What’s next for weddings? – September 2020

Well, my previous prediction CLICK HERE that the Government might ease the restrictions on weddings has now been proved wrong. Rather than be increased, it’s been halved from 30 to 15. The Prime Minister also said these new rules could be in place for 6 months. This will take us through to the end of March next year.

The only good news is that the 15 now doesn’t include the registrars/minister, previously everyone was included. Now it’s the couple and 13 guests. The latest rules also permit the first dance, but no other dancing and no music louder than in the background.

So, what’s next for weddings? First, it’s worth acknowledging there is a lot of hurt out there. Many of my 2020 couples have already rescheduled their wedding twice and now they are faced with another date change. Please spare a thought for the venues and suppliers, many of them are really struggling and the Government hasn’t given them the support they’ve offered to other sectors.  Fortunately for my couples, I’ve got this under control and because of the way I operate I’ve been able to reschedule every date so far.

In my view, couples should try and stay calm and be realistic. As I’ve said before, finding someone you want to spend the rest of your life with is a fantastic thing, you are very lucky. Making plans is still an option, having things to look forward to, for me, is a vital part of life. What better to look forward to than a wedding.

What’s next for weddings – Hitched Survey

What’s everyone else doing? Well, according to Hitched, who carried out a survey with 400 couples, 95% of couples are not going to cancel their weddings. Instead, 71% are opting to reschedule and around 20% are opting to throw a micro wedding on their original date.

The 71% rescheduling in the Hitched survey is made up of 34% moving to the first half of 2021, and 56% choosing the second half of 2021.

So, I think we can say that couples are still hoping to get married. I think the interesting development is the “micro wedding”. A small gathering can be much cheaper, gives everyone more time with the happy couple and takes an enormous amount of pressure out of the day. Many will probably have a bigger celebration once the restrictions are eased.

What’s next for weddings – in conclusion

I’ve only had two weddings this year. The first was just before the restrictions came in back in March. The second was last month where the couple decided to go ahead with a 30 people wedding and outside reception.  I think both couples would tell you they had wonderful days. All the recommended procedures were observed at both weddings and, to my knowledge, nobody was affected by CV-19 following either event.

Think about your options. Make plans but be prepared to change them. I could rattle on for a few thousand words about various options you might consider, but I won’t. If you want to talk through the various options just drop me an email or give me a call and we can talk about it – even if you aren’t, and don’t intend to be, my customer!

CLICK HERE to go the Hampshire County Council website for the latest public Health update with regards to weddings.

Never forget, these are difficult times for us all. I don’t think it’s unrealistic to say the whole World is at war and there is always someone worse off than you.