To postpone or not to postpone?… unfortunately, these are the type of questions a lot of engaged couples are asking themselves right now. After all the cake-tasting, the multiple bridal shop trips and trying on 20+ gowns, to venue hunting and floral exploring, we understand a lot goes into planning your perfect dream wedding. But we are here to tell you, it definitely is still all worth it!! All this research will serve you well, when the time is right for you to walk down the aisle and say ‘I do’ (whether that is in 8 months’ time or even a couple years down the track).
We speak with one of our beautiful d’Italia brides Hannah Hammond to get her insight on why her and her hubby James, chose to still get married even without having their glamorous planned wedding.
Tell us about your new wedding day and the planning process for it?
“So, we only decided what we were going to do the night before around 11pm. I’m a nurse so didn’t finish work until 10pm so it was a big rush that night and the next day to get everything ready for a 7pm ceremony. We decided to get married at our local beach (200m away) and it was actually where James proposed which was super lovely. That morning we had to go down to the beach and let our celebrant know the exact spot for legal reasons and then I jumped into the shower. My hair and makeup artist Michelle O’Connell was happy to fit me in whenever suited. So, I washed my hair and drove down to Frankston. Once I was driving down I called my dressmaker (from d’Italia) and explained my situation. The poor lady was also finishing another dress early for another bride doing the same thing so I think we nearly killed her. She managed to finish the dress by 3pm with only 4 hours’ notice. My mum and dad met me in Frankston with Champagne so we had some celebration bubbles whilst getting my hair and makeup done. Once my makeup and hair was done we drove to the other side of Melbourne to pick up my dress! My sister organized all the flowers (I didn’t even know what my bouquet was going to look like). I rung my friend who left work early to be our Photographer for the night and my sister let our immediate family know the plan. It was chilly down at the beach but the sun was shining throughout the ceremony. There’s no way we could have pulled off the ceremony we had if it wasn’t for our amazing suppliers/celebrant. Yes, we could have been married easily with no fuss. However, we have photos now that we will cherish forever and the ceremony looks like we had planned it for months”
WHY YOU SHOULD POSTPONE
During these difficult times, it’s great to have something exciting to look forward to. Marriage is a celebration of love and one that you had planned to share with your nearest and dearest. Your wedding day will be one of the most exciting and memorable experiences of your life, and one in which is rare, so cancelling would just be such a shame. Postponing your special day may be a sad and difficult choice at first, but it will be one that you won’t regret. Utilize this extra time to plan out your wedding without the added rush and stress. If you’re in self-isolation or working from home, then you can use that little extra time to hand-make some of your wedding decorations whether that be your new save the dates or cute table setting additions. This can be a super fun experience to do with your partner and we guarantee it will make you even more excited about your wedding than ever before!
What would be your advice to brides in a similar situation?
“Honestly, my advice would be to do whatever works for you! If a big celebration with your friends and family is important to you, postpone! However, if that’s not for you, just get married. At the end of the day it’s just about you and your partner. I wouldn’t recommend cancelling though, that would be such a shame!”
POSTPONE TO 2022
To all you couples getting married over the next 3-6 months, we understand it is a very difficult and uncertain time for you all. You will undoubtedly have to make a lot of tough decisions that may result in putting your well-planned wedding on hold for now. As the situation changes rapidly, it’s hard to know what you should do and when to change the date. We would strongly advise our brides to postpone their weddings until 2021. This will ensure that you not only have enough time to re-plan and finalize a few details, but it will also allow your vendors to get back on their feet again and ensure you have the best possible day! As bridal designers, we love being a part of such an exciting journey for our brides. Being able to see their faces light up when they are wearing their gorgeous custom-made gown on their wedding day, is such a joy for us. All your vendors and suppliers, working in the bridal industry want to see you say ‘I do’, just as much as you. Speak to your vendors to arrange a new date for your wedding. You will find that during these times, they will be more than willing to accommodate your needs and ensure you’re satisfied with the new arrangements.
Will you still have a big, glamorous wedding at some point?
“Yes, the plan is to hopefully renew our vows in a year! We obviously need to wait and see when our friends and family from the UK can travel though, so at this stage we don’t have a date”
GET MARRIED NOW…POSTPONE THE WEDDING FOR LATER
As many may know, recent restrictions for weddings were put in place which saw the closure of all venues and entertainment centres as of March 22nd. More recently, the Government announced that marriages could still proceed under the following conditions that no more than the following are present:
- Bride and groom
- Wedding Celebrant
- 2 witnesses (a photographer would count as 1 witness)
Whilst this may not sound like great news, it still gives couples the opportunity to say ‘I do’. Getting married during this difficult time could be a great way to solidify your commitment to each other without the fancy, glamorous ballroom and photoshoots. However, in saying that we would still highly recommend that you postpone your wedding date even if you do choose to get married or elope over the coming months. Yes, this may seem like an extremely backwards way of planning for a wedding but it definitely will make for a great story to one day tell your future children and grandkids, right? We believe that having a wedding or celebration in the near future, could be a beautiful way to bring all your loved ones together to celebrate the renewal of your vows.
Why did you choose to still get married without having a wedding? And, are you glad that you made that choice?
“100% so glad we had our ceremony! The major reason we had brought our ceremony forward is because of James’ parents. They had flown in prior to the quarantine from the UK and James’ father’s health isn’t great due to his cancer. If we got married on the 25th of March it meant we could have both sets of parents, so hence why it was so important to us!”
Was it difficult to get married without having all your family and friends by your side?
“We didn’t find it too difficult on the day as the most important people in our lives were there except a few. We had our grandparents and James’ siblings in the UK watch over Facetime, so it really did feel like everyone was present. We do feel a little like we missed out since we didn’t have a reception but the plan in the near future is to have a big party so I can show off my beautiful dress and celebrate with our close friends”
HOW TO INCLUDE YOUR GUESTS WHO CAN’T ATTEND YOUR WEDDING
Whilst we often complain about how quickly technology changes, thank goodness, we are now living in a digital-age where Face-timing and video chats have become our only source of human interaction. If you and your partner decide to get married, we have some great tips to bring your family and loved ones to you, no matter where they are in the world:
- Video call them during the ceremony so your loved ones can be by your side when you say ‘I do’ and hold hands for the very first time as husband and wife.
- Use a digital device or invest in a great videographer to record your beautiful ceremony. Once it’s all edited you can share with your loved ones and watch all together over a video-chat program (such as Zoom).
- Surprise your spouse with a pre-recorded message from their family or friends who couldn’t be by their side to witness such a special moment.
- Get your family and friends to write a beautiful message on a piece of paper and read it aloud during your ceremony. Make sure you record this special moment so you can remember it forever.
Who attended your marriage?
“At our ceremony, we had a celebrant (a family friend) and one of my closest friends to take photos (she’s a real estate photographer). We had both sets of parents, our best friends (a couple) and their 1 year old daughter. Then my siblings and their families. I have 4 siblings with 3 nephews and a niece. So, all up we had 21, including us”
**Hannah’s wedding took place just before the tighter restrictions were enforced.
The next coming months will be a very difficult time for everyone, but it’s important to remember that love and kindness can go a very long way. Adhere to the rules and postpone your wedding if possible. Everybody deserves to celebrate that special moment in their life. Speak to your suppliers and vendors as they will guide you with making the right decision for your wedding day. Before you know it, that day will arrive and we hope it’s just as special and magical as ever!
A massive thank you to Hannah and James Hammond for sharing their beautiful Wedding day story with us!
Contact our experience dressmakers at d’Italia for enquires. We specialise in custom made wedding dresses including couture wedding dresses, simple wedding dresses, princess wedding dresses, lace wedding dresses…, evening wear, smart casual outfit and more.
// CREDITS //
Photographer- Hannah’s friend
Gown- D’Italia Couture
Hair and Makeup- Michelle O’Connell
Celebrant- Dorothy O’Brien
Florist- Poppy Culture
Groom’s Suit- Black Tie Classic
