Having a second wedding is a growing trend thanks to Covid-19 restrictions, as couples decide to have a smaller ceremony in 2020, then a bigger, second bash next year.
Here, wedding photographer Megan McEachern of Meggy Mac Photography talks to two couples who have decided to get hitched twice.
It’s a day many of us look forward to our whole lives – the one where you marry the person you love most, the day you get to wear the finery of your dreams and the day that’s truly all about you and your partner.
Your wedding day goes by in a blurry flash of elation. But what if you could relive it all over again?
Two weddings has traditionally been something mainly reserved for the celebrity world: Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra had multiple nuptials between India and America, as well as Justin Bieber and Hayley Baldwin and George and Amal Clooney tying the knot twice.
But with Covid-19 restrictions currently limiting the amount of guests allowed at weddings in Scotland, many couples are jumping on this celebrity trend, opting for smaller micro-weddings or elopements this year on their original date, followed by a bigger second wedding in 2021 or 2022.
It’s a growing trend Sam Skinner from Scottish wedding planning service, Hitched in the Highlands has observed.
“There’s been a huge surge in couples deciding to do more than one wedding, for example I have one couple – one is from New Zealand, one is from America – who have decided to elope alone to the Scottish Highlands, then go to America for a second wedding and New Zealand for a third,” she said.
“This year has made couples completely shake up the rule book when it comes to what their day should look like and having two weddings is definitely becoming a part of that.
“Couples are totally reassessing what’s important to them, and often they realise that simply getting married comes first, and then the party with everyone else can come later.”
Getting hitched twice also doesn’t mean a lot of added cost, explains Sam, as Scotland’s unique humanist marriage laws mean couples can get married virtually anywhere outside in small elopement style ceremonies. And couples can then use their pre-booked venue for their second wedding.
“Getting married twice actually means you could be getting much more value for what you’re investing in,” she said.
“Scotland in particular is a great place for more intimate and unique ceremonies because you can pretty much get married anywhere – on a beach, up a mountain, in a glen, which often costs next to nothing.
“So it’s got the edge on other UK countries when it comes to eloping and micro-wedding locations and we’ve seen a lot of people from England coming up to do just that.
“Also; you can simply wear your dress/suit again, if you have dried flowers, you can preserve them and use them twice, and your small first wedding won’t incur massive costs like drinks and food as you will have very minimal numbers.
“Having your big wedding later also means you’ve got a bit more time to save to make it even more spectacular than you had thought possible.”
Nicoline and Richard’s Story
Many things were only possible because we had a small wedding first
Architecture students Nicoline and Richard Stalker’s original plan was to have a big wedding on the Isle of Arran with all of their family and friends. But Covid-19 had other plans.
Having their first venue on Arran cancel, they then changed to Gleneagles Hotel but eventually decided to simply elope last month to the edge of the Scottish Highlands with just their parents and Nicoline’s best friend as witnesses.
“At first, everything was fine, but then lockdown hit and we slowly lost our optimism and our sanity,” said Nicoline.
“By July it was an absolute nightmare. The rules changed constantly, vendors would cancel and guests couldn’t come.
“In the end, the only original vendor we had was our photographer.
“So we decided to just get married outside in a forest which was always a fairytale dream of mine.”
Nicoline, 25, and Richard, 22, were the first couple to get married in this exact spot next to the River Earn, something they couldn’t have dreamed of if they had had the big wedding they originally planned.
“We got to be so creative as the day was completely custom,” explained Nicoline.
“Many things were only possible because it was a small wedding, like the cosy spot in the forest, the big takeout meal at the best place in town and we got to be in the moment with everyone that was there.”
The pair are planning to have their second wedding in Edinburgh in July 2021, with all their family and friends.
“We hope next year will be so much more relaxed. We’ve had a special magical wedding day so the second one is a bonus.
“We’re having a big party in Edinburgh and I’m so happy because I get to wear my dress twice!
“We want to have everyone originally invited and more, so about 80 guests next summer – fingers and toes crossed.”
Becca and Daire’s Story
Why wait? We could still have our small numbers and we can party later!
Becca and Daire Guiller got engaged two years ago and started planning their wedding shortly afterwards.
They chose Orocco Pier in South Queensferry to get married after a date for Daire’s birthday saw the pair fall in love with the venue.
Thankfully, Orocco Pier were able to offer smaller wedding packages that suited the reduction of wedding numbers due to Covid-19 restrictions, so the couple were still able to go ahead with their day, albeit with smaller numbers and social-distancing.
They hope to have a second ceremony at the same venue in July 2021, with the 80 guests they had originally planned to have present.
“Our original plan was to get married with just our close friends and family and then invite more guests for a party later that night, but then Covid happened,” they explained.
“But we were delighted we could still get married in South Queensferry with our nearest and dearest.”
Becca, 26, and Daire, 29, decided to go ahead with their original date as they realised their commitment to eachother was the most important thing.
“We just thought, why wait? The main thing for us was to get married, we could still have our small numbers and we can party later!
“We wanted to get married to make an official commitment to each other.
“It was never about what the day looked like and how the events unfolded, it was always about saying our vows and starting a new, exciting chapter in our lives.
“Having a smaller wedding means you get the opportunity to properly soak up the day and talk to all of your guests. We felt that the day was really personal to us and wouldn’t have changed it in any way.
“There is too much pressure put on weddings and around what you “should” do.
“Having something small reduces the pressure and allowed us to actually enjoy it to the maximum.”
The pair say they highly recommend planning a smaller ceremony this year and a bigger one next.
“Go for it, you won’t regret it. Don’t get caught up in perfection of plans, because life is too unpredictable!”
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