Photograph by Drew Coffman

Love seems to be on the horizon for the wedding industry with venues receiving pent-up demand for bookings into late 2022.

One year on from when the pandemic first hit, weddings are still unable to take place unless there are exceptional circumstances. But with many couples having postponed their big day and the emergence of new brides ad grooms-to-be, venues are filling up with bookings late into 2022.

Deputy general manager of Halifax Hall Hotel in Sheffield, Amy Skidmore, said: “We still feel quite optimistic, the vaccine definitely helps with that, and the fact that we are still receiving a large number of enquiries.

“Usually our lead time would be about a year, whereas now it’s probably more in the region of two years, as people would rather have the certainty that they can go ahead.”

Although the future is set to bring business to wedding venues and planners, they have suffered from little to no business to date due to the pandemic. Venues have spoke about not experiencing the typical boost in bookings following Valentine’s Day this year.

Wedding planner Taf Khan, from the Maya Suite in Attercliffe, said: “We’ve lost a year and a half of business and we feel that the government could have one more.”

UK Weddings Taskforce are lobbying for the Prime Minister to include weddings in the government plan on February 22, where the easing of restrictions is expected to be announced.

MPs lent their support, including Andrew Bridgen, MP for North West Leicestershire, who called on Boris Johnson to provide “urgent clarity and financial support for the wedding industry” as “400,000 jobs are now at risk”. It is still unclear whether the wedding industry will be included in the government plan.

Miss Skidmore added: “I think we’ve been the one industry where it’s all been very vague. I don’t think the financial support has been there for businesses.”