Is my wedding cancelled due to coronavirus (COVID-19)?

The UK nation was addressed once again by the prime minister on 10th May, you can read his speech here.

• Thursday 16th May, the lockdown period is to be extended for a further three weeks, up until 7th May 2020, where the situation will be reviewed once more.
• The UK prime minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation on the evening of Monday 23rd March. The PM made it clear that during this national emergency of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic the UK is to undergo strict restrictions over the next 3 weeks. You can see the Prime Minister's speech written in full here.

This information is of course changing all the time.

This blog post on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and weddings is up to date at 12.30pm Wednesday 13th May 2020.

What do I need to do now? Coronavirus and my wedding (COVID-19)

Stay alert.

We can all help control the virus if we all stay alert. This means you must:

• stay at home as much as possible
• work from home if you can
• limit contact with other people
• keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)
• wash your hands regularly

Do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.

Is my wedding cancelled due to coronavirus (COVID-19)?

If your wedding is planned before 1st June 2020, then it will NOT go ahead.

It is the governments intention that from 1st June 2020 small wedding ceremonies will be able to go ahead. At present, it is not clear how many people would constitute as a 'small' wedding.

What should I do if my wedding is cancelled due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

• Speak to your wedding venue and wedding suppliers about the rearrangement of your wedding. If a rearrangement is not possible, find out if you are entitled to any refunds.
• If you paid by credit card, contact your credit card provider to see if they will be able to refund any payments to you.
• If you have taken out wedding insurance, read your wedding policy document carefully as this should cover most of your questions.

Wedding venues and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Contact your wedding venue and ask them what dates they have available. It would be best to email your wedding venue, for two reasons:

1. The staff will not be present at the venue, they will be working from home.
2. It is important that you have everything in writing. This is an unprecedented time for everyone, all of us feel panicked and stressed by the situation, your venue will not have experienced so many people wanting to postpone or cancel their weddings, you need to make sure you have your new date in writing, along with any information they give you about payments or refunds.

Most wedding insurance policies will cover you for a wedding venue being unable to hold your wedding due to Coronavirus which will be classed as an “outbreak of infectious or contagious disease”, insurance policies usually cover for closure of the venue by the relevant authority.

Wedding Suppliers and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

It is quite likely that your wedding suppliers will be more than happy to provide you with their service on your new wedding date. Some suppliers may be able to offer partial refunds if you have to cancel their services. You will need to take into consideration any time that they have already spent preparing for your wedding and it would be fair for them to deduct their time and expenses incurred from your refund.

If your wedding supplier is already booked for your new wedding date, it is likely that they will be able to provide you the contact details of other suppliers that they strongly recommend, in these circumstances, they would be less likely to offer you a full refund, you will need to read through the contract that you have with them.

It is unlikely that your wedding insurance will provide cover for your wedding suppliers if they have had to cancel due to this period of staying at home and lockdown.

Staying connected to your loved ones during this period of staying at home and lockdown

If you would like to post a Wedition to your wedding guests at this difficult time then please do get in touch.

We would love to create a very special Wedition for you to let your loved ones know that your wedding is still going ahead, just at a later date. Along with the story of how you met and your proposal, we can include lots of photos of your family and friends, childhood memories and anecdotes. This will really bring a smile to the faces of your family and friends and they will know that even though you cannot be with them you are still thinking about them.

Along with stories and photos, we can include a few games to pass the time and a guide to staying mentally and physically healthy at home.

Stay in touch: liz@wedition.co.uk