Thousands of couples scrambling to #ChangeTheDate of their weddings amid Covid-19 crisis

Thousands of weddings have been postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis.

Government restrictions means that large gatherings are banned for the foreseeable future.

We postponed our #wedding because of #coronavirus. It's the right decision. Luckily our issue is manageable. The Health & safety of people come first.
We talked about our decision here & how we came to it in our video https://t.co/pJEAyUmSfz#coronavirusNederland #changethedate

— F A T E N فاتن (@Fatenhbu) April 2, 2020

Change the dates are the new save the dates, with thousands of weddings cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Couples who have been planning their spring and summer weddings for up to two years are now scrambling to reschedule dates and re-book suppliers.

The latest restrictions in operation since Friday, March 27 mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to:
• Shop for essential food and household goods;
• Attend medical appointments, collect medicine or other health products;
• Care for children, older people or other vulnerable people - this excludes social family visits;
• Exercise outdoors - within 2kms of your home and only with members of your own household, keeping 2 metres distance between you and other people
• Travel to work if you provide an essential service - be sure to practice social distancing

Jennifer Connolly, who was due to get married on April 17, said: "When I was going for my last fitting of the dress on the Thursday, we had made the call on the Wednesday, so obviously I didn't go for that fitting.

We were actually in the middle of our table planning on St Patrick's Day when we got the phone call from the venue.

Couples who are due to get married in July, August and September are now unsure if their big days will go ahead.

Eddie Condon from Boyne Hill House in Navan had some advice.

Mr Condon said: "Obviously engage with the venue, discuss the options, I suppose the reality is April is a write-off. Look for alternative dates. I know it is hard to say hold tight, but it is the best option you have got at the moment."

Couples who are still in the planning stages are unable to make bookings with uncertainties around whether suppliers and venues will still be in business and whether they can still afford the day they had envisioned.

Sad but the right decision #friends #wedding #changethedate #coronaviruspandemic https://t.co/BjyUyiS9No

— Angela Bird (@Angie_c_j) March 21, 2020

Oraith Cruise has just got engaged and does not know where to start.

She said: "Ideally we'd probably have seen a few places by now, possibly have put a deposit down somewhere. I would have hoped to have spoken to my bridal party and chosen bridesmaids."

Many couples who have had their weddings cancelled have lost out on deposits from smaller suppliers, while people who are still in the planning stages are advised to get wedding insurance.

[snippet1]987600[/snippet1]