Couples despair at big weddings ban – after G7 leaders’ bumper barbecue
A G7 beach barbecue has led to accusations of hypocrisy after it emerged that lifting restrictions on weddings will probably be delayed.
Images of world leaders gathered together on the sands of Carbis Bay in Cornwall drew anger from the wedding industry who have been left in limbo about whether large gatherings will be allowed to take place again. No 10 denied the feast on Saturday breached current Covid rules – which allow 30 people to gather together outside.
Weddings are also limited to just 30 guests, although there had been plans to lift those restrictions on numbers next week.
But concerns over the Indian variant of the virus have prompted ministers to reassess the roadmap, with Boris Johnson suggesting he will delay the initial plan.
The UK Weddings Taskforce, an industry group, estimates 50,000 nuptials planned in the four weeks from June 21 could be cancelled if restrictions remain in place.
They calculated the industry would lose £325million for every week that weddings without restrictions fail to go ahead. Mark Dawson, of the Wedding Venue Support Group, said the 30-capacity figure was based on a hunch from scientists last year and had not been backed up with any hard data since.
He said: ‘Eighty people can sit inside a pub, but if you put a bride and groom in there, you can only have 30 in there, it doesn’t make sense and there’s no scientific evidence to back it up.’
Rebecca Lee and fiancé Joe Henderson have already moved their wedding date twice.
The pair, both 30, had initially planned to get married on August 22 last year but were forced to push back the date to May 7 this year and again to August 5.
‘My anxiety levels are through the roof,’ said Miss Lee, a public relations director from Manchester.
The couple had planned a wedding for 80. She said: ‘I’m due to pay my caterer in a couple of weeks. Do I pay them for 80 and risk losing thousands if it gets reduced to 30?’