Wedding industry faces ‘£500m hit’ due to scrapped winter ceremonies

Coronavirus restrictions have left the wedding industry facing huge financial losses

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The wedding industry is facing nearly half a billion in losses due to the thousands of scrapped winter ceremonies this year.

 It is estimated the industry has lost out on more then £430 million in December alone thanks to cancelled or postponed weddings due to the pandemic, according to new analysis by the Labour Party.

Since lockdown began on 23 March, wedding receptions across the UK have either been banned or restricted to just 15 people.

As a result many couples have faced the difficult decision of either cancelling or postponing their special day, while businesses in the sector are ineligible for crucial government support because they are not legally closed.

On average, 13,488 wedding receptions usually take place in December, but with the country still in lockdown many of these will not go ahead - especially under strict tier 4 restrictions in London and the South East.

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Almost 300,000 wedding receptions have now been postponed or cancelled since the Coronavirus crisis began in March, meaning the 400,000 people who work in the UK’s wedding industry - which contributes £14.7bn to the economy each year - have taken a huge financial blow.

Services such as wedding caterers, event planners, musicians, and wedding venues have been left with little to no income, and yet they are unable to access government cash grants as they are technically still able to trade.

Labour is now calling on the government to close holes in support for the self-employed, increase support available for suppliers and struggling businesses and publish a “roadmap” for the wedding industry for 2021, including what the capacity limits at venues will be in April when restrictions change.

Ed Miliband, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, added: “The wedding industry plays a huge role in what is for many people one of the most special days in their life and plays a crucial role in our economy.    

Thousands of couples have been forced to either cancel or postpone their special day (Getty Images)

"Businesses in the wedding industry are seriously struggling, having lost out on almost half a billion pounds just this December, as well as losing their entire peak season.    

"Yet the Government has left them out in the cold and failed to give them access to the support they need to survive.    

"With a vaccine rollout in sight, the government must stop dismissing this important industry and help ensure these businesses are here on the other side of the crisis.” 

A Government spokesperson told The Independent: “We know this is a very difficult period for wedding businesses. The current restrictions are essential so we can control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives, while enabling businesses to trade and weddings to go ahead in many regions.

“Wedding businesses can access the Government’s wide-ranging package of financial support worth £280 billion, including the extended furlough scheme, various loan schemes, grants for businesses forced to close of up to £3,000 a month and grants of up to £2,100 per month to businesses which are not closed but are severely affected by restrictions.”