Debbie & Dave

Here is the story of Debbie & Dave’s Covid wedding journey, as told in her own words.

“Dave asked me to marry him in February 2019 and of course I said yes  why wouldn’t I ? He is very easy on the eye.

We come up with a plan to get married in Ibiza.  Dave has been Holidaying there for years and our first holiday together 2018 was at his parents Bungalow out there. We go and he show’s me the Church in St Augustine up in the Mountains (see picture below) but it is a Catholic church so we need to seek permission. We make some calls while we are there, and discover that the church will allow us to have a blessing. The date we hoped for was September 2020 so we kept our fingers crossed the Anglican Church will have a minster by then.

Time to go home - so now I must go dress shopping. I take Kym my daughter with me we try a few different place and different styles of dresses, what I think I want looks awful on me. Why do the Wedding Companies only supply size 8-12 dresses, it gets very frustrating trying things on that a to small we cant really judge what it will look like on the day. I also need something a little different because Dave is partially sighted and I would like him to able to see me in the dress.

Fed up one Saturday, I end up at Boo Bridal (thank God ) with the wonderful Emma and Co, I have no appointment booked, but they let me in. I tell them of my tales of woe - Emma is very understanding, and we make an appointment for myself and Kym to come back in August 2019.

We pick out a few dresses, but I didn’t feel confident in my own skin and didn’t want to look in the mirror. There were 3 dresses on my wish list, so we went to have some lunch & a think and come back, so that’s what we did!

Then we went back and chose the DRESS Mark Lesley Carly  eeeeekk deposit paid! The date for Emma to have everything ready is September 2020 so we have plenty of time …………and I can do the paperwork part, sat in my jeans happy days. So far, so good……

But then I have to call Emma to see if they can get the dress by Christmas Eve 2019, Dave’s mum has been diagnosed with Cancer so we will just to a small wedding over here in the UK. Emma rushes the dress through, but Dave’s mum can’t face us getting married that quick. That put’s an end to those plans and our wedding is no longer on 24th December 2019.

We can’t get hold of anyone in Ibiza and I’m now losing the plot, I can’t help but feel like Carole has made things very difficult, so I tell Emma to sell the Dress! It’s all paid for if someone wants it I will take what ever they want to pay for it. Emma, again is very understanding and says “don’t be too hasty it will happen”.

Christmas comes and goes Dave is now frustrated by the no communication from Ibiza so one Sunday in January we get up and go look at venues in the UK 

NorthBrook Park …

The Elevetham…

Farnham Castle…. 

Then we come across a Wedding Fair at Tylney Hall, I think we both knew as soon as we drove up the drive, that this is the place! Such a buzz we, couldn’t stop smiling it just felt so right, it definitely has the WOW factor! 

We meet all three wedding planners Sue, Debbie, and Garry all really nice people very helpful. Sue ask’s what date are we looking for, OMG Dave says 27th March 2020 if available 15.30pm would be good. Can you believe it, we can have that date yippeeeee we are getting Married again! We pay the deposit, then start finding suppliers. Tlyney offer the whole package, we just go for food and drink. We get in touch with Ether Events for flowers, table decorations, room flowers, chair covers etc, Black Tie for Dave and the Boys Suits, Laura King Photographer. Call Emma at Boo to get dress altered, I have lost weight so fingers crossed. All going well invites done with menu choice everyone has got back to us all are coming, 40 people in total.

Then it happens … we can only have 6 guests on the 27th March.  I was heartbroken. Boris takes the decision out of our hands it’s all postponed. We can’t believe it. 

If you have postponed your own wedding, I know exactly how you all feel. We woke up on our Wedding day and the weather was beautiful. People are trying to be nice, you get the calls and text’s but it doesn’t make you feel any better. So we just plod along through registrar calls, what date would we like now? We call Tlyney they have a few dates so we go for the 10th October 2020. The registrar is ok with that, so we let all our suppliers know the new date. Now Ether Events have 4 other weddings to do that day but they will do our Wedding too phew , Nina Cakes very understanding she is all good, Black Tie all good, so is Laura photographer,  the only people who can’t move to that date is Hair and Makeup. So find a new one Lolo and co - Lisa is brilliant!!!

We have a slight problem on our hands though, the numbers for guests is 30 gulp. We have to lose people and this is going to be so difficult, but we managed it. Luckily there are people who can’t make that date, and those we had to cut from the list were very understanding. We had to go through the menu again, and through the flowers etc with Lucie and Katie Ether Events as we are in a different season Spring to Autumn.

Then there is another announcement and we are now down to 15 guests! I have had enough I tell Dave I can’t do this anymore, I can’t battle with his mum over numbers again , just call the whole thing off! Don’t postpone - just cancel. Upset doesn’t even cover all of the emotions I was feeling.

Dave, however, is hearing non of it. He says “no we are doing this, with 15”. He is as feed up as me, it’s our day people will have to lump it.

We can now go back in to the original ceremony room, but we do have to have two people outside because that would take us to 17 people including the two registrar, Keith and Amy are ok with this. So all week we are just waiting for the next announcement to come, but it doesn’t happen.

Friday 9th October we have a date night, two drinks that’s it, home bed then it’s all going to happen tomorrow and it did .

Lisa Hair and makeup got to Tlyney before me and Kym and the day just run away with us all! 

O and we got told we had to take the vows very seriously and they had to be word perfect, guess what the registrar got Dave’s name wrong that made everyone laugh.

I think what I’m trying to say is, if this girl can do it, so can you!

No our day wasn’t ever going to be big but even with just 15 guests, and finishing at 10pm AND no music, everyone loved it including myself and Dave. Everyone had a chance to talk to one another and at the end of the day, we get married to show a sign of a life commitment to each other and show our love for each other  not for the big party . That comes later! 

Stick with it, it will happen all the suppliers do understand when and you call them in tears they feel your pain and they listen.

Good luck 

Dave and Debs”