Covid: Wedding businesses 'need more help to survive'

Wedding businesses are calling on the Welsh Government to do more to help the sector suffering because of Covid regulations.

The industry warned Wales was in danger of losing a number of creative businesses without improved guidance.

As couples celebrate St Dwynwen's Day across Wales, businesses said they needed help out of the pandemic.

The Welsh Government said it was considering what further support businesses need.

Under the current level 4 lockdown restrictions, the Welsh Government says the size of a wedding will depend on the venue's capacity and how many people they can safely accommodate in the room. Receptions are not allowed to take place.

Ceri Haf Roberts had planned to get married in September 2020 and said she was now worried about her new date in July 2021 going ahead.

She said: "I'm looking forward to getting married, because that's what's important - marrying your best friend.

"But I'm not looking forward to telling people, 'sorry you didn't make the shortlist to come to my wedding'."

Some couples are now having to postpone for the third or fourth time, which has financial implications as some suppliers refuse to refund deposits.

"My biggest worry was the availability of my suppliers. DJ or band is another thing - is there a point if you can't dance? Then there's the marquee - do I need to spend £7,000 on a tent to hold 30 people?," said Ms Roberts, Talybont near Aberystwyth.

"I've heard of a lot of people who are in the same situation as us, where to postpone again would mean paying more money or losing the money altogether for a cancellation.

"There is no government guidance on where we stand with our deposits - it is unclear and frustrating."

Singer Cas Jones, from Llanfyllin, Powys, said she had missed out on "any financial help" since the start of the pandemic. To date, she has lost more than 30 gigs, many of which were weddings.

"The live gigs has been a sideline of mine, but it's still a significant amount of money and I haven't been able to get any financial help."

"All of my gigs were cancelled in 2020, and it's now starting to affect 2021.

"Who knows what the future holds for me, but it has affected me greatly."

Bala-based photographer Heledd Roberts said she felt the wedding industry needed more support and that successful start-ups were ineligible for any government funding.

"I feel bad for them because there is a real possibility that we will lose so many of these viable businesses," she said.

"There has to be some kind of roadmap for the wedding sector, which is worth millions to the Welsh economy. It's a shame that we are left on the side."

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "We are committed to doing all we can to support businesses and people during the pandemic.

"Our package of business support complements that available from the UK Government and is the most generous in the UK.

"Since March more than £1.7bn has reached businesses with more applications being processed every day. We are also considering what further support is needed by businesses.

"We're dealing with a public health crisis and are working with all sectors of the economy to provide as much clarity about the regulations as quickly as possible.

"We understand these are challenging times for everyone working in the hospitality sector as we respond to the pandemic and keep Wales safe."