Summary
Arranging your wedding or civil partnership during Covid can be very tricky, especially as rules and restrictions change. But what are your rights if your plans are disrupted? Can you cancel and get a refund if your guest numbers are cut, you're told not to dance, or people - perhaps close family - are not able to attend because of changes to rules? Should you expect to be able to postpone without penalty? Can venues hang on to part of what you've paid up front? Is there any point in getting wedding insurance?
Our panel of experts can advise: Pran Bhanot, litigation solicitor and wedding specialist at Meaby & Co. Jemma Cox, Lead Officer for Civil Law at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. Wedding planner Jessie Westwood of Studio Sorores, who is also part of the #WhatAboutWeddings campaign.
We also hear from Hamish Shephard of the BrideBook app and our listeners' experiences.
Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Paul Waters Production co-ordinator: Janet Staples Editor: Alex Lewis
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're about to listen to a BBC podcast, but this is about something else you might enjoy. |
| 0:05.4 | My name's Katie Lecky and I'm an assistant commissioner for on demand music on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:10.8 | The BBC has an incredible musical heritage and culture and as a music lover, I love being part of that. |
| 0:17.5 | With music on sounds, we offer collections and mixes for everything, from workouts to |
| 0:22.4 | helping you nod off, boogie in your kitchen, or even just a moment of calm. And they're all put |
| 0:28.3 | together by people who know their stuff. So if you want some expertly curated music in your life, |
| 0:35.0 | check out BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts. Welcome to the download of |
| 0:43.0 | Moneybox Live, the program about your money. Today we're talking about weddings and civil |
| 0:47.4 | partnerships because it's going to be a summer of celebration. June the 21st wasn't the freedom |
| 0:52.9 | day we had all hoped for, but the rules |
| 0:54.9 | for celebrating couples have been relaxed, even if dancing still isn't back on the table, |
| 1:00.0 | and especially not dancing on the table. But the big day can have a big price, and that's |
| 1:04.6 | concerning for couples who are worried about more COVID chaos. Today on Moneybox Live, we're talking |
| 1:10.1 | about consumer rights, refunds and romance |
| 1:12.8 | for the tens of thousands of people, hoping to tie the knot in the next few weeks and months. |
| 1:18.1 | Before we meet the panel, let's take a call. We've got Hamish Shepard on the line. He's the founder |
| 1:22.7 | of Bridebook, which connects wedding businesses with customers. Hamish, good afternoon. |
| 1:27.7 | Hi, hello, Steve. Thanks for having me on. |
| 1:29.6 | Thank you very much for coming on because I believe you're actually organizing a wedding today. |
| 1:33.2 | A lot of couples use your service. |
| 1:35.9 | Can you tell me how many weddings have been delayed? |
| 1:39.6 | Yes, so it's been an incredibly difficult 18 months to the wedding industry. |
... |
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