janipans, I am so glad you managed to resolve the situation AND managed to keep everyone happy.
For those who are talking about numbers permitted at weddings, I don't think Boris has changed it.
A friend's son got married in a registry office at the end of July and the registry office only permitted the bride, groom and two guests/witnesses.
The same week, a friend's daughter got married at our church. This meant (and I think it is probably the same for a service at a licensed venue other than a registry office) there could be a total of 30 people, including bride, groom, minister/photographer etc. However, the change that Boris announced this week is that those 30 guests are now able to attend a reception, with food and drink served, so long as Covid measures are observed. Prior to this, people could attend the wedding service but were not permitted to have a reception.