BACK TO LOVE: The Ballad of Caroline and Kane.

Second in our series BACK TO LOVE, where we meet real life UK engaged couples who all have their unique stories of planning or attempting to have their wedding this last year. These two rock and roller babes got engaged at the end of 2019 so weren’t too far down the road, although Caroline had got as far as setting up an entire gorgeous insta account about her wedding planning inspirations @yokosplace OBVS. We’ve loved hearing about how essentially taking the piss out of each other can not only create but sustain loving, long lasting forever relationships :) Wishing these guys an easier 2021 and reckon this is gonna one heck of a style-savvy wedding!

Who are you both and what do you do?

I'm Caroline and my fiancé is Kane. I'm in Marketing and Kane's a Civil Servant, both parents to Yoko the rescue cat.

 How did you meet?

We went to the same secondary school but it wasn't until after I finished my University degree when we started talking. It was around Christmas time in 2016, we met in the local pub and I told him his turtleneck made him look like a sock puppet and we sank a few toffee vodkas. We've been making each other laugh ever since!

 Fave things about each other?

We just clicked straight away and bounce of each other, we can be completely ourselves around each other and we have the same questionable sense of humour too. We became best friends as well as girlfriend and boyfriend which sounds super soppy but it's true! 

How did the proposal go?

We were in Verona on holiday last November, we love Italy so much and try to visit different places every year. We were walking round some amazing gardens and he popped the question next to a fountain of turtles. It was so unexpected; I almost fell over! We celebrated with pizza and tequilaaa.

What has the last year been like for you?

2020 started off really productive wedding wise. I'd been furloughed from March through to July so I felt like I had all the time in the world to plan our big day. We had already set a date and booked a venue so it seemed like everything was coming together. I spent the first few weeks contacting wedding vendors, looking at wedding dress styles, and talking to caterers about potential menu options but it's been hard to finalise these aspects because we've been unable to arrange any face to face meetings or tasting sessions. I did order a vintage wedding dress from Etsy but had to facetime my bridesmaids for their input which felt incredibly impersonal (I ended up sending the dress back). We've been able to save still throughout the pandemic but with a 20% pay cut and higher electricity bills it hasn't been as much as we would have liked! We've also been dipping in to the savings to pay deposits for our photographer etc, as weddings across the UK were being postponed we knew it would be absolute chaos to book wedding vendors through 2021 and 2022 because their schedules are going to be insane.  

Although it seemed like we were coming out of the worst part of the pandemic there is such little guidance for weddings and wedding planning going forward. We were able to book a tasting session with our caterer in October which may or may not go ahead. We've found our florist but as we were unable to schedule a face to face meeting, we have no idea what flowers were having. We are reluctant to print off and send out our invites because we don't know what the next few months will bring. We're still staying positive; we can't take this personally and it's effected our friends too so we can support each other when needed!

What are you finding the hardest?

For me it's been not being able to see all my bridesmaids. Pre-Covid I had the idea in my head that we would be meeting up all the time, sharing ideas, trying on dresses etc but we haven't had the opportunity to do that yet. It's the same kind of thing for meeting up with our vendors too. I feel incredibly sorry for all the independent and small business owners too. For those who were brave enough to take the risk and set up their own business, now having to rely on day by day guidance and being required to stop trading with minimal notice, it is so disheartening! Some vendors have the capacity to provide services virtually, but so many others don't have the resources to operate like this. 

What have been the wins?! Is there some elements that have been positive when it comes to the planning with set restrictions?!  

It's been a great opportunity to get creative, through lockdown we didn't have any 'noise' to put us off our stride. We are usually very busy people at work and socially, so it was nice to have the time to think about how we wanted our big day to pan out. I have thousands (THOUSANDS) of pins on Pinterest, the intricate details of the day have all been decided and we created a spreadsheet to give the illusion that we had our lives together. 

 Any advice for other couples planning their wedding right now?

Have the day you and your partner want, not what you think everyone else would want! Due to the coronavirus you may have to compromise on some aspects but it does not have to mean your big day isn't perfect for you. Sack off any traditions you don't feel comfortable with. Chill out on the evening food, if you are hoping to have a reception - I've heard that a lot of food goes to waste because people are either too full from the breakfast or are too giddy on the bubbly.

Do indulge in some of your plans - whats’ your aesthetic? Are their mood boards hah! Who or what is your muse? What have you in store, anything you are having to change -are you still excited to plan? 

We're going for 70s ethereal aesthetic with lots of botanical greens and warm orange/gold tones. I am in love with Stevie Nicks so it just stemmed from a Fleetwood Fairytale vibe. Kane is very music orientated, he plays lead guitar in his band, so it was nice to have a theme that just naturally fit our personalities.

The #WhatAboutWeddings campaign is such a great project to highlight the issues that Covid-19 has brought upon the wedding industry. It's so much more than having to compromise or cancel your wedding day, people's businesses and livlihoods are at risk. If you've been effected by the above it's great to know there are thousands of people supporting this campaign to show you we're in this together!

AND HERE’S CAROLINE AND KANE’S MARCH 2021 UPDATE!
We've ended up rearranging our date for June 2022! Even though the guidelines have been saying our previous date in October shouldn't be affected we don't have much trust in that. We also thought it would be a lot more helpful when planning the wedding as we still haven't been able to have caterer tasting sessions or dress/suit fittings etc. The guys at our venue (Low Hall The Lakes) have been so helpful and understanding, I can't even imagine what it's been like for the suppliers with so much uncertainty. Sending love!