World War II was a huge global crisis that impacted people’s lives like never before. Yet, despite the horrors and tragedies of the war, couples around the world found ways to celebrate their love by getting married.
The current COVID-19 crisis affects us all, not least those couples who had plans to get married before the outbreak began. To coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day, we want to take inspiration from the past. So, here we will be looking back at inspiring stories of those who managed to wed in difficult circumstances.
Image Credit: Imperial War Museum
Adapting the Dream Wedding
Modern weddings can be lavish and meticulously-planned affairs. Every final detail is carefully chosen and considered. From the food and the outfits to the venue and the guests, we are used to being able to plan a dream wedding with ease.
However, historically, times of hardship have significantly upset wedding plans. During World War II, most couples couldn’t plan a perfect wedding. Heather Leybourn told the BBC the tale of her parents’ wedding in 1941. Her mother, Elizabeth, had only recently been evacuated from London to Bletchington Park near Oxford. Therefore, she was not considered to be domiciled by church authorities. So, the couple were married in Oxford Registry Office rather than a local church.
The wedding was attended by only five guests, who had to catch the train from London to Oxford at 4am! This was due to the limited wartime service. After the ceremony, the couple had a modest meal at a restaurant in the city, due to rationing. This couple made do with a simple wedding as their circumstances demanded. However, this did not make the day any less special!
Establishing Priorities
Image Credit: Hulton Deutsch Collection / CORBIS
As the picture above demonstrates, the couples who got married during the war often did so in spite of incredibly tough circumstances. Some had lost their homes, loved ones, or faced the prospect of separation due to active service. The most important thing was to actually get married, to take the opportunity whilst it was there. It can still be the best day of your life, even under difficult conditions.
The tale of Audrey Stokes and Hugh Verity, as told by the Imperial War Museum, shows the importance of taking chances. Hugh was granted 48 hours of continuous leave, a rarity at the time, and the couple took the opportunity to wed in that short window, planning the whole thing inside a week!
Image Credit: Imperial War Museum
Make Do and Mend
There were further complications when it came to attire. Whilst many grooms could wear their military uniform, many brides had to make compromises. In some cases, the traditional white wedding dress was considered inappropriate. Others found that they simply couldn’t find the resources or the money for a proper dress.
So, couples like Eileen Stone and Leslie Speller, made do with what the materials they could get their hands on. One of Leslie’s old RAF parachutes was fashioned into a dress when the couple was married immediately after the war. The dress was later adapted into a coat, whilst one of the parachute drawstrings was used to bind the couple’s wedding album.
Image Credit: Imperial War Museum
Have Your Cake and Eat It
Unsurprisingly, food rationing had a significant impact on most wartime wedding receptions. As well as scaling back their ideal catering plans, couples made wedding cakes out of what little they had.
Charles and Muriel Vincent luckily had a friend who specialised in wedding cakes. However, in order to bake one, their family and friends all rallied together to provide enough coupons to get ingredients. This contribution affected their own rationing and meant they had to go without some necessities. The reception was simple, with just enough food and drink to go around. However, nobody minded as they were all glad to be celebrating the couple’s marriage.
Image Credit: Imperial War Museum
So, What Can We Learn?
There are lots of lessons for us to take into our own wedding planning, especially in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. As things stand, you may not able to have the big wedding ceremony you always dreamed of due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, just as many wartime couples did, you can make the best of a tough situation. For today’s couples, this might mean that you have a commitment ceremony hosted on Zoom, as talked about by Lynn Tierney on Wedding Fair Live. You can then have a larger, official celebration when the crisis has passed.
Image Credit: Imperial War Museum
Understandably, you may be disappointed to have lost your dream wedding date. You may have had to change your booking from a weekend in Summer 2020 to a midweek or Winter date in 2021. If this is the case, try not to panic! As these wartime stories show, your nearest and dearest will do their utmost to make sure that your wedding is wonderful. The occasion is more special than individual details.
The most important lesson is that, even in tough times, celebrating your love for your partner should remain at the centre of your decisions. You may have to make compromises whilst the crisis is happening, but that is a small price to pay. You can still have your dream wedding further down the line. But, for now, we must do what we can, just as the brave couples of World War II did so admirably.
Find more information on planning a wedding during COVID-19 here.