South Yorkshire couples hope third time’s a charm after postponing their weddings twice due to Covid-19

Planning a wedding can be a stressful time but add a global pandemic into the situation and it’s enough to lead even the hardiest of engaged couples into the depths of despair.
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The Government first banned weddings when national lockdown began on March 23 last year, forcing many to postpone or cancel their plans unsure of when they would eventually be able to get hitched.

A study by wedding insurance company, Hello Safe, revealed that the industry lost an estimated £5.29 billion pounds in 2020 while over 132,000 couples postponed their nuptials.

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Ceriann Rush and her fiancé Scott Bailey are hoping to get married next year after postponing their wedding two times alreadyCeriann Rush and her fiancé Scott Bailey are hoping to get married next year after postponing their wedding two times already
Ceriann Rush and her fiancé Scott Bailey are hoping to get married next year after postponing their wedding two times already
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But behind these figures are real people who have had to endure months of heartache and uncertainty – with many across South Yorkshire undoubtedly hoping they can finally get married in either 2021 or 2022 if the situation allows.

Although wedding and civil partnership ceremonies can now go ahead, the current temporary lockdown measures in place across the UK mean the rules are much stricter than they have been in previous months – meaning they should only take place in exceptional circumstances and with only six attendees.

Ceriann Rush, 30, was due to marry her fiancé Scott Bailey, 32, in May last year with a ceremony at Trafalgar Warehouse, in the heart of Sheffield city centre.

The pair had been engaged for two years prior and spent that time eagerly planning their nuptials but when the pandemic hit they chose to postpone their wedding until February 2021.

Over 132,000 couples postponed their weddings last yearOver 132,000 couples postponed their weddings last year
Over 132,000 couples postponed their weddings last year
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"I remember the lockdown coming in the middle of March, and with the wedding being in May at that point we had absolutely no idea how long everything was going to last,” Ceriann said.

“We had quite a lot of money in deposits and things like that. Our immediate worry was that we were going to lose all this money, we had no idea if we were entitled to refunds and at the time the insurer – we were insured with John Lewis – they were saying that they weren’t going to cover anything to do with Covid.

"It was just a big panic that this wonderful day that we’d planned for two years was all just going to go down the drain.

"It was all just a bit crazy and there were a lot of tears, a lot of stress. We basically just decided straight away to postpone it thinking we want everyone to be safe and we don’t want to be stressed.”

Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies can go ahead under the current lockdown restrictions although rules are much stricterWeddings and civil partnership ceremonies can go ahead under the current lockdown restrictions although rules are much stricter
Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies can go ahead under the current lockdown restrictions although rules are much stricter
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Fast forward to this year and the couple should have been newlyweds by now - however due to current restrictions have postponed their wedding yet again in hopes they can celebrate the big day exactly as planned.

Luckily throughout they have been guided by their wedding planner Ellie Softley-Robins, of Innercity Weddings, a Sheffield based indie business, who the couple say have been “absolute superstars” in easing the stress.

Ceriann added: “We’ve now postponed the wedding until October 2022. I know everybody is different, people have said why don’t you just go to the registry office and get married – that wasn’t what it was about for us.

"We wanted everybody that we loved in that room, dancing, hugging, having a great time, and making really lovely memories with the people that we love. That piece of paper for us, we can get that any time because we know we’re going to be together forever.

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"That’s the reason we’ve pushed it back so far, we want everybody in the room without having to social distance and wear masks. We’re just clinging on to that hope.”

Emma Smythe, 28, and her fiancé Ashley Smith, from Brinsworth, have also had to postpone their wedding twice so are hoping that it’ll be third time lucky with their new date this May.

Together since the age of 16, the couple were initially due to marry in May 2020 at Tinsley Church, with a Tipi wedding reception at Cannon Hall afterwards organised by an external company.

Once lockdown hit their wedding got cancelled and they booked again for September 5, 2020, later postponing it to their new date this year.

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“In October last year I asked to move it again to 2022 as I didn’t think it would be happening this year,” Emma said.

"If we want to move it we'll have to pay 25 per cent of the total fee, which will be nearly £3,000, to move the date. We’ve paid all our suppliers nearly and we can’t really afford to pay that.

"We said we’d just ride it out and see what happens this year. We’d not heard a thing from the wedding company until two days ago, saying did we want a date for next year as they’ve only got four dates left now.”

The couple now face a dilemma, pay thousands to change the date or hold out to see if Covid restrictions ease potentially risking not being able to marry until 2023.

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Emma, who is currently unable to work as she is a hairdresser, said one of the reasons they want to marry so soon is because her nan has Alzheimer's.

She added: "I don’t really want to wait until next year, you don’t know what’s going to happen or whether people are still going to be here in a year.

"We said we’d be happy with 15 people, we paid for 110 people for our day – if we only have 15 or 30 people we won’t be getting refunded for everything we’ve paid.

"We had 110 people and of course I wanted them all but when I thought about it, you want your family more than anyone. I said we could have a party next year, that’s not the problem.

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“You just feel like you’re putting your life on hold because obviously we’ve been together 13 years, we want a family and stuff eventually but I want to be married before we do that... we’re just ready to move on.”

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.