Two into one does go! After Covid scuppered their original big-day plans, Clare and Lisa joined forces and organised an amazing double wedding instead Images courtesy of Kate Izak Photography When Clare said ‘yes’ to James, little did she know then how her wedding day would turn out. She and James grew up together and their mums were best friends from school, so they’d always been part of each other’s lives. James popped the question during a weekend away in London at The Shard’s Shangri-La Hotel. “The proposal was really intimate and a complete surprise,” reveals Clare. They originally planned to have their dream wedding in Cyprus but after having to postpone it twice due to Covid, they eventually decided to cancel it altogether. “We felt it was too much to ask our family and friends to move their holidays for a third time. It was heart-breaking, especially as I work in the NHS and had been working flat out throughout the pandemic,” explains Claire. TWICE AS NICE Meanwhile Lisa and James’ brother Matty, who got engaged on a surprise weekend away in April 2019, had already booked The Old Thorns Hotel in Liphook for their big day. So, when Lisa suggested teaming up and having a double wedding there, at first Clare thought she was crazy. “I couldn’t see how it would work without it feeling like we were imposing on their day. However, after Lisa explained that we could have two separate ceremonies followed by one massive reception I came around to her way of thinking,” recalls Clare. “At that point we’d already bought things like the bridesmaids’ dresses and luckily our colour schemes were extremely similar and worked well together. We made some adjustments to Lisa’s original plans and organised the decor together for both the ceremony and reception. It was great fun and because we’re close it was easier for us to say if we didn’t like something or wanted to change anything.” KEEP CALM AND MARRY ON Lisa and Matty fell in love with The Old Thorns Hotel, from the moment they first saw it. “The Gatsby Room really sold it to us but initially we booked the smaller room as it was more suitable for the number of guests we were inviting,” explains Lisa. When the pandemic struck, they had to postpone the wedding from July 2020 to the following year. “After moving the date, I started to lose my motivation. The planning had already been done and I wasn’t excited anymore,” Lisa recalls. “I only thought of the idea of making it a double wedding when Clare and James cancelled theirs. Most of our guests were the same, so I started planning it in my head and when I suggested it, although they laughed at first, they soon realised I was serious!” Things started to fall into place – the venue was happy to host a double wedding, the larger Gatsby Room was available and so were the registrars. “It then got really exciting again,” remembers Lisa. “I wanted Clare to feel like it was her wedding too, not just an extension of mine, so I booked appointments with all my suppliers to go with her to change or add a few things. Our colour schemes were only slightly different shades of pink and we both had the same kind of style and taste.” Then the unthinkable happened – they had to move the wedding date again, but this time the registrars couldn’t make it. “We were fortunate enough to be able to keep the ceremony room at Old Thorns, so we got married on 10th July as planned, but with just the four of us. We had such a lovely day; the hotel was wonderful and very accommodating.” Afterwards, it was full steam ahead for their all-the-bells-and-whistles wedding the following month. They booked a celebrant for 28th August and exchanged vows in front of their guests (who weren’t even aware that they’d already got married) and celebrated with a party for everyone to remember. “We had a double wedding because we really wanted all of us to finally have the day we’d been waiting for and for everyone to be excited. I just couldn’t have asked for a better wedding and what’s more, we now we have two anniversaries to celebrate!” Lisa adds. 43 REAL WEDDINGS
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