Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Clare and Natalie were still able to plan the wedding of their dreams. Their special day was a romantic elopement at Berwick Lodge in Bristol, a year after their engagement:

“We always dreamed that our wedding day would be intimate and cosy… Covid gave us a great excuse to achieve that by eloping!”

Brides smiling for camera in garden holding bouquets. Brides wear face masks with 'Bride' written on in gold

Brides outside wooden doors of Berwick Lodge, looking at each other smiling, holding hands.

Brides smiling, sitting at table toasting with champagne.

While the couple eloped just a year after their engagement, they met for the first time many years before:

“Clare was actually the one to propose, even though we’d openly chatted about it. THe day started with a mystery trip out, during which we visited various places we’d lived together… With the final stop being outside the school gates where we’d first met!”

Image of ceremony room. Pillars down aisle with ivy wrapped around, a white aisle and table at the end with two chairs

Brides outside large old building, smiling at each other with their bouquets in hand

Brides outside looking at each other, each holding white umbrellas high above their heads

Clare and Natalie started their remote wedding planning journey by searching for a venue. Since they knew exactly what they were looking for, it wasn’t long before they found the perfect place to elope:

“We wanted a venue with plenty of character, beautiful gardens and scrummy food… A quick search on Google for “elopement weddings” during lockdown found us this gem of a place!

“The simplicity of eloping was so appealing to us and the elopement package at Berwick Lodge included everything we wanted, making it stress-free!”

Bride doing up the buttons at the back of lace blush dress of other bride

Image of wedding shoes. Two white high heels

Finding dresses to suit the natural, elegant style they were after didn’t mean breaking the bank either. Instead of going bespoke, Clare and Natalie hit the highstreet — and ended up looking absolutely fantastic!

“We always knew we weren’t going to go for traditional white wedding dresses so hitting the high street was perfect for us. As it turns out, we were spoilt for choice so we would definitely recommend doing the same to others!”

Brides holding hands, walking down aisle holding bouquets of white flowers

Celebrant and brides standing outside. Celebrant smiling, holding clear umbrella over the happy couple

Brides walking into garden, backs of lace dresses showing

Holding beautiful bouquets of white flowers picked from Berwick Lodge‘s very own gardens, the newly married couple walked out with beaming smiles.

Brides holding hands in garden, mid dance

Clare and Natalie were thrilled with Berwick Lodge, which “provided such a beautiful backdrop for [their] photographs.” They gave special thanks to their hair and makeup artist, Maria Lucas MUA, and their photographer, Christy Blanch Photography: “We absolutely love the photos by Christy! We’re so pleased with them – they’re amazing!”

Image focused on brides, holding each other's hips and touching foreheads, with a long country road going off in the distance

So what advice do Clare and Natalie have for couples planning a wedding during a pandemic?

“Remind yourselves that it’s all about just the two of you. We found it easiest to focus solely on us and to choose the things that were important to us. Local suppliers were great as it was easy and quicker to make decisions.”

There’s one more thing Clare and Natalie would recommend to any couples in the South West (pandemic or no pandemic!):

“One big tip – choose an elopement package at Berwick Lodge!”

Brides smiling, holding hands in front of large stack of logs

Black and white picture of brides smiling, holding bouquets inside house, in front of a closed wooden door

Brides surrounded by tall, colourful flowers in a garden, touching foreheads and looking at each other

Brides holding hands facing each other outside quaint white and red-brick lodge

Clare and Natalie’s Suppliers

Venue: Berwick Lodge
Photographer: Christy Blanch Photography
Dress: The Highstreet (!)
Hair and Makeup: Maria Lucas MUA

An Intimate Covid Elopement in Bristol

Clare and Natalie’s Suppliers

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