually get married. I say ‘actually’ because we were previously engaged to be married in 2014, but never got any further than the initial engagement.

Marriage had never been a dream of mine, and so I had nothing prepared. What did I want? What would he want? How would I even begin to go about organising this event that had to appease a variety of people? It all seemed much too daunting and, honestly, too many people wanted their say. So after two years of engagement, we decided to call it off and remain as partners.

I never imagined marriage in my future after that. I assumed that we would live happily as partners, rather than the traditional ‘married couple.’ But then COVID-19 occurred.

Getting married during the COVID-19 pandemic

Not only was 2020 the year that both he and I became closer than ever, but we fell in love all over again. No longer were we rushed from A to B, no longer was my own mental health an overbearing shadow, and no longer was there a pressing need to be ‘social’ when I am entirely the opposite. The pressure was well and truly lifted.

Once we discovered the strict attendance rules surrounding marriage ceremonies, we jumped at the chance. In fact, it was a tweet by Jenny, a friend and fellow writer, that first alerted us to micro-weddings. We began looking, just as fun. But later that same day sent off an email that would later come to change our lives forever. Our chosen venue allowed only twenty-five people at a wedding, but we didn’t even need twelve!

Once we confirmed our date in late September, the rest appeared to fall into place. I called up the registrar with a specific date in mind, already prepared for disappointment. But I was surprised to be told that my date was the only one available between then and Christmas 2020. I wanted to be married on 5th November, the same date as my late grandparents but sixty or so years apart. Fate was on my side. We snatched it up right away, rushed to have our papers posted and got to planning.

My friend and colleague, Jude Rankin, would be my photographer. As we were working on a book together archiving her talents as a photographer and mine as an illustrator, it was the perfect match.

My dress was purchased from ASOS for a small fee of £30 and altered by my mother in law.  The shoes were borrowed, the flowers were local and the jewellery belonged to and was worn by my late grandmother on her wedding day. Ryan’s suit was by far the most expensive purchase and even that was hassle-free.

I had my sister as my bridesmaid and I allowed her to take the reigns for her own outfit. I gave no indication of colours or style and, surprisingly, her dress, flowers and my hair all matched in colour.

Wedding party during COVID

You’ll be glad to know that unlike the Tory party, we didn’t breach the lockdown rules at the time. Our after-party was a small gathering held within our own home. There was enough room for social distancing, and each family bubble had their own specific cutlery etc to prevent cross-contamination. We also ensured that each bathroom was supplied with disposable towels, hand sanitiser and moisturiser, as well as wet wipes. Food was supplied by our local butcher and bakery and was delivered by my in-laws prior to the ceremony.

Although it was difficult to cover all bases, everyone adhered to the rules of social distancing and handwashing, resulting in a COVID free event.

For anyone else considering a chilled out, COVID-19 wedding, I couldn’t recommend it enough. Even though COVID rules may now be a horrible memory, I personally think micro-weddings should be here to stay! While some may want the big event, the beautiful dress and wedding party, others may not. And I think Lauren would agree with me saying that even small, intimate weddings can be an event never to be forgotten!

What a beautiful story of finding each other again and doing exactly what makes you happy on your wedding day! We know a lot of couples feel pressured by other peoples opinions on their special day so we hope this shows you that you can do exactly what you want. Sometimes we can all get a little consumed with the wedding planning process and it’s important to remember to take a step back. We don’t all have to have colour schemes, bridesmaid dresses and table plans in mind to plan a wedding that perfectly reflects us – the couple actually getting married. We love that Chloe and Ryan used their failed SD card as an opportunity to make even more wedding memories on their anniversary and how fun are the pumpkin photos? We hope you enjoyed reading all about their wedding!

If you would like your small budget wedding featured on the blog then drop me an email at hello@thethriftybride.co.uk