My wedding day hitch

EVERYONE always warns you that planning a wedding is stressful.

Pah! I said. How hard can it be? Very, it turns out.

At the start of lockdown we were cautiously optimistic everything would be fine by the time we were set to get married in September.

But as the weeks dragged on, we realised that even if our wedding could go ahead, it wouldn’t look anything like we had imagined.

For us, the most important thing was to have all our friends and family there — and we had chosen a venue with a large capacity.

So even before small weddings were given the green light last week, we knew we wanted to wait and try again next year.

But we found ourselves stuck in a sort of no man’s land.

Our venue was overwhelmed and still trying to rearrange weddings planned for April, May and June.

It also didn’t want to risk losing even more business by postponing dates that potentially could go ahead in some form.

If we cancelled, we faced losing a hefty deposit. And even if our money was returned, it was doubtful we would find another venue with availability for next year.

like so many couples, we craved certainty and found ourselves jealous of those whose weddings had been cancelled outright.

Not only were they at the front of the queue for a new date, the competition and Markets Authority had made it crystal clear that they must be allowed to postpone or get a refund.

But now the rules seem murkier — and the stricken wedding industry will no doubt be desperate to cling on to any business it can.

As we explain on page 37, it means that those who do not want a socially distanced ceremony now face a scramble to rebook the wedding they want or get their money back.

On the bright side, with most peak dates already sold out for 2021, it is suddenly much more acceptable to choose an ‘unfashionable’ date — a Monday in January or February, for example.

Not only could this work out thousands of pounds cheaper, it will also liven up the dullest months of the year for some.

Pensions fiasco

At tIMES, the Department for Work and Pensions makes me want to weep. How on earth does it think it was acceptable to send crucial information about women’s pensions to their husbands?

As we reveal on page 38, married women may have missed out on thousands of pounds, unaware they could claim a better pension based on their husband’s record.

Yet ministers continue to ignore calls for an investigation. It should not be down to those affected to chase a refund. DWP needs to identify them and make it right.

If you think you have been shortchanged, put your details into this online calculator — lcp.uk.com/ is- your- state- pension- beingunder-paid — set up by former pensions minister Steve Webb. If you appear to have been underpaid, call the DWP on 0800 731 0469.

Cashless trick

MY lOcAl pub has some new house rules. ‘ Practise social distancing, note there is one entrance and one exit point, don’t move the furniture . . . and card payments only.’

In fact, we didn’t see a card machine while we were there. Instead, customers were encouraged to download a smartphone app.

After entering our name, mobile number, card details, table number and order, a pint of Neck Oil and an Aperol spritz duly arrived at our table minutes later — and a welcome sight they were.

But what happens if you do not have a smartphone or do not want to pay by card? Since re-opening, many restaurants, pubs and shops have said they will no longer accept cash.

Given the World Health Organisation has not advised against using notes, this seems a rather extreme reaction which could not only cost them vital business but also alienate the most vulnerable in society.

Even more absurd is the yellow sign I saw last week on an automated payment machine in an NcP car park, claiming that it could not accept cash due to ‘safety reasons’.

Sounds suspiciously like a cost-cutting tactic to me.