‘We've been engaged for over four years, and when this year we finally decided to get our lazy arses to sort out the wedding and parted with a small fortune (when I say small, I mean gigantic) for our tailored kilts, the world gets fucked,’ tweeted William Saraband last night.
Saraband is one of many that have been forced to cancel their wedding in an effort to prevent the spread of to prevent the spread of coronavirus. While weddings have been in jeopardy for the last few weeks, last night, Boris Johnson announced all weddings were to be cancelled as gatherings of more than two people are now banned. The rules will be in place for at least three weeks (as of March 23) when the government will re-assess the safety precautions.
For some, like Saraband, it means huge financial losses in an already difficult time. 'Kilts last a lifetime, but you can't eat them,' he shared on Twitter. 'With our income taking a massive hit right now, like most people, we may need the money we parted with to do that.'
For others, having to cancel their wedding has taken more of an emotional toll. ‘Ours was more of a DIY wedding really so we haven't lost a ton of money,' says Isleen Campbell, 50 from Stirling, Scotland. 'I'm more sad I won't get to see my son who was coming over from Florida for the wedding. He's working and married out there, I'm just worried about him and would really like to see him.'
Particularly, Campbell says, she’s worried about not just re-arranging her wedding, but what travesties could occur in the meantime given ongoing the public health emergency. ‘I’ve got an 87-year-old mother who is not in the best of health and you’re left wondering will she be there to see me get married?’ she says.
Not knowing how long this will last, when weddings can be re-arranged and how the world will look then seems to be the heaviest weight on most of the marrying couples we spoke to.
The thought of cancelling after a year of planning makes my heart sink
'It still hasn't sunk in that a few weeks ago my fiancé and I were spending weekends finalising seating plans and ordering cutlery, and now the wedding is off and we've got no idea when we'll be able to rearrange,' says Anna Silverman, 32 from Leeds.
'The thought of cancelling after a year of planning makes my heart sink, not to mention dread the inevitable battle with insurance - who knows if they will cover it?' she continued. 'But the thought of postponing with no idea of when we'd be able to go ahead feels so upsetting and unsettling.'
Combined with the unknown of everything else going on right now, couples are facing emotional and financial stresses they'd never have contemplated when they first got engaged. All we can hope is that answers come quickly.
Read More:
Coronavirus: What Should I Do If I Have A Wedding Planned This Summer?
Coronavirus: The Reality of Cancelling A Dream Italian Wedding
Coronavirus: How Will The Crisis Affect Mothers About To Give Birth?