Weddings in the Time of Covid - Part III

Part III - Success Story

Too many words have been written about the devastating effects this virus has had on several aspects of our lives over the past 2+ years. Hands up if you want a success story?! 🙋🏾‍♀️

As with many things since April 2020 success stories now have a new normal. Success depends on your point of view.

Success Story:

Izzy’s parents visited my bridal studio back at the beginning of 2021 just as France had just finished it’s third lockdown. During their initial consultation they explained to me that Izzy had encountered several of the usual setbacks common to the 2020 bride: postponements, change of venue etc. But now Izzy and her beau were determined that 2021 was the year and she was on the hunt for a seamstress to create her dream outfits.

Izzy’s parents were absolutely delightful! During that first visit we discussed everything about Izzy’s dream bridalwear. We talked outfit designs, fabric, lace, they even had inspiration pictures to show me. They knew the ins and outs of everything their daughter wanted! This was just as well because this bride, who would normally split her time between England and France, had opted to stay in England with her fiancé to wait out the storm of Covid, and that’s were she was more than 1 year on.

So exactly how do you create a bridalwear outfit from scratch without ever meeting the bride?? First, you get yourself an amazing, calm bride who knows her way around Zoom!

Complication Numéro 1

How do you take a bride’s measurements when you can’t both physically be in the same location? 

Ah Zoom, the saviour of 2020/2021! Thanks to Zoom I was able to meet the bride for the first time, albeit digitally. Over our first Zoom consultation together I demonstrated on-screen exactly how Izzy could get a friend to help her take her own measurements. Izzy diligently took notes as she watched and enlisted the help of her fiancé with this important first step.

Measurements taken, I set about making “toiles” for her outfits. These are the important prototype versions of any garment I make. All the while I was thinking, how are we going to overcome the next obstacle? 😬

Complication Numéro 2

How do you get a bride to try on her test outfits and make adjustments when you can’t both physically be in the same location?

I was just trying to remember the specific reasons why travel between England and France was so difficult at the beginning of summer 2021. Here I am on holiday sitting on a beach in south-west France with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, who were visiting us from England, and my memory of those difficult times had begun to fade. I asked them if they remember the reason, and as my brother-in-law helpfully starts to explain the Red, Amber and Green category system England had in place for travel it all came back to me and my eyes glazed over.

Just months to go before the date of the wedding I still hadn’t even met Izzy in the flesh. With no prospect of an easy way for Izzy to get to me in France, Izzy’s mum and I decided to post the test outfits to Izzy in England and do the next fitting over Zoom. Hooray for Zoom again!

Noses pressed up to the screen of my iPad, Izzy’s mum and I tried to see all the places where adjustments would be needed to get the perfect fit. Detailed instructions were then relayed to Izzy and her future mother-in-law who, armed with pins and a marker pen noted all the alterations directly onto the garments and posted them back to me in France.

Complication Numéro 3

How does a bride travel from England to her seamstress in France when England are saying that France is full of Covid?

At the moment even the little things we do feel like they need military-level planning to come off? Even more so for weddings! So we put a plan in place for Izzy to come to France for her final fitting. The time had come for me to meet 3D Izzy!! Due to travel and quarantine restrictions, as well as my super busy schedule over the bridal season, we had to act quickly.

The plan was for Izzy to fly into France on the Monday, have her fitting on the Tuesday, then fly back out with her outfits by the end of the week. This would leave her with enough time to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine on her return to England just in time to walk down the aisle. That would mean me having 3 days to do all her alterations. Plenty of time! But as they say “the best laid plans…” Last minute travel complications and an emergency wedding booking on my side meant that, in the end, I had just 1 day to do all the alterations and have them finished in time for Izzy’s flight back to England. That night I worked until almost midnight at my atelier. I could hear people walking past my shop all evening saying “Oh la la, la pauvre!” (I was going to insert a translation here but I don’t believe there’s a direct translation for “oh la la”! 😂 “La pauvre” = “poor girl”). The goal of delivering this awesome bride’s outfits to her in time kept me going!!

After a night of keeping my neighbours awake with the whirring of my sewing machine I was finally finished. The next day Izzy came back to my studio to collect her finished outfits then returned to England just in time for her big day.

Phew!!!!!

Top marks to all the 2020/2021 brides who persevered despite a mountain of setbacks! Who sacrificed having family at their weddings. Who changed their dates innumerable times. Who changed their chosen venue, and even the country in which they planned to get married.

The bridal industry will continue to support you no matter how long this pesky virus decides to stick around. Love will win, and so will we!!