Hand sanitiser and face masks have become part and parcel of attending a wedding in 2020. Because of this, couples have taken to including these essentials in the way they prepare guests for their day, with a trend emerging for welcome boxes which contain Covid-safe bits and bobs for the day, as well as a few treats thrown in. 

Like a reverse wedding favour, these boxes are either given before the wedding or on entry and include the basics like masks and sanitiser, but it’s also a chance for couples to get creative, too. 

From the packaging or design of the box to what’s included inside, there’s plenty of opportunity to customise these to reflect the day.

It’s customary for people like the father of the bride to raise a toast at a wedding, but because Covid has forced wedding receptions into much, much smaller numbers than normal, a trend has emerged for an ‘open floor’ when it comes to speeches.

If the couple are surrounded by just 15 of their closest family and friends, for some, this means that there’s time and the appropriate environment for more people to make speeches which may be more heartfelt or emotional.

Pre-pandemic weddings sometimes had guest lists of hundreds of people, so it would have taken all night to invite anyone to make a speech but as this isn’t the case anymore, it’s actually possible to have an open mic with smaller toasts but by more people. Plus, this intimate setting allows those who are shy or have emotive stories to tell to feel more comfortable.

While wedding cakes have previously been a huge, multi-layered affair, there’s now no need to spend so much money on something which, let’s be honest, most people never end up eating. 

With a smaller amount of people invited to the wedding, couples are finding that it’s more appropriate to opt for a single tier wedding cake which doesn’t cost as much and is fitting to a smaller celebration. 

That doesn’t mean that these cakes need to look any less beautiful, though. In fact, Instagram has seen a rise of independent bakeries crafting incredibly ornate cakes with one tier, which would look glorious at a wedding celebration. 

Personally, we’re lusting after London-based Coven Bakery’s one tiered bakes like the one pictured above. Now, imagine having something like that at your reception. Fabulous, no?

Currently UK restrictions dictate that up to 15 people can be part of a wedding ceremony and reception, but many couples are conscious to reduce the risks of the virus spreading at their celebration as possible. 

As we know that socialising outside is safer than inside, couples are moving the timings of their big day around to make the most of daytime and host their wedding outside. 

Although we typically imagine weddings to start in the afternoon and carry on into the small hours, the brunch wedding trend sees couples hold a brunch sit-down meal instead of dinner and asking everyone to sit outside. 

With this trend, location is everything. Pick a beautiful outdoor spot and let your surroundings do the talking and if your wedding is in winter then be sure to install heaters and have lots of blankets handy, too.

Whether it be fire pits, music sessions, toasting marshmallows or lawn games, couples are finding fun ways to spend time outdoors with a range of activities that all their guests can get involved in.

This change may mean rearranging parts of your original day’s plan but by shifting things outside and adding a few more elements to your guest’s experience, everyone can still have fun and feel entertained.