Wedding on coronation day

[gaoxiaojie]

Hi lovely ladies!

I wanted to pick your brains on something. My fiancé and I booked our wedding venue in Spring 2022 for the 6th of May 2023. Wedding prep is going well and now all we need to finesse are the speeches and order of the day.

Since sending out our Save the Date’s, the coronation was scheduled for our wedding day. Most of my fiancé’s friends and family are royalists and genuinely gutted about the clash with the wedding. Luckily all of them are prioritising the wedding over the coronation, but I do feel like our wedding should somehow acknowledge the historical significance of the day.

Any idea what we could do to lean into the coronation without it getting in the way of celebrating our wedding? I don’t necessarily want to put it on a TV, but I could be open to a speech, singing God save the King, or some other nod that way. Ideas?

I don’t think a speech or singing the National is needed.
However, I’d want to see a screen at some point to watch at least a bit of such a historical even tbh. I’m not even a royalist but it’s a pretty big deal.

Agree with @ItsAllSoComplicated . We are going to a wedding on coronation day, and tbh I’m gutted to be missing such a big moment in history. I would have tvs on for key moments.

I would just ignore it. If people want to watch a bit of it, they can leave the room and use their phones.

Just a nod in the toasts is fine. If people want to watch, they can do so on their phones. If you want to, give them permission to do so when the invites come out.

Im going to a wedding on coronation day and I really hope they aren’t going to force the coronation on us all. I don’t say that to be a misery guts, it’s nice that you’re thinking of your royalist guests, but in a cost of living crisis for an elderly man (so we’ll probably do it again and maybe even again in our lifetimes) I just don’t want anything to do with it.

Do a toast to the Kings health or whatever during the normal speeches if you want.

Otherwise ignore... People can watch on catch up later.

(I thought this would be about cancellations from suppliers or officials!)

I'd maybe see if there's a corner of the bar where you can put a telly for the ceremony itself, so people who are really interested can watch (while still chatting and socialising). If it clashes with your actual ceremony or a sit-down meal then obviously that won't be possible though.

Unless you personally feel you'd like to reference the event with everyone singing God Save The King because it's important to you, I'd leave it out. The people who are interested will find a way to watch a phone screen without erecting tvs.

I've been to several weddings over the years that have "clashed" with big sporting events and interested people have gone missing at crucial points, tiny radios in suit pockets pre internet!

I'd probably time the day around the actual ceremony part, so reception drinks are happening then. Tv in the corner of wherever your drinks are happening.

I wouldn't have the tv on for the whole day though - just the actual service itself.

Don’t put a screen up - people will be in the corner watching it.
I’d ignore it - they can watch it on catch up

Oh it looks like the service is in the morning, so I'd just have the wedding 3pm onwards.

With luck and a following wind, it won’t occur.

Treason! @Allthegoodnamesarechosen 😉

I’d be quite gutted to miss it live myself. But a wedding of people I actually know trumps it really

Im a massive royalist and looking forward to watching the coronation. Which I’m recording as I’ll be on holiday on the day. If your guests are that bothered they can do the same.

I would just suggest that the bride and groom should wear crowns.

what is the timing of your event? can you arrange your schedule such that there is a 30 min chunk of time with a big screen for the royalists to watch stuff. then they will feel they've seen the coach / the clothes etc and can get back to the wedding.

friends had a wedding scheduled which turned out to be the day of a big rugby match that 60% of the wedding guests were desperate to see. they scheduled Ceremony / drinks / 30 mins rugby highlights + photos + chill out time / meal / dancing. It all worked great.

I would have the main bit of the coronation on the TV and time around it

If the timing of your wedding allows, I would show the actual cathedral ceremony live on TV screens. I've heard it's going to be one hour long, that's not much out of your whole day.

Like some of your guests I'm a monarchist and I'd be truly gutted to miss watching it live. It's a once-in-a-lifetime for most people.

I think if you don't proactively arrange to show it, you'll find people disappearing into other rooms/looking at their phones/etc anyway, which you might find more annoying.

Can you have a nod to it in your favours, if you're having favours? Otherwise I think you should both be wearing crowns and ermine capes, sitting on thrones etc etc

I think you either go all in; or basically ignore it, if I'm honest - very similarly to people getting married during the England World Cup campaign; etc.

If your family and friends are Royalists and want to watch it; I'd move around wedding timings so that people can watch on a screen. They can still mingle and have canapes etc; and it could fit nicely with photos? Or potentially be before the wedding, if you don't mind not being there, or fiancé seeing you that day before you get married. That will stop people being tempted to slope away/watch on their phones/follow along on Twitter etc, and should mean that when your wedding is actually happening; people will feel that they've seen "enough" and will be fully present.

Alternatively you could ignore it or just toast it during your speeches, but again - if it's important to your friends and family, and they will have ways to watch it, it's a big ask for them not to. They'll feel that they are being subtle; but en masse, it may not be! If this is your preference, I'd try and time your wedding so it's either before or after the main event and people can disappear off if they want to.

Congratulations! Early May is a beautiful time to get married. I went to two weddings during the World Cup where the bride really panicked about the clash for months; and both went really well and they couldn't be happier, so don't panic too much.

It really does depend on the timing of your wedding. Could be that people will have time to watch the coronation first and then it’ll be a really special day for the royalists with your wedding in the afternoon.

I do think a toast to the King is a good way to incorporate it. Congratulations!

Agreed with this is timings allow, make it a fun part of the wedding, or I agree you might have quite a few people on their phones

Ah yes photos is a great idea if possible, you always get complaints about the couple disappearing ages for photos.
If a lot of people in the photos would like to watch also, just try to have a timing schedule maybe for photos (as a bonus it does make for a little less of a mess, like X can you come for 10min at time X ?

I agree, it’s all about the timings. If it is morning, you’re ok, if it’s while you’re having pre dinner meal drinks, then that might be nice to have a screen. It’s a lot nicer atmospherically than if it’s football.

Yes, it’s actually quite nice ime to have a wedding on a historical day, but if possible I def would have a screen for the main event, it’ll bring a festive vibe if they’re all royalists ! It’s a nice gesture as well. And really the absolute whole day isn’t going to be fascinating, I doubt they’ll resent all the ‘oh the cars have departed, wonder who’s in that one, oh the cars have arrived and here’s X getting out’.
That’s just me though, fwiw I was gutted to have a huge entrance exam on the eve of Kate and Williams wedding (not a royalist, but like lots really wanted to watch!) So I took an hour or so out of the actual studying to watch the actual highlight part, and didn’t feel like I missed much tbh

You can always catch up on the finer details the next day if you wish, but missing the main highlight isn’t totally the same tbh