With so many couples deciding quite understandably to rearrange their weddings for hopefully a much better and safer year next year, this year has by and large been a right off for the wedding industry. There have been however, a few couples determined to stick with their original wedding date, and enjoy a wedding under the Government’s very strict Covid guidelines.
Since March, I have had the pleasure of photographing three wonderful couples who were more than happy to go ahead as originally planned, and enjoy a smaller, more intimate wedding. Since the Govt guidelines state a maximum of 15 people in attendance including the couple themselves, such weddings have become known as Micro Weddings!
If Micro Weddings are set to become the norm, then all I can tell you is how beautiful and engaging they can be. The ceremony itself becomes that bit more personal as you are witnessing the coming together of two people in front of their closest family and friends, and from my perspective as a photographer, the limited quantity of guests allows a unique opportunity to engage with everyone, and consequently document a very relaxed, yet intimate and important social occasion.
With the advent of Zoom and other fantastic technologies, those who have been unable to be there in person, can atleast view the ceremony remotely and participate still. And a well timed Zoom meeting later at the reception is a beautiful way for the couple to connect and share their happy day with friends and family. A high quality video, recorded on the day and edited by a professional videographer is another way for would be guests to engage with and enjoy highlights from the day.
As masks are to be worn indoors by everyone – the couple themselves, guests, venue staff and suppliers, and strict social distancing measures are to be adhered to, there are certain differences to how your photos will look. I wear glasses, and as anyone who wears glasses will tell you, wearing a face mask often has the undesired effect of the lenses steaming up! Trying to then frame a photo through a thick fog, as you look through a camera viewfinder is not an inconsiderable challenge! Experience however, teaches you how to frame properly in these conditions, and also to be assured that what the camera sees, is not what you yourself is seeing!
The more traditional family photos can also look a little different, due to social distancing and the two metre rule adhered to if those family members aren’t in the couple’s Covid friendly bubble. Photos of the couple themselves in the grounds of their venue for example, can take place as they ordinarily would, with the exception that I myself can’t arrange the bride’s gown as I ordinarily would. This duty has to be carried out by either a member of the wedding party who is within the couple’s social bubble, or by the Groom himself! Happily, once all guests are seated for a Micro Wedding Breakfast, masks can be removed, and social distancing has already been taken care of by the sensible distribution of tables and chairs.
Venues are gearing up to the opportunities presented with Micro Weddings. Hand sanitising stations are placed at strategic positions, chairs are placed at intervals for the ceremony, and halls once used to accommodate a hundred, or maybe two hundred guests and more, are imaginatively repurposed to accommodate fifteen.
Small they maybe, but Micro Weddings are proof that small really is beautiful!
Charles Tucker,
Galileo Photography.
This post was written by Charles Tucker from Galileo Photography. They are an exhibitor on the WeddingShow247 Photography floor in the Photography hall. You can visit their WeddingShow247 exhibition stand here.
