Virtual Weddings During The Pandemic – Hannah and Matt’s Story by Lauren Stone

We all know how the Coronavirus has effected the wedding world over the last few weeks. So many brides and grooms have had to postpone their wedding plans to later in the year/next year, leaving a big wedding hole in peoples lives. We have discussed this on the blog quite a bit and have had various articles giving you advice on where you stand and what you should do. So today I am delighted to be sharing a good news story taking a slightly different angle. Lauren Stone is a Humanist Wedding Celebrant, and today she brings us the story of one of her lovely couples Hannah and Matt who were meant to be getting married at Easter. The wedding couldn’t go ahead but that didn’t stop them celebrating in their own unique way. Laura tells us more………..

The Virtual Pre Wedding Celebration Ceremony of Hannah and Matt

Saturday 11^th April 2020, Easter Weekend, was meant to be the wedding day of Hannah and Matt, and I was meant to be the one marrying them at the beautiful venue Ufton Court near Reading.
They’d been planning their wedding for two years but due to the Pandemic had to postpone until 2021; a really difficult decision for both themselves and their parents, who they are both extremely close to.

So, as their Celebrant, I had the idea of hosting a virtual “Pre wedding Celebration Ceremony” to mark what would have been their big day, to turn this negative into a positive. The idea was to deliver this as a surprise to their families via a group video call.

I met Hannah and Matt 1.5 years ago and have been getting to know them ever since as we worked on their bespoke, quirky wedding ceremony, the script for which was all ready to go for the big day. That’s one of the best things about Humanist weddings; the couple really get to know their Celebrant, and have a ceremony written completely from scratch for them.
So… we did it! Hannah and Matt simply told their families they wanted them to join a Zoom call to raise a virtual glass together.

But then Hannah wore a white dress and her veil, Matt wore a suit and tie, finished off by some Easter bunny ears. They had balloons on the walls and a row of their favourite toy ducks as extra wedding guests!
And of course I was there to make this virtual celebration feel a bit more formal- although we kept it very light hearted and upbeat!
I shared a few words about the couple and why we were celebrating them in this very humanist of ways. Hannah and Matt exchanged some light hearted promises to each other as pre-vows, and they exchanged Haribo sweetie rings as a fun symbol of their commitment to each other until their real wedding day next year.

Of course we all had a large toast together to mark this special occasion and it was a brilliant moment for everyone involved; uplifting and fun. The couple were buzzing that the surprise worked so well and their families were so delighted. It was really special.

Hannah and Matt said:

‘We are so glad we met Lauren. We didn’t realise that she was the missing piece to our wedding celebration to make it more special and unique. Lauren has been great to work with and a pleasure to get to know. She understands us as a couple and has helped to make our original wedding day positive and memorable, despite the circumstances. 
We can’t wait to have our special day next year. It will be bigger and better than before. Roll on The Wedding attempt 2!’

If you want to chat to Lauren about how she can help you create a personal wedding ceremony, real or virtual, then get in touch with her here: www.laurenstoneweddings.com / INSTAGRAM / www.boho-weddings.com/lauren-stone-weddings