For many people, 2020 has been a year put on hold. Holiday plans, work experiences, and general celebrations are sitting on the back burner waiting for the all-clear to start enjoying life again. We all know that eventually, we’ll get to enjoy the things we once did. But for some, restrictions have changed the way we celebrate the biggest day of our lives – our wedding day. Google searches between 2019 and 2020 show that searches for ‘cancelled wedding’ increased by 475 per cent. Searches peaked in the week leading up to the UK’s first national lockdown while maintaining a high level of searches throughout the summer.
While regulations on the number of guests that can celebrate your wedding vary across the UK, the restrictions mean that many people won’t be able to celebrate the way they had always dreamed. But this doesn’t mean that the pandemic can get in the way of your happiness. If you’re celebrating your wedding, after the ceremony, there are still a few ways that you can make the most of your wedding night at home. After all, a little time to ourselves is never a bad thing, and it may help you get to the good stuff a lot sooner.
Takeaway wedding dinner
After a long walk down the aisle, the wedding meal may be the highlight of the day for some happy couples. But with the usual wedding venue party all but banned due to safety restrictions, it’s unlikely that you’ll be getting your hands onto any duck parfait or seasonal salads any time soon.
But stuck at home, the last thing we expect anyone to do on their wedding night is to whip up a hearty meal. It may not be a stately-home dinner, but takeaway can certainly fill a hole that’s missing from your day.
Fortunately, due to service restrictions at restaurants, the variety of high-quality takeaway food has never been greater. It is likely that even the best restaurants in your area now offer a takeaway service, meaning that you can experience gourmet cuisine from the comfort of your own living room.
Even then, if you would prefer a pizza, who’s there to judge you? If anything, it represents the beginning of many happy meals together.
Fresh wedding bedding
Your wedding night is supposed to represent all things luxury before you envelop on a prosperous future together. But your own bedroom may disappoint you when you come to finally hit the hay (or whatever else you want to do in bed) after a long and enjoyable wedding day. However, the unique hotel experience can be replicated just as well within your own four walls.
Add a bit of luxury to your wedding bedspread with new sheets, lay out some rose petals, and light a few candles. Set the mood that you would expect. A brand-new memory foam spring mattress can also be a refreshing start for the first of many happy nights. After all, with the pressure of post-wedding life, you’ll favour the idea of a good night’s sleep.
After a long wedding day, we’d be surprised if you want to do anything but sleep when you create such a luxurious bedding scene. But there’s no shame should you stay up for an extra five minutes to show each other appreciation for the day you’ve just shared.
Video call party
Weddings should be celebrated with your friends and family. After all, it’s not just a union of two people, but many groups coming together. Limitations on who can attend your wedding, and what you can do for an after-party mean that some people may miss out on your big day — sorry, Great Aunt Amy. But there are still ways for them to feel included if you’re playing from home.
We’ve all become accustomed to the Zoom quiz over continuing lockdowns, and there’s no reason not to use this tool on your wedding night. In fact, Google searches for a ‘Zoom wedding’ have exploded. Search volume increased by 1,110 per cent between 2019 and 2020, proving how the video calling platform has become such a large influence in our lives over the past year. A large video call with all your family and friends is a great way to make everyone feel included on your big day. You can even make it wedding-themed. Quizzes about the happy couple, games of ‘Mister and Missus’, and charades acting out scenes from the couples’ life can be a suitable replacement for the dance floor.
This also allows the family to share their traditional speeches. And if the best man brings up any compromising stories about the groom’s past endeavours, you can always put him on mute.
It may not be the exact wedding you wanted, but that won’t stop you making a wedding that you’ll remember. Weddings represent the first day before the rest of your life. Start it as you intend to go on – at home, happy, and relaxed. When restrictions ease, you can always have a party to celebrate your wedding after.
