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Beginner May 2021 East London

Cancellation

Grace, 12 of January of 2021 at 09:28 Posted on Planning 1 13

May 2021 bride here and was wondering if anyone has successfully cancelled their wedding and received any refunds back? We are seriously considering cancelling after postponing once already and not wanting to do this again. We have paid for over half of the venue cost and various large supplier deposits, we have wedding insurance but as you may know it doesn't cover anything really.

Would be great to hear how cancelling gone for couples.

13 replies

Latest activity by Ben, 7 of May of 2021 at 14:08
  • HappyPinkHair15172
    Dedicated September 2022 Merseyside
    HappyPinkHair15172 ·
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    Hello Grace

    You would need to look at the t&c's of ALL your suppliers before making a decision. It's so close to your final payments now that it would be unlikely that you would get all of your money refunded.

    Your wedding insurance probably won't cover you for just a straightforward cancellation unless you met the clause conditions - again, you'd need to check your policy.

    You may be able to move your date as an alternative though, or could you just hold a grand party rather than a wedding and get married at a later date?

    Best of luck with whatever you decide, and let us know how you get on!

    Ali xx

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  • L
    Lizwedding ·
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    Hi Grace, I went on a webinar yesterday by 'The Wedding Lawyer' and they pretty much said for May people to try and have conversations but do not mention the word cancel. Its a waiting game really - if weddings are banned in May then that is more straight forward refund - apart from the venues / suppliers costs but the CMA is very clear on what can and cant be claimed for. If its restrictions it depends on if numbers are on your contracts and what your T&Cs say about 'force majeure' - if these are unfair then frustration can come into it. Have a look at the CMAs advice on weddings Smiley smile

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  • G
    Beginner May 2021 East London
    Grace ·
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    Thank you both so much for your replies - i have spoken to my venue about cancelling and they recommended postponing as we would lose all of our payments, however they don't have a suitable date for us next year. We are going to wait it out and see what our options are closer to the time xx

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  • HappyPinkHair15172
    Dedicated September 2022 Merseyside
    HappyPinkHair15172 ·
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    Hi Grace

    I hope you are managing to keep your chin up and stay positive! Do let us know how you get on.

    I know it's a long way off, but is a 2022 date not an option at all?

    Cheers

    Ali

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  • G
    Beginner May 2021 East London
    Grace ·
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    Thanks so much Ali! Have tried to stay positive but finding it hard today - our venue gave us a mid week option in 2022 which we don't really want, i understand they are trying their best but we originally paid for a Saturday in half term for a reason! We are looking at having a registry and dinner instead but it is hard to be excited for this. Sorry for the moan! For the first time i'm feeling a bit helpless.

    xx

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  • A
    Beginner February 2023 South Yorkshire
    Alex ·
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    Chin up lovely! I have a friend who has been through this exact same thing. She finally settled on a registry and evening meal with close family and friends, mostly because she couldn't handle the hassle of another year of planning and expensw. Not saying this is what you should do Smiley smile She said it was a huge relief though, and ultimately we had a beautiful time. Hope you come to a decision that makes you and your fiance happy! x

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  • G
    Beginner May 2021 East London
    Grace ·
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    Thanks so much Alex! Thats so good to hear Smiley smile We have now decided to cancel and are getting super excited for a mini celebration this year (and about all the money we are saving). Hoping to use our some of suppliers for the registry. It is such a relief to not have to stress about the wedding anymore. xx

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  • Anita
    Savvy September 2021 Surrey
    Anita ·
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    Hi Grace, Sorry to hear you are facing this tough dilemma. My fiance and I are in the same position.

    We should have gotten married in September 2020, and our venue didn't (or wouldn't) offer us postponement - until 8 weeks - yes, only 8 weeks!! - before our original wedding date. When they finally got round to offering us the option to postpone, we were literally given a handful of dates for 2021 - ALL either on a Monday or Wednesday.. that's all they could offer us apparently, as their calendar is so booked up from other postponements, plus weddings that were already booked for 2021.

    We've opted for a Monday, since we figured people could take a long weekend if they wanted to attend. We don't have a huge guestlist (75), so we're hoping this is OK and that our guests understand the reason we're now getting married on a Monday instead of a Saturday.

    Even though our postponed date isn't until 6th September, I'm already having anxiety about whether it will be able to go ahead or not. Looking at our contract, if we cancel before 6th march, we'd get some of our money back, except our £3K non refundable deposit... which is a lot of money. So we either lose £3K and cancel OR wait and see, and postpone again if things aren't OK by our date.

    I feel for all the brides in this situation. It's really horrible, considering a lot of us have been dreaming of the perfect wedding since we were little girls. I just want to marry my best friend! Sigh. Best of luck with your planning lovely. I'm here if you want a rant or a listening ear! xx

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  • G
    Beginner May 2021 East London
    Grace ·
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    Hi Anita! I'm so sorry, what a hard position to be in. I was initially hoping to postpone to September this year, with the vaccine deadlines being met by feb i do feel like we will be on the road to normality later in the year - however i know how tough not knowing is. What helped us with being ok to lose the deposits was focusing on the £15k that we wouldn't be spending on the wedding, but i still wonder if we will have regrets later in life not having the big celebration. Ultimately i am a control freak and couldn't cope with the wait, so cancelling feels like a huge relief at the moment, but I would hate for you to cancel with the possibility of being able to have a larger wedding in September. Hope you come to a decision that gives you some piece of mind, keep me updated! xxx

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  • Anita
    Savvy September 2021 Surrey
    Anita ·
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    Thanks Grace - update from the venue - just had a generic email from them thanking us for our patience, etc.. they've said they are remaining optimistic for the Government's announcement on the "roadmap out of lockdown" which is due to take place on the 22nd Feb. They venue have also said that they're once again working to an 8 week turnaround for couples due to get married at the venue... meaning, if things AREN'T ok by July, we'll be offered postponement once again... Sigh! I personally think they should increase this to 12 weeks, because honestly, who can plan a wedding in 8 weeks?! Madness.

    I have emailed the venue to ask if, in the event that weddings ARE allowed to take place, but on a smaller scale (15 or 30 people) by then, what would this look like in terms of costings, given that we've already paid for a wedding with 75 people and a reception? I'd be expecting some money back, so it'll be interesting to see what their response is... I have said that we just want to be transparent and be able to plan for all scenarios in case we can't have the day that we originally wanted....

    Any updates on yours lovely?? x

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  • G
    Beginner May 2021 East London
    Grace ·
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    Hi Anita! Are your venue able to give you an idea now of their free dates in 2022? As a postponement date is just a place holder they should offer you one at 12 weeks - our venue are charging a early postponement fee up until 12 weeks beforehand, would you consider offering to pay a fee that could go towards the final day for piece of mind? Wanted to say things are looking a lot more positive then last month, with the r rate being the lowest in 10 months. With the vaccine and your wedding being after the summer months i have high hopes for your day Smiley smile . Our venue are charging alcohol at a mid way point between original numbers and the numbers we are allowed and no reduction in venue hire costs, which also made the decision to cancel easier. We have lost some big deposits but hoping to use some suppliers for the registry and have alot more to spend on a honeymoon and towards our first home. Its been really difficult but i know we made the right decision. I hope the news today is giving you a bit more piece of mind xx

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  • SunnyBrownFlowers80165
    Beginner July 2021 Cornwall
    SunnyBrownFlowers80165 ·
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    Hi Grace,

    I totally understand where you're coming from, sounds like we're in the exact same situation as you. I've now got to the point where I've directly asked for a refund. I don't feel we were fairly treated upfront by means of not having all our options laid out before us and we ended getting tangled up in a second contract due to taking what we thought was the only option available to us, postponement. I've based my request on the guidance I've recently been pointed to on the government website Wedding services affected by COVID-19: statement of the CMA's position on cancellation and refunds - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

    Hopefully this may help if you get to the point I did. I'm currently awaiting a response. Good luck with everything! x

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  • L
    Lizwedding ·
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    Hey, out of interest how has everyone got on? Our venue are trying to retain £1200 and would be good to hear what other people’s venues have said for weddings that can’t go ahead with the right numbers?
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