Sheffield’s wedding industry suffers as romantic dreams are replaced by reality of Covid

But there have been none this year, says Lynn Russell of Bradfield Village Hall.

For Covid has put the entire wedding industry into hibernation - at best – while lockdown will stop some couples from being together on the most romantic day of the year. And who wants to propose over Zoom?

Last year the hall had 14 bookings, with some couples waiting until the 2020 because ‘it had a nice ring to it’, says Lynn. Then the pandemic hit and all of them were cancelled.

A year on, and such romantic whimsy – and 1,001 matrimonial decisions, dilemmas and dramas – are a thing of the past.

Now, hard and often unhappy decisions are the order of the day.

To stop the spread of Covid, wedding numbers in 2020 were massively reduced, down to five people at one point. Some went ahead with just the bride, groom, vicar and two witnesses - often one parent from each side. Tough decisions indeed.

Later in the year the number was raised to 15 and some got spliced but opted to leave the party until another time.

But Bradfield lost out completely. In 2019, the hall made £23,000 from weddings, says Lynn, its biggest source of income. In 2020, two couples cancelled and 10 moved their big day to this year, or next.

Of those, the two that were in for March and April 2021 have been moved for a second time and re-booked to 2022, she added.

But as well as costing them dear, cancellations also hit a supply chain of wedding businesses including caterers, photographers, cake makers, DJs, florists, hairdressers and make-up artists.

The industry is worth more than £14bn to the UK economy and employs 400,000 people.

Lynn said: “A lot of people will have gone to the wall, I presume. It is very sad. For the couples, everyone is in the same situation so it’s something you have to accept. Some have postponed for two or three years, others were determined to get married.

“I think this is going to be another bad year. Usually by now, especially around Valentine’s Day, we are inundated with calls from people about hiring the hall. We’ve had none because no one knows what’s going to happen. Couples aren’t able to see each other so proposals will probably be down too.”

Barnsley-based photographer Charlotte Elizabeth usually does 20 weddings a year. In 2020 she did two.

One was organised in a day so a couple could beat a looming lockdown in November. The other was 15 people at Barnsley Town Hall, with a Chinese takeaway instead of a wedding breakfast.

Charlotte has 13 booked in for this year, but the worry is they will all have to rearrange again.

She is one of millions waiting for February 22 with baited breath. That is when the government is set to announce a roadmap out of lockdown, which will hopefully include a plan for weddings.

Last month the UK Weddings Taskforce met government ministers to demand £680m in grants and plans for ‘the gradual, safe reopening of our sector to 50-plus guests from Easter weekend’.

Charlotte, based at Priory Campus, Pontefract Road, Barnsley, said: “From what I understand it depends on new variants and the success of the vaccine programme.”

The possibility of rapid testing, with results in just half-an-hour, is raising hopes of bigger gatherings, sit-down meals and discos, she added.

Sheffield cake maker Jo Fitzpatrick, of JoJo’s Cakes at Bradway, made one wedding cake last year, before the pandemic took hold.

During the first lockdown she stopped working completely due to cancellations. But even if she had wanted to carry on she couldn’t - because of a craze for making bread.

She said: “You couldn’t get flour for love nor money. In the end I had two cancellations and 10 orders moved to this year. And I’m taking bookings for this year as well.

“Some are still having a cake even if they can’t have a do and deliver it to friends and family. I’m trying to be as flexible as possible but depending on the design it can take two weeks to make.

"But at the moment people don’t know if they can have a wedding this year or not.”

The Chimney House and The Mowbray are Sheffield venues that have hosted dozens of events over the years.

Boss Sally Hubbard said weddings were about 60 per cent of business. A few had gone ahead normally until March 2020 and then eight smaller ones during the year, within the 15 people limit. Others had re-booked to this year. Meanwhile, they had diversified into ‘finish-at-home’ boxes and takeaways.

She said: “You have to run on optimism, we’re doing everything we can and we’re grateful to still be here.

“Everyone used to take hospitality for granted. The ease of walking into a restaurant and sitting down. People are so looking forward to happier times, when restrictions are eased a lot of people will be in the mood to celebrate. Hopefully, when safe, it will be good and positive for everyone.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he plans to unveil a ‘roadmap’ out of national lockdown on February 22. Pubs may be allowed to open again in April with a ‘booze ban’ so people stick to social distancing, according to the Telegraph.

He has also said the Government believes March 8 is the ‘prudent’ date to begin reopening schools in England.

British officials are said to have started working on a ‘vaccine passport’ that would allow people to travel for a holiday this summer.

Sheffield start-up lands £100,000 investment from Boeing

Law firm takes out subscription with The Star to support local journalism in lockdown

Meadowhall extension plan unchanged despite looming loss of four large stores

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper.

We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.