Love isn’t cancelled!  This is Debbie and Ben’s story In the uncertain days of the pandemic and lock down, many couples have had to cancel or postpone their 2020 wedding plans.  There’s been a lot written about the heartache and disappointment that couples have had, to say nothing about additional costs for changing the date.

We all need cheering up – so I’m delighted to introduce to you Debbie and Ben who got married in March and have shared their beautiful tender story.

Photo: Jontyhowephotography.co.uk

How it all started ….

Ben and I were college sweethearts. We initially became friends after a college trip to Los Angeles in 2008. Over the following months our relationship soon blossomed until we were inseparable. In the 12 years between the start of our relationship to our wedding in March 2020, we have been through all the ups and downs that life in your late teens and twenties brings. I’m so grateful to have shared it all with my best friend and soul mate.

Photo: Jontyhowephotography.co.uk

Just another normal day ….

In 2016 we bought our first house and moved in together.  Unsurprisingly discussions about marriage soon followed. After a couple of years, when it got to the point where I practically pestered poor Ben about it, on ‘just another normal day’ in October 2018 he took me to the wonderful Goddards House in York.  Just as we were wandering around the pond in the beautiful gardens there, he got down on one knee. I didn’t hesitate for a second.  Of course the answer to his question was yes!

Wedding plans …

Planning our wedding was a funny thing.  Initially we had all sorts of wild ideas of eloping somewhere like Las Vegas and having a desert wedding.  Then, after about a year of indecisiveness and little progression in our wedding plans, we refocused on what we really wanted on our wedding day: a small, intimate affair with just our close friends and family. Getting married abroad was a fun idea. But due to a number of reasons, it was doubtful that we could have everyone who we wanted to be there.  We decided it wasn’t truly what we wanted.

Photo: Jontyhowephotography.co.uk

It was actually Ben’s sister who, after being tasked with researching venues, found the ideal setting for our wedding: Cley Windmill in Norfolk. The wedding ceremony and dinner would take place inside the cosy, rustic interior of this beautiful 18^th century windmill.  The venue accommodates about 20-25 people – so a small, private party of our family and friends. It was absolutely perfect.

This was December 2019, and we were married in March 2020. Some people were surprised by how quickly we organised our wedding within three months.  As we didn’t want the extravagance and excess of a big, grand wedding, putting together the plans for our special day was actually really fun and simple.  I am grateful for all the people that came together in those few months leading up to it to make our wedding something I will never forget.

Of course, the wonderful staff at Cley Windmill did most of the work in arranging the ceremony, dinner and accommodation for all our guests. But I must also thank the local craft artists and florists who made the mill interior look so romantic and beautiful for our day.  Our fantastic photographer Jonty Howe captured everything we enjoyed about that day in hundreds of wonderful photographs which we will treasure forever.

A cute touch for our wedding was that my brother, who is by no means a professional cake maker, made our two tiered wedding cake. It didn’t look perfectly polished and expertly crafted but the slightly bumpy icing and uneven decorating was part of its charm. We loved it.

Lock down worries …..

Of course, at this point in March 2020 the global situation regarding coronavirus was growing more and more alarming, and the likelihood that our wedding was going to go ahead on the 19^th was looking more and more doubtful. We had had to accept earlier in the month that our honeymoon to New York was no longer happening. But on the week of our wedding, we received reassurance from the venue that it was business as usual. Due to the wedding being such a small affair with so few people I was confident that everything was going to be OK.

And it was. More than OK.  The day went perfectly, despite everything that was happening around us at that time. Due to the pandemic, the weeks leading up to the wedding had become quite stressful.  But for that day, Ben, myself and our guests were able to forget the madness that was going on in the world and just enjoy ourselves.  Great food, music and laughter, all in the wonderful setting of Cley Windmill and the beautiful Cley village. Our special day was unforgettable.

Photo: Jontyhowephotography.co.uk

Our future plans ….

Two months on from our wedding, it is difficult to say what our future holds during this strange period of time in lock down, where it feels difficult to plan anything at the moment. Ben and I are very much hoping to start a family in the next couple of years. However, during these uncertain times, who knows what is going to happen next. I just know I’m excited to find out and to spend the rest of my life with my best friend, my husband.

Thank you Debbie! … so lovely to read such a joyous story! So for anyone who has had to postpone your plans …… keep hold of the happy excitement that you will get married to the love of your life ….. that lovely magical day is waiting for you ….

By the way …

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