When Alastair and Rebecca first contacted us just before Christmas 2019 they were full of excitement and promise for what was going to be the most incredible day of their lives... their church wedding was booked for 6th June 2020. Then Covid19 hit and the world stood still.
Challenging times indeed for a couple who had been planning their imminent wedding, as during the very difficult lock-down period they were living apart and Rebecca was working on the Covid wards in Watford hospital. Only being able to see each other occasionally meeting in a park, with the uncertainty of whether they would even be able to get married with the government ban on all weddings.
Thankfully at the end of June, the government announced that from the 4th July they were lifting of the ban on ceremonies with up to 30 guests, so remarkably Alastair and Rebecca managed to plan their intimate church wedding within just a few days to take place on the first possible day, Saturday 4th July.
A handful of friends and family were able to attend the socially distanced ceremony at St Annes Church in Bagshot, with many more watching the live stream from their homes via Zoom. The newlyweds then enjoyed a cozy, but distanced picnic with their guests close by.
Although, we were unable to welcome them for their reception due to the restrictions, we were delighted to be able to open our gates to the lovely couple so that they could at the very least have some of their wedding day photos taken within the grounds.
With regular communications we knew how difficult the past months had been for them, and all our wedding couples, so we were glad to accommodate with a number of alternative dates on hold for them to host their Ceilidh reception. Sadly September also seemed increasingly unlikely, so we allowed them to postpone to next year, at no extra cost, when hopefully they will have all their guests celebrate with them as first planned.
These beautiful shots were captured by the wonderful Olly Knight Photography and the next day the couple were interviewed live on BBC News, where some of his beautiful photos of the couple at Minley Manor were shown!
We cannot wait to see Olly, and the lovely A & R on their return to Minley Manor for the big celebration in May 2021. We wish them all the happiness together in their new life as husband and wife.