Walsall bride-to-be suffering ‘sleepless nights’ amid wedding restriction uncertainty
One said restrictions make ‘no sense’ and they would be better off getting married during ‘half-time in a football match’.
Brides have said the uncertainty surrounding wedding restrictions has left them suffering “countless sleepless nights” and feeling they would be better off getting married at “half time in a football match”.
It has been reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson may lift the 30-person limit on wedding receptions on June 21 – even if the easing of other lockdown restrictions is delayed.
However, the continued uncertainty over what will happen has left some couples anxious and frustrated.
Rebecca Lee and her fiance Joe Henderson, both 30 and from Manchester, initially planned to get married on August 22, 2020 – but have had to move the date twice to May 7 and then August 5 of this year.
“My anxiety levels are through the roof. I’ve had countless sleepless nights now with the stress of it all,” Ms Lee, a PR director, told PA.
“Our original wedding caterer reluctantly had to back out of servicing our wedding because his costs were just spiralling – I felt so sorry for him.”
Ms Lee said the wedding was initially planned for 100 guests during the day and then an extra 30 for the evening, but this has since been reduced to 80.
“I’m due to pay my caterer in a couple of weeks,” she added.
“Do I pay them for 80 and risk losing thousands if it gets reduced to 30?”
Melissa Thorneycroft, from Walsall in the West Midlands, said the restrictions make “no sense”.
The 29-year-old’s wedding to Lewis Harper, a 31-year-old delivery driver, is planned for June 26 after being postponed from May 15.
“I remember sitting and watching the Prime Minister’s announcement saying that 30 guests would come in on May 17 – I sobbed!” the research systems and operations manager told PA.
“Everything was booked at that time ready to go… I’d ordered loads of decor with the original date on, all of which has had to go in the bin.
“We are going to have to face some hard choices if they do not remove the 30 limit.
“If I moved my wedding to half time in a football match 4,000 could attend, it makes no sense.”
Ms Thorneycroft also noted that her venue will lose more than £2,000 of income on food and “even more” on drinks if the restrictions are not lifted.
Bethanie Crane and her husband-to-be, Ben Thompson, a 29-year-old telecommunications engineer, both from North Tyneside, Newcastle upon Tyne, had planned to wed on July 11 2020 but have set a new date for July 17 this year.
“We have already postponed our wedding once and don’t want to do it again due to illness of close family members,” the 26-year-old waiting list officer explained.
“We’re worried about who we may have to cut from our numbers and the money we’re going to lose because of how late the government has left the announcement.
“When changing the date, we lost money. Some of our suppliers were already booked for our new date too.
“I feel if we decide to postpone again we won’t even be able to get another date with all of our same suppliers for at least 18 months.”
