The first time my partner and I had to cancel our wedding, it was crushing. Lockdown began two months before we were due to marry last May. The second time Covid thwarted our plans – for a rescheduled May 2021 do – the element of surprise was dulled; we felt numb. Now, we’ve postponed to August 2022, to avoid risking a repeat of all the admin that comes with rescheduling. Yet, we’ve been lucky: our guest list should stay intact, and the financial loss has been minimal.
But as the country creeps into its second summer of restrictions, the stories of loss, chaos, financial ruin and weddings on a knife edge have, for some couples, become the norm. We’ve seen a rise of the disinvitation as guest lists are slashed last minute. Director Emma Dennis, 34, and partner Nick, 36, have rearranged their wedding four times, cut their guest list down from 100 to 35 and this week faced nail-biting wait to see if lockdown will lift on 21 June – so their big day can finally go ahead on 25 June as planned.
‘I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed,’ Emma says. The Times reports that a limit on weddings will be lifted even if other restrictions remain, but the Government is yet to confirm. Still, for brides like Emma, who’ve already cut their guest list, bringing back 65 guests at the eleventh hour isn’t an option. And any announcement now comes too late for those reeling from two years of ruined weddings. The reality is, many are still struggling with the financial upset or stress of having to reschedule. Emma is also in a battle with a venue they’re no longer using, which is trying to hold on to £2,800. ‘It’s a lot of money for not receiving anything,’ she says.
Beth, 32, who works in finance, originally planned to have a festival-style wedding with 200 guests in Sussex last July with fiancé Tom. Instead, they’ve spent the past year struggling to recoup deposits from suppliers, being passed between their insurance company – who say suppliers need to pay – and the suppliers, whose businesses have been badly hit and say they can’t reimburse. ‘We’re £9k out of pocket and I’m worried we won’t get that back,’ Beth says. ‘We’ve had to completely start again. Losing such a huge amount of money means we’ve had to massively downscale.’ Their second attempt at a wedding last October was upset by a last-minute change in restrictions. Now they’re planning a do in a hotel in Brighton. ‘It’s taken over my life,’ she says. ‘You think you’ve bought insurance and been careful. I feel frustrated and let down. We got to the point where we thought, let’s just get married with family.’
But amid the never-ending admin and lost deposits, romance remains. After having to cancel her first wedding last year, Rachael Venables, 28, who works in radio, was delighted to marry Tom on 30 May at her parents’ house in Staffordshire. ‘We had to shrink the guest list from 120 to 30,’ she says. ‘But we were able to broadcast the wedding ceremony on Zoom and it was so special to see everyone still joining us, up on the church’s projector. The day was so full of love, ultimately, the numbers didn’t matter.’ The happy ending many of us are hoping for.