A Brisbane bride whose wedding was derailed by virus limits found a solution to the crisis, tying the knot in a park on a budget. Photo / Kaitlin Howard / TikTok
A Brisbane bride whose wedding was derailed by virus limits found a solution to the crisis, tying the knot in a park on a budget. Photo / Kaitlin Howard / TikTok
It wasn't the wedding Kaitlin Howard had always dreamt of but nothing was going to stop the young bride from marrying her love, Matthew – not even coronavirus.
Like thousands of couples across the country, the pair's special day had been derailed by the pandemic.
After nearly a year worth of planning and thousands of dollars later, the dream wedding came to a crashing halt because of coronavirus restrictions that closed venues and limited guest numbers and human interaction.
But not all was lost. On July 16, the couple made the decision to "elope".
Ditching her big day for a smaller, socially distanced event, Kaitlin managed to pull together an amazing wedding thanks to some quick-thinking solutions – including making a veil using $7 worth of fabric from Spotlight and buying a last-minute bridal gown online.
"To be honest, it is quite a weird feeling. I never expected my wedding to be like this," Kaitlin told news.com.au.
"We didn't know how long this was going to last and we really just wanted to get married so we made the last minute decision to elope."
They shared their video of their 'COVID elopement' wedding to TikTok which has generated more than 250,000 views and hundreds of comments. Photo / TikTok / Kaitlin Howard
Kaitlin, 23, had already spent more than $4000 on a custom-made wedding dress but when the pair's $20,000 reception had to close amid coronavirus restrictions, they tied the knot at their local park, just five minutes down the road from their home.
"It was devastating. I think when coronavirus started, we knew deep down it wasn't going to happen – we were both so upset. I was balling my eyes out," she said.
The couple have now pushed back their official reception at the Calile Hotel in Brisbane to New Year's Eve, where they will celebrate with the 110 guests who couldn't be at their makeshift big day, restrictions permitting.
The couple spent just $700 on their "second" wedding, including Kaitlin's substitute wedding dress, which cost $230 on sale from Shona Joy and her nifty veil alternative.
"My sister was cutting the veil 30 minutes before I walked down the aisle – that's how much of a home job it was, as I didn't have time to order anything online," Kaitlin said.
"I am saving my actual dress which looks completely different for the official wedding."
As a former makeup artist, Kaitlin did her own glam look, sharing her entire "COVID" wedding experience on TikTok where it has generated more than 250,000 views.
Kaitlin's diamante veil cost $7 from Spotlight which her sister made, together with her bouquet 30 minutes before she walked down the aisle. Photo / TikTok / Kaitlin Howard
In the footage, Kaitlin takes viewers on a journey of her budget wedding, explaining it was the perfect day despite the difficulties.
The clip has also received hundreds of comments from couples in a similar situation.
"This will be me in October! I'm happy to see other 2020 brides still going through with their ceremony this year," one woman commented.
"Omg we had such a similar situation! Unforgettable time aye. You guys did so amazing," another bride added.
"I had a COVID wedding too but my family didn't get to be there. It was a lovely day but devastating that they weren't there," a third person said.
Kaitlin said she has been overwhelmed with messages mainly from brides asking her for advice.
"There's just so many people going through a rough time right now organising/cancelling their weddings," she said.
"Many have reached out feeling the same about whether they should have two celebrations."
Kaitlin, a social media/marketing assistant and Matthew, a videographer, said they still have high hopes in celebrating their "real" wedding later this year.
The couple's park ceremony only saw their immediate family members invited. Out of the 10 bridesmaids and groomsmen, Kaitlin only had her two sisters and Matt's two best friends, who were their videographers on the day.
