Real Covid Wedding: Katherine and David at Elmore Court, Gloucestershire

This couple cut their guest list from 150 to just 4 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but they still managed to have a magical day at their original country house venue. Prepare to be inspired - and to meet the cutest bridesmaid you'll ever see...

Hannah Davies

24 March, 2021

Katherine and David in front of a fireplace at Elmore Court

When Katherine met David, her future husband was wearing a shirt, jacket - and boxer shorts!

"I was recently single and a colleague of mine wanted to set me up with someone," says Katherine. "The man in question was someone from her husband’s rugby team and she suggested we go on the end-of-season night out with them all.

"She also told me that for this night out the players wear shirts and jackets on the top half and only boxers on the bottom half. I said, ‘I’m not going out with a group of rugby players in boxers!’"

Luckily, she overcame her doubts, and on the night in question she got on really well with the semi-clad David. "He’s a big 6ft 6 rugby player on the outside but on the inside he’s the most loving man I’ve ever met."

After a romantic proposal in Saint Tropez, the couple spent two years planning their wedding. But them, the Coronavirus pandemic hit - and like so many couples, Katherine and David were forced into a wedding rethink.

They had no choice but to postpone their celebration. However, Katherine and David also decided to go ahead with a ceremony at their venue on their original date. And while the guest list was a lot smaller than they'd planned, at 4 instead of 150, they did manage to include a VIP - that's their Very Important Pet, Belle.

Read on to discover how their made their ultra-micro wedding a day to cherish - and for even more cute pictures of Belle!

Photography by Gary Nunn

The Venue

The couple viewed lots of venues, but none quite gave them what they wanted - until they found Gloucestershire country house Elmore Court.

"For us Elmore is the perfect venue – it has all the character of a traditional manor house but it combines this with incredibly beautiful and modern interior design," says Katherine. "It's also surprisingly reasonably priced compared to other venues we visited. You get so much more for your money than you do at other venues for a similar price."

The Change of Plans

The couple had planned a celebration for 150 people at Elmore Court. After this had to be postponed, the venue worked with them to put together a very special ceremony on their original date, with just Katherine, David and their parents.

"The team at Elmore went above and beyond for our special day," says Katherine. "Their kindness was unbelievable and something we will never forget."

The Wedding Dress

Having decided to save her Caroline Castigliano dress for the postponed wedding, Katherine chose a pale pink dress from ASOS for the micro ceremony.

What she didn't realise when she bought the slim-fit gown was that she was expecting her first baby! "Luckily I still fitted in it with a hint of a bump," she says.

Katherine couldn't have her chosen hair or makeup professionals due to Covid restrictions, so she went DIY.

"My hair was quite low key to go with the low key wedding," she says/ "It was curled and pinned up in a kind of boho style. I wore a flower crown and felt like Murron from Braveheart when she gets married in the woods!"

Her mum provided the traditional something old, something new, something borrowed and something new items as a surprise, including blue thread for the bride to wear around her ankle and an heirloom diamond necklace.

The Groom's Suit

David wore a bespoke blue suit with the couple's wedding date and initials sewn into it. His buttonhole was a pink David Austin rose, to pick up on the colour of Katherine's dress.

The Ceremony

Katherine was accompanied down the aisle to The Beatles' All You Need Is Love by her father, and by the couple's 12-week-old puppy Belle as bridesmaid. Florist All About Flowers even made the adorable pooch her very own wedding-perfect flower collar.

The couple had a celebrant-led ceremony, exchanging vows and promises, with a reading by Katherine's mum.

Décor was kept to a minimum.

"Elmore is so beautiful you really don’t need anything!" says Katherine. "We didn’t bring any decorations at all although the team had put some pampas grass in the ceremony room for us which was really fitting for our day."

While the ceremony may have been smaller than planned, it was certainly romantic.

"Dave’s highlight of the day was me walking down the aisle," says Katherine. "Mine was seeing him at the end of it."

The Celebration

After the ceremony, Elmore Court arranged for the couple to plant a commemorative cherry tree in the gardens.

"We were asked to bring a jar of earth from our back garden with us, which was a really lovely touch," says Katherine. "When we come back for our big day we will look forward to seeing how it’s grown!"

Rather than a traditional reception, the couple and their guests enjoyed champagne in the drawing room followed by a picnic on the venue's lawn. Even though they had postponed their wedding cake, cake maker Lydia's Cakes surprised them by sending a tier of their original design to enjoy at the micro wedding.

"We realised that you really don’t need a lot of people for your day to be special," says Katherine. "Having just us and our parents there made our day so intimate and we were all so relaxed we could just sit back and enjoy it. We’ll remember that day for the rest of our lives."