COVID: The Wedding Pause

Looking Back on How COVID Changed Everything

It’s hard to believe it’s been five years y’know.

Five years since the inboxes dried up, the venues went silent, couples cried on the phone, not just about flowers or favours, but about whether their families would even survive long enough to make it to the wedding. In early 2020, the wedding industry, like so much else, hit a brick wall and had to undergo a metamorphosis in order to survive.

Now, in 2025 we in the industry have begun to reflect on how the pandemic fundamentally rewired the emotional DNA of weddings.

The Rise of the Real

In a lot of ways, covid and its restrictions made people getting married think less about what was flashy, glamourous or just for show and more about what really matters to them. Guest lists were pared down to the most important people. Vendors, favours and accoutrements were all either scaled back or at least, selected more for significance to the couple and emotional weight rather than ‘that’d be nice’.

The big fat Pinterest-inspired weddings gave way to intimate elopements, back garden ceremonies, riverside vows with marquees and live music with unconventional genre artists. That unique intimacy shows through in the photos too. For us as creatives in the industry it was like a breath of fresh air had rushed back into the room.

For many of us behind the lens, it changed the job. We became documentarians of connection rather than just creators of pretty pictures. Weddings were less ‘on trend’ and more …human. And honestly? Better for it.

The industry itself - florists, photographers, caterers, planners - faced a brutal culling. A lot of us didn’t make it. Those who did had to reinvent. Livestream kits replaced second shooters. Booking policies became more compassionate. Refunds, postponements, reschedules that became a part of daily life running admin in the wedding photography industry, life became a logistical minefield but we did perhaps learn a bit about empathy in the process.

By the time weddings returned in full force (mid–2022 by most estimates), couples were looking for ‘something else’. The individuality of covid and post-covid microweddings and the like had become as much a part of a wedding as fitting is a part of buying a suit. A tailored approach to their weddings had become the expectation, and I think that’s likely to remain the case as we move out of Millenial weddings and into Gen-Z marriages that are starting to take place.

Smaller Weddings, Bigger Meaning

Even now, with the industry booming again, micro-weddings remain popular. People realised they didn’t need 150 guests to feel married. What they really wanted was a celebration that felt true to them, rather than the expectations of tradition or Instagram’s algorithm.

I can honestly say that some of the most moving weddings I’ve shot in the last two years were under 20 people. Not despite that, but because of it. There’s nowhere to hide and no reason to try.

What It Taught Us

COVID shook everything almost beyond recognition but it provided some back-handed clarity I don’t think many of us expected.

It reminded us that love isn’t a luxury. When everything else stopped, couples kept getting married. It moved from the historic churches and grand houses to be held in back gardens, in registrars’ offices and often broadcasts via Zoom. In that train-wreck of a year for all of us, getting married felt like reclaiming a defiant little piece of normality.

It reminded us why we do this work. Because it really matters. And what ultimately matters most is the story and the ceremony of the two most important people there. Everything else can wait.

And Now?

Now, in 2025, the wedding world is thriving. But the best of what we learned in 2020 still lingers. The honesty and the emotional depth that we strove to capture throughout our careers is still there but there’s perhaps an even stronger sense that our job isn’t about a show but a beautiful promise between two people.

And that’s what I try to hold onto every time I pick up my camera.

Blog Post Title Two

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.