Thousands Of Weddings Face Cancellation After Government Clarifies “Unclear” Covid Rules
Weddings will be allowed to resume from 12 April, but only at certain venues (PA)
3 min read
The government has confirmed that the majority of weddings cannot resume from 12 April as expected, despite the official roadmap suggesting they could go ahead with 15 guests.
Ceremonies and receptions are only permitted in England from next month if they take place in places of worship, public buildings or in an outdoor setting.
However, 71% of weddings in the UK are held in other licensed venues, which are not permitted to open in England until all indoor hospitality settings reopen in May.
"The roadmap indicated weddings and receptions could resume on 12th April. We have now discovered, not by being offered the information but by analysing the small print and repeatedly seeking clarity, that this is not the case,” said Sarah Haywood, a spokesperson for industry body UK Weddings Taskforce.
“The £14.7bn wedding sector can reasonably expect government’s own messaging to be clear and unambiguous.
“It is neither, and after a year of uncertainty for businesses, their employees and over half a million people whose weddings have been on hold, this is yet another major blow.”
The organisation expects that up to 7,000 weddings could be affected by the lack of clarity.
A government spokesperson said: “The roadmap set out that at Step 2 weddings, receptions, and commemorative events will be able to take place with up to 15 attendees in premises that are permitted to open.
“This means that at Step 2 - no earlier than 12 April – weddings can take place in premises that are permitted to open or where a broader exemption applies such as places of worship or hotel function suites.
“Wedding receptions can take place outdoors only. There has been no change to this plan,” they continued.
"We understand the unique significance these events hold in people’s lives but we must continue to take necessary steps to limit the transmission of the virus.”
The revelation comes just two weeks after MPs wrote to Boris Johnson urging him to provide more support for the struggling wedding sector.
They said that the UK Weddings Taskforce’s recommendations had been “largely ignored” in the government’s roadmap out of lockdown despite the value of the sector “[outranking] other industries such as live sports and the arts” prior to the pandemic.
The letter said: “Although there is a finish line in sight for the resumption of weddings (June 21 at the earliest) the hurdles to get there are insurmountable for many businesses, threatening 400,000 jobs in 60,000 businesses, as well as refunds for couples, and tax receipts for the Treasury.”
It continued: “Wedding venues want to work with the Government and demonstrate they are safe... And yet, having worked tirelessly for thousands of hours to make their case, the Government appears content to allow the sector to collapse - despite it being in the enviable position of retaining guaranteed businesses if it can get to Step 4 [of the roadmap].”
Measures proposed by the MPs include £880 million in funding for the sector, as well as a temporary VAT reduction and business rates exemption until April 2022.
They also call for the capacity limit of events in Step 3 of the roadmap to be changed from a 50-person cap to a 50% venue capacity cap in line with other large events.
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