January 06th, 2023

Inspiration for your wedding, civil partnership or vow renewal
3 Ideas – 3 Venues – 3 Suppliers

Ideas

Eloping 
Eloping became is synonymous with Gretna when the 1754 Marriage Act prevented couples from England & Wales marrying under 21 unless they had parental permission, so many young lovers dashed to this first village over the Scottish border to be hitched without restriction.

Elopement is still popular, but for different reasons. Some couples like the secret rush of ‘running away’ to be wed; others see their union as something deeply personal and for them alone. Just as smaller weddings have become popular, some couples take the next step and dispense with the big do, and the fuss and expense of organising it, and keep things simple.

There can be more to it than popping to the local register office for 10 minutes. For couples who want a small but special event, there may still be planning to do – such as finding a wedding planner or travel counsellor specialising in elopement in your chosen county or country.

Some couples opt for a celebrant ceremony after the legalities, in a place meaningful to them or breathtakingly beautiful – atop a wild moorland, a dappled woodland, in an ice cave, or barefoot on a beach. Not forgetting the right photographer to accompany them too and record their magical elopement.
 
Entertainment
Weddings can be long events, and many couples give thought to how to keep their guests entertained (other than at the bar). Here are a few.

• The ceremony itself

If you’ve chosen a celebrant-led ceremony, the fun starts right away, and your guests can enjoy being part of your ceremony, not mere witnesses to it. They can be part of symbolic acts – such as ‘warming’ the rings as they are passed around, placing a ribbon or cord in a hand tying – or underscore the vows by answering ‘We Do!’ to group promises personal to the couple.

• Post-ceremony to reception

Between the photographs and meal, hired lawn games are popular – croquet, mini golf, giant chess, Connect Four or Jenga, space hoppers etc.

For the reception, there are lots of table activity options – from custom jigsaw puzzles, ‘Guess Who’ with guest pictures and ‘Find Your Partner’ clues on the reverse of the place setting. Many are paper based – such as best man speech bingo, betting cards or finish the sentence (also called mad libs), date night ideas/best advice slips to go in a wishing jar, trivia quiz on the couple, and I Spy or scavenger hunt challenges (such as taking photos of a kiss, a group selfie, chinking glasses etc) with a hashtag to share them with online.

For hired entertainment, how about a magician, fire eater, stilt walker, poi performer, arcade game or photo booth? Not forgetting the music of course – your musician, band or DJ to get the party started.

Of course, the newlyweds or couple are the star, and either your best man/woman or the celebrant (if you’ve hired them to stay) can orchestrate their games. A popular choice is the Shoe Game – a Mr and Mrs (or Mr/Mr, Mrs/Mrs) type quiz with each partner holding one of their own shoes and one of their partner’s to raise to answer the questions with.
  
Entry
The archetypal image of the start of a British wedding that we’re used to is of a groom waiting at the head of the aisle anticipating turning round for his first glance of his bride as she processes down the aisle to meet him.

There are no rules though; you can mix it up according to what suits you best, plus, the bridal-party style entry may not work for those wanting a more equal ceremony, same- or other-gendered couples, or those celebrating a commitment ceremony, civil partnership, or vow renewal who don’t want a traditional ‘weddingy’ feel.

Other ideas include:

• Both entering together, hand in hand, walking or dancing down the aisle to your song
• Entering simultaneously but separately, taking different paths in before joining
• Reversing the gender roles – the bride waits and the groom enters
• For themed ceremonies, you might enter by alternative means – on horseback, by zipwire, carried on a palanquin, or unrolled from a carpet like Cleopatra!
• Having a non-straight aisle and seating layout: a cabaret style layout allows you to weave round guest tables and say hello, and a heart shaped could permit you to each come in around the sides to meet at the top of the heart

 
Links
Venues
Elsham Hall, N Lincs
www.elshamhall.co.uk/weddings/
Elderflower Events, Rural Lincolnshire
www.elderflowerevents.com
Elm Tree, Hundleby
elmtree.co.uk/weddings/

Suppliers
Elizabeth Kate Bridal, Crowle
www.elizabethkatebridal.co.uk/
Enchanted Garden, Grimsby
www.enchantedgardenflorists.co.uk/
Essence Flowers, Scunthorpe
www.essenceflowers.co.uk/