Black Meringue

Shotgun!

If you’re in a hurry to organise your wedding, it doesn’t mean you have to compromise. Lucia Whittaker rounds up the options

From the Brothers Grimm to EastEnders, the elopement has been a staple of romantic storytelling since Prince Charming rescued Rapunzel from her prison tower (although a fat lot of use he was – it was her ponytail that saved the day if I remember rightly). Most elopements in film or print involve a dramatic love story in which two star-crossed lovers, doomed from the opening credits, struggle against all odds to be together only to find that one of them’s dying (Titanic), dead (Ghost) or in fact they’re related to one another and it can never be (Hollyoaks). Then there are those tales of charming villains hell-bent on seducing naïve young maids with the sole purpose of ripping them off (Wuthering Heights) or sullying their name (Pride and Prejudice).

Perhaps it’s these literary ties to ivory towers, windswept moors and Chester that have wrapped the idea of elopement in danger, mystery and breathless, irrational romanticism. With all the expectant stress of pulling together a modern-day wedding, it’s little wonder that running away together still has its appeal.

There are pitfalls, however. In 2004 Britney Spears’ ill-starred union with childhood friend Jason Alexander famously lasted just 55 hours – a shining example of how not to go about tying the knot in a hurry. The Spears-Alexander annulment stated that prior to marriage the couple did not know each other’s likes and dislikes; desires to have or not to have children; or even where the other wanted to live. Sounds like somebody had been on the ale.

So for all you perfectly sensible individuals that simply want to avoid all the fuss of a big, complicated wedding which inevitably takes longer to arrange, here’s Black Meringue’s guide to doing it quickly, cheaply or on the sly without compromising on style.

The wedding

Whole-in-one

If you’re planning on staying on home soil, Whirlwind Weddings offers a great deal on its country house venues, which includes a full reception package for £4,000 (based on 60 people). The firm owns four venues (two country houses in Essex, a castle in Gloucestershire and a manor house in Somerset) which are offered at a reduced rate for last-minute bookings – about one third of the price of a normal booking. The firm advertises available dates at the lower price on its website, and couples can book online and visit the venue beforehand on any day when it’s not being used.

The downside is that most of the dates are weekdays; the advantage is that you get a completely private wedding at a great venue, with service included in the price, plus a day off work for you and your friends. And you can arrange it all quickly: dates offered tend to be three or four months in advance, and with the availability of the local registrars guaranteed and food and drink organised by Whirlwind Weddings, you don’t need to worry about rushing to book that yourselves. In fact, entertainment and planning is also provided in-house, and the firm can even supply guest invitations.

Scottish escape

If you thought Kentucky was the home of child brides, think again – in Scotland it was possible for girls as young as 12 to get married, without parental consent, right up until 1929 (boys had to be over 12). This 'get them while they’re young' approach to marriage is what started the Gretna Green wedding tradition. In 1753 an Act of Parliament was passed in England stating that anyone under 21 had to get parental consent before marrying. This did not apply in Scotland, so from then on the border town of Gretna Green became the backdrop to many young couples fleeing a father’s wrath.

Scottish marriage laws also allowed for almost anyone to perform the ceremony, provided a declaration was made in front of two witnesses. In Gretna Green most ceremonies were performed by the local blacksmiths, and although the blacksmiths are long gone, it’s still common today for Gretna Green weddings to take place in the old smiths’ forges.

Thankfully, few English couples need to hotfoot it up the M6 these days for the reasons outlined above. But Gretna Green remains an attractive option, both for tradition’s sake and because you can get married 15 days after booking (although the Gretna Green Wedding Bureau recommends giving about four weeks’ notice). Either way, you won’t have to wait too long. The Bureau can arrange the whole thing for you, too – just visit its website and follow the steps to tailor the package to your fancy, submit the form, and they’ll do the rest. Kerry Katona is one celeb who took this route – she wed Mark Croft at Gretna on Valentine's Day 2007.

Down the garden path

The third option is to do it yourself. One couple who chose this route is Neil and Natasha Warren, who held the reception for their July 2006 wedding in the garden of Natasha’s parents’ house in Gloucestershire. Although arranging everything themselves caused the Warrens a certain amount of stress, according to Natasha it was well worth it financially.

“The only cost for the venue was the marquee we hired,” she explains. “The drink was a huge amount cheaper than it would have been at an outside venue, as we had no corkage to pay. That meant we could provide a free bar, which was
important to us. The food was also cheaper: friends made the nibbles, and the caterer only cost £18 per head.”

And it wasn’t just in terms of saving that the couple gained. Holding the wedding at their family home meant that the atmosphere was much more personal and relaxing for guests than, for example, a hotel reception would have been.
“Having our reception at home meant that we could plan it exactly as we wanted to, without being bossed around by a hotel wedding organiser," Natasha says. “Sometimes hotel weddings can feel like a production line, and not very personal to the couple. But it feels special to have it at home and it’s nice for all the guests to see where you come from. If I was doing it again, the only thing I would change is to use a wedding planner - it was so stressful, but totally worth it.”

The dress

Does my bump look big in this?

One in five women who get married in Britain today are pregnant, so the chances are at least some of you reading this are planning to walk down the aisle with a bump in the not-too-distant future. Although this is less of an incentive for couples to marry these days, it might make you want to speed up proceedings – and why not make your special day a double celebration? In the past, the biggest problem facing expectant brides was hiding the evidence. Today that stigma has disappeared, thankfully, and we’re left with more practical considerations, such as how to ensure your dress will fit on the big day, and how to look good without feeling uncomfortable.

In 2004 Natalie Gladman set up Europe’s first dedicated maternity wedding dress studio, after spotting a gap in the market during her own pregnancy. She launched her own-label collection Madeline Isaac-James (named after her children) in 2007 and has never looked back. “There are still those tutting traditionalists who believe it is wrong, but all the women I see want to celebrate the fact that two of the most exciting things in their life are happening at the same time,” says Natalie.

“What have changed are social attitudes. No longer are brides hiding their bump under strategically-held bouquets and smocked meringues – they now want to wear their bump with pride.” The Madeline Isaac-James collection has some beautiful contemporary twists on traditional styles that ooze Pre-Raphaelite elegance. Full-length gowns start at around £220.

If tired feet and swollen ankles mean a shopping trip is out of the question, the exquisite Tiffany Rose collection offers special occasion maternity wear online. Clever cuts with hidden stretch and an empire waist means the dresses can adapt to growing bumps, so you can be sure that your dress will fit on the day even if you order it months in advance.

“We have helped so many pregnant women with wedding dress disasters just days before their wedding. They are distraught that their non-maternity gown no longer fits, mostly due to sudden growth spurts, despite numerous alterations running up to the day,” explains Tiffany London, director and founder of Tiffany Rose.

“It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to successfully adapt a traditional wedding gown when no-one knows exactly how much their figure will change. By choosing a well-cut maternity gown where the style of the dress is designed around pregnancy, you can feel confident it will look good at any stage.”

The Tiffany Rose range offers a fabulous selection of contemporary bridal and bridesmaids dresses to suit all tastes, proving that having a bump doesn't make you a frump. Tiffany's designs have been worn by various celebrities, including Jordan and Emma Bunton, but the good news is they don’t carry celebrity price tags.

If you’re looking for something simple and elegant for yourself or a mum-to-be bridesmaid, maternitywear specialist Björn and Me has a range of wedding dresses in chiffon, georgette and stretch satin. The beauty of this range is that it offers non-pregnant styles alongside its maternity wear, so you can do all your dress shopping under one roof. As well as the usual white/ivory shades, dresses are available in a range of colours. Call to arrange a showroom visit, where you will receive one-to-one attention.

You don’t have to wear big pants and a granny bra just because you're pregnant. Amoralia offers a range of pretty, sexy underwear for prospective mums, including the Nougatine and Embrace sets shown here. The Nougatine (below) comes in sizes 32-40 (B-G), and carries a recommended retail price of £40 for the bra and £18 for the briefs. Sizes for the practical nude Embrace (with strapless maternity bra) range from S to XL, and retail at around £29 for the bra and £14 for the briefs.

BM