Your wedding and Covid-19

When you started planning your wedding would you imagine that you have to add ‘global pandemic’ to the list of issues that might crop up, alongside ‘the wrong colour napkins have arrived…..

Me neither! Definitely didn’t have Pandemic Blog post in my schedule.

I feel sorry for you but remember – Stay Calm, Stay Safe, Stay Well, don’t buy too many toilet rolls at once and we are all in this together and we will all get through this together. We Are One…. we will get through this, and your wedding will be spectacular. It’s a testing time for us all at the minute, and if you’re planning a wedding and are facing the tough decision of having to cancel or postpone your big day amid the Covid-19 crisis, I’m here to lend a helping hand.

Cancellations, Legal Rights

Following some weeks of uncertainty and self-isolation, the UK government announced a state of ‘lockdown’ on Monday 23 March 2020, which saw an immediate ban on all social gatherings, including weddings over the next three weeks. Now they extended it again for another 3 weeks. What does it mean if your wedding couldn’t take place? Or you needed to cancel it or reschedule.

Let me explain.

It is very important to remember (if you need to talk to your insurance company) that Coronavirus is an on going event at the moment, not a one off. Which means that postponement is inevitable.

In this situation – while there’s no clarity on whether or not your wedding should go ahead, especially within the next month or so it raises a whole new bunch of questions and concerns about your legal rights, refunds and protocol when it comes to cancelling your wedding. Getting back your deposit etc.

What I found online that can help you :

If you cancel your contract, because you have cancelled the wedding, not giving a date to postpone to, you are cancelling the contract, so standard t’s & c’s of your insurance or contract with a supplier apply.
If you move to a date which the supplier cannot do, they are not working with the supplier, for the supplier to be able to transfer the booking to another date, therefore you are in breach of contract. the supplier does not have to refund.
If you move the wedding date and to another venue which supplier cannot do; as for example the venue is out of their travel distance, again, you are in breach of contract. The supplier does not have to refund.
Suppliers must make it clear that they are willing to transfer to a new date. Any changes are to be emailed to the client, DO NOT need to write up a new contract.

Its a tricky situation for both sides. Remember that if BOTH parties cannot fulfil the contract, and the date can be postponed to enable to be fulfilled on another date. It therefore falls on the client to find a date the supplier can do. If they can’t, then it is the client who are in breach of the contract.

I know this sound super harsh but believe me it really depends how your supplier will deal with the situation. Just remember that suppliers are in the same situation as you are, and its always better to have a conversation about rescheduling rather than cancelling it overall.

SO have a conversation with your suppliers. Try to find a solution together – discuss refund or postponement and the carrying forward of money paid – presumably couples still want to marry at some point.

RESOURCES:

Article Resources with thanks to amongst others the below plus our amazing expert advisors

WHO – World Health Organisation – https://www.who.int/