Weddings: for marriage or celebration?

This very strange year has given all of us time to reflect on what’s most important to us, and for those planning their special day it’s provided time to reassess the message behind their wedding. Marble’s Senior Event Producer Zanna Gibson asks – is your wedding for you, or for your guests?

It’s hard to plan for a wedding when the underlying theme of it is uncertainty, but why are some couples opting for a small ceremony now with either a large celebration at a later date or none at all, compared to others who are postponing the marriage and the party all together?

It’s a big toss up, ‘should I modify or postpone?’. Let’s look at both sides of the argument. Yes, your wedding is the gateway to marriage, so why would you want to delay that chapter of life in any way? It may feel a little shallow to put it off so you can have the full bells and whistles ‘wedding experience’. However, a wedding is a monumental life event. A tradition and exercise that transverses seas, religions and cultures. If the most important factor is to be surrounded by your friends and family, cheering you into this institution and marking this moment with grandeur and celebration, then postponing is the way to go. If being married is your meal ticket then eloping to the Town Hall is no cop out. Who says Covid needs to stop your life in its tracks.

There is no wrong or right answer here, particularly if you’ve already had a long engagement. There are pros and cons to every argument and much like a wedding dress – no size fits all. In some ways I think Coronavirus will change the face and expectations of weddings moving forward. Weekday ceremonies with receptions and parties on the weekend may become more common.

A small thought to leave you with. I’ve read recently during the Covid turmoil that after the Spanish flu (the 1918 flu pandemic that killed over 50 million) came the Roaring Twenties – the era of affluent and wild ‘Gatsby’ style celebrations. So who knows – it may be worth holding off a little longer and yours might be the wedding of the century.

Photo by Marble Private Weddings, Words by Zanna Gibson