The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has thrown the world into chaos and has completely changed daily life as we know it. If you were scheduled to get hitched in the next several months or even weeks, there’s no doubt that you’ve been looking forward to this day for ages - putting time, emotions and money to create an epic celebration. And now all your best laid plans have come crashing down around you.
Barlens is Australia’s leading wedding hire company and we're completely devastated by the destruction this virus is causing to people, businesses and industries across the country, and the world. If you’re getting married in the coming months, the confusion about whether to proceed, postpone or cancel is undoubtedly overwhelming and downright distressing. Hopefully this guide may help to give you some confidence to move in the direction that feels best for you.
What are the Current COVID-19 Restrictions for Weddings in Australia?
As of March 25th, weddings have been severely restricted. They are able to take place but only with a maximum of five people in attendance – the couple, a celebrant, and two witnesses.
There also must be 4 square metres provided per person in an enclosed space. The restrictions Australia is facing will be in place for a minimum of 90 days. If this doesn’t suit your wedding plans, now is the time to make official plans for how best to proceed.
Should We Proceed as Planned?
Prior to the 25th March and the new restrictions imposed on weddings, many couples were still hopeful that their weddings would be able to proceed. In light of these new restrictions, only small elopement-style ceremonies may now take place, and all other weddings should be postponed. If you do want to make things official on your original wedding day, you can go ahead and do this, providing you’re adhering to the new requirements. You can then postpone your wedding reception and party until a future date where you and your loved ones can celebrate safely.
Postponing Your Wedding
It is advisable that you contact your venue and vendors ASAP to ask them what their postponement policy is and to gather their available dates for later this year, or even beyond to safeguard yourself against a second postponement. When postponing your wedding, be assured that the vast majority of wedding venues and vendors will be incredibly understanding in helping you facilitate the postponement. Unfortunately, the hard reality of postponing your wedding is that you may not be able to secure your venue and all of your vendors on your new desired date – it might be difficult or not possible to make your wedding work with all of the original businesses you chose to partner with, due to the volume of future weddings and postponements.
Cancelling Your Wedding
If you are considering cancelling your wedding altogether, this may largely depend on the T&C’s set in the contracts you’ve entered into with your venue and wedding suppliers. Most contracts require a deposit to be paid to secure the wedding supplies and services of the business and often these are non-refundable. Keep in mind that the vast majority of venues and wedding suppliers would much rather you postpone your wedding date over cancelling. If you decide to cancel your wedding, it’s likely you’ll forfeit any deposits you’ve put down and depending on the proximity of the cancellation to your wedding day and the T&C’s and position of the venue/vendor, you may incur additional costs.
While the COVID-19 pandemic is all-encompassing right now, eventually it will be something we can put behind us. Don’t stop planning your wedding. Life will go on post-Coronavirus and there are many people in the wedding industry that will be more excited than ever to help you bring your special day together and celebrate your love in style. Keep calm, remember this is out of your control and when you do secure a new date allow yourself to get excited and inspired all over again.
No doubt, this is a crazy time for all, but your family, friends, and wedding vendors are here to help you navigate everything and celebrate again when it's safe for all to do so.
The team at Barlens offer our full support to those who were supposed to get married over the next few months. Our hearts are with you and we hope you can remain positive knowing that when your wedding day does happen, it’s going to be all the more special having gone through this challenge to get there.
We hope that you and your families stay safe and healthy as Australia navigates COVID-19. If you have any questions regarding the postponement of wedding hire equipment or wedding supplies get in touch with us online today.
