Following on from our March 13th blog 'Will coronavirus affect my wedding plans?' we will try in this issue to alleviate some of the stress if your wedding has been affected - or perhaps you are worrying about your plans and bookings set for later this year.
At the time of writing our first helpful blog regarding the coronavirus, weddings had not been cancelled in the UK completely, but had been limited and some were still taking place in Europe. That situation has now changed as governments including the UK have now taken the further step of cancelling weddings altogether. You may find it worthwhile taking a look at the previous blog, which has lots of advice on dealing some of the practicalities you may face.
Now that we are in a situation where governments including the UK have cancelled weddings, the watchwords for you now are 'compromise, don't cancel'. Here at Bride Buddy we are happy to fully refund deposits and help couples to reschedule but as we are discovering not everyone has been able to get money back. The whole wedding industry wants to help you to get your wedding back on track. With this in mind, try and work with your vendors, suppliers and venues. You should obviously still try your insurers although it is looking as though less and less insurance companies are willing to help out citing the Covid-19 pandemic as a reason to invalidate any cover. For this reason when talking to your venue and suppliers be reasonable and compromise as much as you can. The moment that you mention the words 'cancel' you are the one who is in breach of contract and there are a lot of companies out there at the moment who are keeping your deposit just in order to help their businesses survive. Be prepared to compromise on the date too. Again, if you state that you will cancel because they cannot offer you the date that you want, it will be you breaching the contract and legally, your venue and suppliers are entitled to keep your deposits.
Before you talk to anyone - check the terms and conditions of any contracts that you have made and seek out the cancellation terms.
If you were planning a wedding abroad, get in touch with your wedding planner, insurers, accommodation and travel insurance. Check the terms and conditions of your contracts before you call anyone, and be prepared to compromise. If you have already attended the Register Office in the UK to give notice and obtain a Certificate of no Impediment (the licence that allows you to marry abroad) check the validity dates on the blue licences. Most CNI's (certificate of no impediment) are only valid between 3 - 6 months. If these look like they will be expired before your rescheduled date you will have to give notice at the Register Office again and pay again. The reason for this is because the documents have to be up to date and current by law so there will not be anything you can do these if they need doing again. The other alternative is to have a basic marriage at the Register Office for £50 with just yourselves and two witnesses. You can then follow this with a celebratory ceremony abroad at a later date of your choice.
Above all, remember that if you planned to get married then you will. It will never be cancelled - just postponed. The most important things to think about are:
The wedding industry needs you just as much as you need them and want to work with you
Compromise, compromise compromise
All wedding couples are in the same boat as you
Remember why you had to postpone - to save lives
Anxiety is our natural response to the unknown and it helps us find solutions
Focus on what you are grateful for
Use the time to check over your wedding plans, make adjustments for the better
You will get married and it will be just as wonderful - only the date will change
When things are completely beyond our control we should stay focused and healthy and look after our loved ones. Accept that this is nobody's fault and think about the great ways that you are going to re-group, re-plan and get married!
For more great advice, guidance and info you can check out all the practical Bride Buddy Blogs here