Now that it’s crystal clear that hosting a wedding at this time is just not possible due to the spread of COVID-19, we’re sharing the experiences of real couples navigating the re-scheduling or cancellation process in an attempt to help others make informed decisions and to spread our support to all during this time.
Founder and creative director of design and production studio EMYP Studios Elise Mary Yasmin Pellican, postponed her August wedding in Norfolk, England. Here, she and her fiancé, Tom Edward Williams, are sharing how they made the final call and some of her detail-oriented wedding inspiration.
The original plan was to host their ceremony and reception at Norwich Cathedral and Sennowe Park on August 8th, 2020; however, by the end of February, news of COVID-19 had reached her and many of her clients.
“Whilst on-site for one of our luxe brand projects, our client mentioned that some of their other global projects were being postponed or cancelled… it was the first time I really wondered whether or not we should be worried about our wedding,” Elise says. “In the beginning, everyone said we should be fine, August would be fine, but I decided that I didn’t want a cloud of uncertainty of whether our wedding would or would not go ahead hanging over us for the next few months.”
It was also clear that Tom’s stag do and her “fluffy swan do” in Marrakech would have to be cancelled too. “I called my parents, my fiancé’s parents, my sisters, and my bridesmaids to tell them my decision, and then emailed the cathedral, our venue, and photographer all in an hour or so; it took me half a day to decide, in all honesty.”
The new ceremony and reception will take place a little more than a year from their original date, on August 14th, 2021, but they’ll host a small party on their original date. Nothing from the old plans will be changed—“we didn’t want to compromise, and that’s why we decided to push everything back a year,” Elise says. “We wanted to ensure it’s a time where all our friends and family are safe and well and will one hundred percent be ready for a party!”
All of their guests have been supportive of the decision and ensure Elise and Tom that next year will be a bigger party! “I also had a lot of friends and family in New York, who will now be able to come to the hen party next year, so that’s a wonderful giant plus!”
In addition to their wedding and pre-wedding parties being pushed back, their mini moon and honeymoon plans are also moving back a whole year. After the wedding, they’ll take some time to decompress at the boathouse at Sennowe Park and then go to Italy for a mini moon. Then, in February or March of 2022, they’re looking to travel through Cambodia and The Philippines for around a month.
As of now, Elise feels lucky to have another year as a fiancé and another year of designing and creating the details she loves. “In such an uncertain time, it was nice to feel like we had one certain decision, and as everyone has said, we have each other, and that is really what it’s all about.”
