Wedding Postponed to 2021 - Cancel or Price Reduce?!

You really need to be checking your contract and having a conversation with the venue - venues are varying so much in how they are responding to this situation, so it depends very much on the individual place as to what response you will get.

I had this exact same worry but when we revisited our venue I asked the questions and was pleasantly reassured. They gave us the option to reduce our initial numbers to 30 now and increase if allowed at the time, or keep our original numbers and they would refund or it knock off the final bill if we aren’t allowed that many. They also said we could change to another date if we are not allowed as many as we book for, so we have some flexibility. Still awaiting the contract but happy to go ahead if all that is in place

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As a wedding photographer that is how I have approached the whole covid issue. People have booked for all day coverage up to and beyond first dance but I have been reducing the price accordingly depending on what is being allowed at the time so at the minute the price is being reduced to reflect that there will be no evening reception.

If receptions get stopped then the price can be reduced further to cover ceremony only. If the wedding gets postponed then it can be moved.

The problem some venues have is that although you booked for 100 and now you can only have 15 they may not be able to discount by the full 85 people. It could be that 15 will not even cover turning the lights on. ( exaggeration )

Also if you have moved from May 2020 to March 2021 the price may be cheaper for March - but higher anyway for 2021.

Thank you! Really helpful to see responses from other people and especially a wedding photographer too. Our contract doesn’t really cover this sort of situation (not that anyone would have anticipated this!) so it’s fairly standard postpone and cancellation information, which all mean we’d lose lots of money, e.g. if we cancelled within 6 months of the date then we’d be liable for the full fee.


It doesn’t state anything about number of guests and no mention of minimum numbers in the contract which is where I’m worried. They’ve not been overly flexible so far - when we moved from May (peak) to March (off peak) they refused to refund the difference in price (~£2k) but if it was a more expensive date we’d have had to pay the difference. Admittedly they were very helpful and proactive for moving the original date and didn’t charge anything for the date move.
We just want to get an idea of what other venues and suppliers are doing before we go to them so we can figure out where we stand or what to expect.

"It doesn’t state anything about number of guests and no mention of minimum numbers in the contract which is where I’m worried."

This could be because it sort of wasn't really ever needed in their contract wording because for example when you initially enquired, if you had said 15 they would of said sorry we have a minimum of 80 and so its then booked at 80 and your contract says 80 and doesn't need to state min numbers.

This whole thing is a mess for sure and all suppliers big and small are trying to do the best they can and are learning as they go. Whatever you do - get any promises in writing.

When I speak to my couples on the phone I then send them an email confirming what we have agreed.

Even pre covid this forum has had many posts in the past about being verbally promised things by wedding coordinators and then they leave and the venue will not honour what was said.

I hope you've got this sorted without too much stress. I am in the same boat and with the same venue. It looks to be a very long and drawn out fight to get our money back. They have not been very supportive and customer focussed throughout this pandemic.

View quoted message Oh my gosh I’m so glad to have found someone in the same boat with the same venue! It can be so hard knowing if I’m being unreasonable or expecting too much when I don’t know anyone to talk to.


I actually rang them a couple of weeks ago and had a pretty constructive conversation going through all the options that they set out (full postpone, postpone reception but go ahead with ceremony, or go ahead with 15 with price reduction). We’re more than likely going to go ahead with just 15 as there’s a few things which mean we don’t want to postpone any longer. I did ask about cancellation and they said it would be in line with T&Cs (so we’d be liable for full venue fee) which I know isn’t strictly true, but definitely would be a fight with lawyers needing to be involved. I asked if anyone had cancelled but they dodged the question. It’s still going to be a very expensive day for just 15 people (if that’s what’s allowed in March), but with deposits and payments made to date I think they actually owe us money now and remaining payments to suppliers aren’t high which is such a relief.
I completely agree they’ve not handled it the best - in the first lockdown when we postponed in April they did so many things wrong. Pressuring for a decision on a date, not making it clear we’d get full refund if we cancelled, and not refunding the difference between peak and off peak dates. Generally doing everything they could to keep money.
Hope you manage to get to a resolution. Are you fully cancelling?

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I definitely don't think you are being unreasonable.

I totally understand that this pandemic has effected everyone and in different ways but when you pay for a service and abide by their contract and they then do not follow the terms of their contract its a very bitter pill to swallow.

Our wedding is supposed to be later this year but we are fighting for a full refund. Frankly the offer we have from them for a refund is insulting and disgusting, hence us instructing a solicitor to review everything for us.

We will definitely not be getting married at Wasing Park as their handling of this situation has left a very bitter taste in our mouth. The tone of their emails, the way they are playing hard done by and that they are loosing more than us so we should feel bad for them, its awful that they should put it on us.

One thing I can say with certainty is that they are not consistent with their resolution of these situations so don't let them pressure you into something you don't want. Ultimately your wedding is not as you had planned and paid for so I think there is an argument for your contract to be "frustrated" if you decided to pursue it.

Feel free to Pm should you want any more info

You're entitled to a 100% refund of all money you have paid (minus expenses) if you want it. Don't let the venue tell you otherwise.

I don't know if this is what you want but I think it's always good to have the information - I was so relieved when I found this. Really you should be able to get your money back without too many problems if you quote this at them. They are possibly just hoping that most people don't know about it.

See gov.uk guidance on wedding cancellations and refunds