Ten guests and a $7 veil, but Covid doubles wedding joy
Concerned that Covid would delay their wedding indefinitely, this young couple in love decided to marry in a park before the pandemic hit. Then, they did it all again.
QWeekend
Don't miss out on the headlines from QWeekend. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Concerned that COVID would delay their wedding indefinitely, this young couple decided to marry in a park while restrictions allowed.
With only 10 people watching on in May last year – and wearing a $7 veil from Spotlight – Kaitlin McGoldrick and Matthew Howard tied the knot.
The festivities were still to come, with the couple celebrating a big wedding on New Year’s Eve 2020 at the Calile Hotel in Fortitude Valley with 110 guests.
It wasn’t what they had originally planned, but the couple said having two weddings was a special way to celebrate.
“I really loved the experience of having just family for our first one, I definitely felt more present with our nearest and dearest and I feel like people really miss out on that with one big wedding,’’ Kaitlin says.
“When we initially postponed, we still wanted to get married so we weren’t waiting on Covid to declare us husband and wife, which was the best decision ever.’’
The couple from MacKenzie in Brisbane’s south-east, – who met through church – have been together for almost four years and say despite the sudden change in plans due to COVID, they were still able to have a magical wedding day.
“Leading up to the second wedding I felt like, ‘Will people want to celebrate us as we are now technically married?’’’ Kaitlin says.
“When it came to the day they did want to and I think they celebrated even harder because we deserved this celebration after the year we went though.”
How did Matt propose?
Kaitlin: Matt took me to “our” restaurant, which sadly has now closed down after COVID, called Martha St Kitchen in Camp Hill and we shared a pizza and talked about our future.
I, for sure, thought he was going to whip out the ring at dinner and was shattered when he didn’t.
He suggested we go home to say hi to his parents after they had returned from an overseas trip.
Slightly disappointed after not being proposed to, I was like, “Eh yeah sure … great”.
Next minute he had set up the whole back yard with fairy lights, a picnic rug, he had quickly changed in to a suit and had our song playing in the background, I walked around the corner absolutely blindsided and sobbed from happiness and confusion.
What was the standout moment of the day?
Walking down the aisle surrounded by all the people I love.
One of my favourite moments was actually having a moment of quiet reflection before the day started with my maid of honour and sister, we drank coffee and had a beautiful breakfast at The Calile and spent time journaling, I just felt so much peace and excitement.
What would you do differently?
Move it back three weeks so the NSW border could have been open and Matt’s whole family could have been there. The borders unfortunately shut one week before, so we reduced numbers quite significantly.
On the day, a family member FaceTimed the family in Sydney, and they had a watching party drinking champagne. We didn’t want to go into 2021 not married, so postponing was not an option.
What would you spend more or less on?
I would have done my own fake tan LOL, the one I got done got really patchy!
One thing you wish people told you about planning a wedding?
People don’t notice the little details, don’t stress.
Best advice for other couples planning a wedding?
You deserve to have a wedding, fight for it! It is worth every stress for the memories.
Original wedding plans?
We planned a wedding at The Calile Hotel on July 4, 2020.
The Calile is just the most beautiful place to get married in Brisbane, best service, best food, so aesthetically pleasing.
When did you decide to change plans?
When The Calile cancelled our July date.
Emotions around changing plans?
So many! Mostly acceptance.
What helped you get through the stress of changing plans?
My sister and maid of honour Emily Gough. I would have been lost without her.
Advice for other couples whose weddings are impacted by coronavirus?
Make sure you still feel special and celebrated.
What does marriage mean to you?
Marriage to us means choosing each other every day despite how we feel.
One of the best pieces of advice I have been given by my dad, is treat each other like a friend you get to have forever. Take off the pressure of labels and just be happy you have a friend by your side for life.
Any funny stories from the day?
We had a mini crisis right before I walked down the aisle when the flowers’ colour rubbed on to my very white dress and I had this big spot of bright pink. Somehow we got it off.
Hen’s night?
It felt like a big slumber party with my best friends. We did a cocktail making class, we all wore matching wigs, made 90’s bead necklaces, went dancing and to a fancy restaurant.
Buck’s night?
Matt had to wear a mankini and went to a Korean BBQ (he didn’t wear the mankini to the Korean BBQ of course).
Honeymoon?
Palm Cove.
More Coverage
‘Timeless elegance’: Australia’s top fashion designers reveal top summer fashion buys
Boldness will always win when you’re dressing for the holiday season. Here’s how to find your festive look, ahead of Vogue’s annual shopping event.
‘Magical’ Cirque du Soleil arrival stands out above all others
Think you’ve seen it all? Think again. If you’ve never been to a Cirque du Soleil show before, you couldn’t ask for a better introduction than the show that’s just arrived in Brisbane.